Communication Industry
A telecom part has two jobs. It has to pass a signal without losing it, and it has to survive ten years on a pole in the rain.
CNC machining, 3D printing, injection molding and sheet metal. RF housings, heat sinks, antenna parts, optical modules and rack chassis. One supplier from prototype to production.
Parts we make
Most of them are hidden inside a box, on a roof or in a rack. They are judged by three things: does the signal get through, does the box stay sealed, and does the heat get out.
Machined from 6061 or copper, then silver plated. Cavity depth and wall finish set the insertion loss.
Rectangular bores, tuned irises and flange faces. One wrong internal corner and the return loss climbs.
Tall thin fins on a flat base. Flatness held so the thermal pad makes full contact, not partial.
Small, precise and often sealed. Cavities, fiber ports and lid seats cut in one setup.
Folded or machined. Rack ears, card guides and EMI gaskets that line up with the rail, first time.
IP65 or IP67, UV stable and salt-spray resistant. Gasket grooves cut in one pass, not two.
RF connectors, bulkheads and backplane parts. Threads gauged and pin depth controlled.
Stainless or powder-coated steel. Rated for wind load, not just for the drawing.
Not on the list? Most communication work is custom. Send the file and we will tell you if it is a fit.
Why YiguProto
Telecom hardware fails quietly. A part that is 0.05 mm off does not look wrong, it just stops working at the top of the band. Here is what we control.
A cavity 0.05 mm deep changes the tuning. We machine to the drawing and measure the features that set the frequency.
Silver and gold plating, chromate conversion for grounding. The finish is not decoration, it is the electrical path.
IP65 or IP67 gasket grooves, UV-stable plastics and salt-spray-resistant hardware. A cabinet that leaks is a truck roll.
Flat base, tight fin spacing and controlled flatness. A heat sink that only touches in three places is a block of metal.
Optical and RF assemblies stack tolerance. We hold one datum scheme so parts from different batches still mate.
Machine the RF housing, mold the radome, fold the chassis, print the test jig. Same files, same engineer.
01CNC Machining
Most telecom metal parts are machined. Waveguides, cavity filters, heat sinks, RF housings, connector bodies. The shape is often simple. The tolerance is not.
At 28 GHz, a 0.05 mm step is a measurable reflection. That is why RF parts are cut and measured, not cast and hoped.
Cavity filters, waveguide transitions and angled ports. One setup keeps the cavity floor parallel to the flange face.
5-axis machining →RF connectors, bulkheads and circular waveguide. Diameters and threads held to ±0.005 mm.
CNC turning →Small cavities, fine slots and thin walls in connector bodies, filters and optical housings.
Precision machining →Sharp internal corners in waveguide irises and hardened dies. No cutter radius to design around.
Wire EDM →| Material | Why telecom uses it | What we machine from it |
|---|---|---|
| Aluminium 6061-T6 | Light, machines clean, good conductivity after plating | RF housings, heat sinks, chassis |
| Aluminium 6063 | Extruded heat sink profiles, anodizes evenly | Extruded heat sinks, frames |
| Aluminium 7075 | High strength for mounts under wind load | Antenna mounts, structural brackets |
| Copper C110 | Best conductivity for RF cavities and busbars | Cavity filters, combiners, busbars |
| Brass | Cuts clean, plates well, threads stay stable | RF connectors, waveguide flanges |
| Stainless 304 / 316 | Corrosion resistance outdoors and at the coast | Pole hardware, brackets, gaskets |
| Zinc alloy (die cast) | Cheap complex housings with good shielding | Small cell housings, brackets |
| PTFE, PPS, PEI | Low dielectric loss, heat resistant, dimensionally stable | RF insulators, spacers, housings |
Send STEP plus a 2D drawing with GD&T. Flag the RF-critical features and we will quote them separately.
023D Printing
Telecom development moves in quarters, not years. Printing lets you hold a radome, a housing or a test jig in days, long before anyone cuts a tool.
It also does something machining cannot. Lattice and conformal shapes that take weight out of a mount, or add surface area to a heat sink.
Smooth, fine detail. Radomes, lens holders, connector mock-ups and form-fit checks.
SLA printing →Tough PA12 with no support marks. Brackets, cable managers and 50 to 500 unit bridge runs.
SLS printing →AlSi10Mg for lightweight mounts and heat sinks with lattice fins that machining cannot reach.
