A good photo saves a trip to the workshop. Most parts we make start as a picture sent on WhatsApp from a factory floor, a farm or a garage. When the photos are clear, we can tell you the price and the ready-date without seeing the part. When they are not, we have to ask questions, and the machine stays stopped for longer.
This guide shows what we need. It takes about five minutes.
What you need
- A phone camera. Any phone is fine.
- A tape measure or a steel ruler. A school ruler works for small parts.
- A plain background: a sheet of cardboard, a clean workbench or the floor.
- If you have one, a vernier calliper for diameters.
The three photos
1. The whole part, from the side. Lay the part flat on the plain background. Put the tape measure next to it, running the full length, with the numbers facing up. Stand directly above and take the photo so the part fills most of the picture. This one photo tells us the overall shape and length.
2. Each end, close up. Turn the part and photograph each end straight on. This shows us holes, threads, keyways, flats and chamfers that a side view hides. If there is a thread, hold the tape across it.
3. The damage. Show us where it broke or wore. A worn bearing seat, a rounded keyway or a cracked flange tells us how the part fails, and sometimes that the material should change.
Turn on the flash if the part is greasy or dark. Wipe off oil first if you can: shiny oil hides edges.
The five measurements that matter
Photos show shape. These numbers make the part fit. Write them in the WhatsApp message or in the quote form.
- Overall length, end to end.
- Every diameter, at each step. Measure the unworn section, not the damaged one.
- Hole and bore sizes, including how deep they go.
- Thread size, if there is one. Count the threads over 10 mm, or tell us the bolt that fits.
- Keyway width and depth, if the part has one.
Give the numbers in millimetres if you can. If you only have inches, tell us so we do not mix them up.
Tell us how the part works
A sentence or two about the job the part does helps us choose the right steel and the right fit:
- What machine is it from? A conveyor, a pump, a gearbox, a trailer?
- Does it turn fast, carry a heavy load, or sit in water or chemicals?
- Is it near the sea? Salt air changes the material we recommend.
- How many do you need, and how urgent is it?
Do you need a drawing?
No. For most shafts, bushings, flanges and pulleys, the photos and measurements are enough. If you have a technical drawing from the original manufacturer, send it too: it saves time on complex parts. If the part is critical, for example a bearing seat on a production line, we confirm the final dimensions with you before we cut any metal.
When to bring the part in
Some parts are easier to measure in person: very worn parts where we need to rebuild the original shape, parts with tapers or complex profiles, or anything where a fraction of a millimetre matters. In those cases, send the photos first so we can prepare, then bring the part, or send it by courier, to the workshop in Matola.
Next step
Once you have the photos and measurements, send them on WhatsApp or through the quote form. If the part is a simple shape, such as a shaft, bushing, flange or plate, you can also draw it yourself in Part Studio and send the specification in one tap.