Metal printing →| Process | Material | Accuracy | Telecom use |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLA | Tough / clear / low-loss resin | ±0.1 mm | Radomes, lens holders, mock-ups |
| DLP | High-detail resin | ±0.05 mm | Small connector bodies, fine features |
| SLS | PA12, PA11, TPU | ±0.3 mm or ±0.3% | Brackets, cable managers, covers |
| MJF | PA12, PA12 glass bead | ±0.3 mm | Batch housings, 50–500 units |
| SLM | AlSi10Mg, 316L | ±0.1 mm | Lightweight mounts, lattice heat sinks |
| FDM | ABS, PC, PETG | ±0.5 mm | Jigs, fixtures, antenna positioners |
03Injection Molding
Molding makes the plastic half of a network: router shells, ONT housings, radomes, connector bodies and small cell covers.
Two things matter more here than anywhere else. Flame rating and dielectric behaviour. A housing that fails UL94 V-0 does not ship, and a radome with the wrong Dk detunes the antenna behind it.
Aluminium tool in 10 to 15 days for 500 to 5,000 parts. Gets a pilot build out before the steel tool lands.
Rapid tooling →Small, thin and repeatable. ±0.02 mm on connector bodies, lens seats and thin-wall covers.
Micro molding →Metal threads, shields and contacts molded in place. Fewer parts, fewer screws, better sealing.
Insert molding →UL94 V-0 grades, plus low-Dk PPS and LCP for RF windows and radomes. Dried and annealed to spec.
Molding services →| Plastic | Why telecom uses it | Typical part |
|---|---|---|
| ABS | Cheap, tough, easy to plate and paint | Router shells, indoor covers |
| PC/ABS | Flame-retardant grades, good impact, fine finish | ONT housings, indoor units |
| PC | Transparent, tough, available UV stabilised | Radomes, light pipes, lens covers |
| PA66 + 30% GF | Stiff, heat resistant, dimensionally stable | Brackets, connector bodies |
| PBT | Good electricals, stable in humidity | Connector bodies, coil formers |
| PPS | Low moisture uptake, RF friendly, heat resistant | RF housings, SMT-compatible parts |
| PEI (Ultem) | High heat, dimensionally stable, transparent grades | RF windows, high-temp housings |
| LCP / PTFE | Very low dielectric loss at high frequency | RF connectors, antenna substrates |
Tooling and part price are quoted separately, so you can see what the mold actually costs.
04Sheet Metal
Racks, cabinets and chassis are sheet metal. So are the brackets that hold an antenna to a pole for fifteen years.
We cut, bend, punch and weld, then coat. Then we check the rack ears line up, because a 1U chassis that will not slide into the rail is scrap metal with a nice finish.
Any outline, any perforation pattern, no tooling. Burr-free edges on flat panels up to 6 mm.
Laser cutting →Repeatable bend angles with bend relief planned, so the box closes square and the lid fits.
CNC bending →Above a few thousand parts, a stamping tool beats laser cutting on piece price and cycle time.
Metal stamping →Spot and laser weld, rivets, PEM inserts. Then powder coat, zinc plate or paint to spec.
Welding & assembly →| Material | Thickness range | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Aluminium 5052 | 0.5–3.0 mm | Chassis, covers, brackets |
| Aluminium 6061 | 0.8–4.0 mm | Subracks, mounting plates |
| Cold rolled steel (SPCC) | 0.5–2.5 mm | 1U / 2U chassis, rack panels |
| Galvanized steel (SECC) | 0.5–2.0 mm | Cabinets, enclosures |
| Pre-plated steel (SGCC) | 0.5–1.5 mm | Internal chassis, card cages |
| Stainless 304 | 0.5–2.0 mm | Outdoor brackets, pole mounts |
| Stainless 316 | 0.5–2.0 mm | Coastal and marine sites |
| Copper / brass | 0.3–1.5 mm | EMI shields, grounding strips |
Send a DXF or STEP file. Flat patterns and bend notes come back with the quote.
Choose the right process
Most telecom products use more than one. Pick by function and volume, not by habit. This table is the short version.
| Your situation | Best first choice | Why | Lead time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concept stage, need a shape to hold | 3D printing (SLA or MJF) | No tooling. Change the file, print again. | 1–3 days |
| RF housing or cavity to test | 5-axis machining | Cavity depth and flange flatness in one setup. | 5–9 days |
| Heat sink with a flatness callout | CNC machining | Flat base and controlled fin geometry. | 5–9 days |
| Pilot build, 50 to 500 | CNC or bridge tooling | No hard tool commitment yet. | 7–15 days |
| Router or ONT housing at 5,000 and up | Injection molding | Tool cost spreads thin. Same part every time. | 25–40 days incl. tool |
| 1U chassis or outdoor cabinet | Sheet metal | Big, flat, stiff and cheap to change. | 5–10 days |
| Radome that must not detune the antenna | Low-loss molding | Right Dk, right wall thickness, no regrind. | 25–40 days incl. tool |
Send the drawing and the volume. We will tell you which of the four is cheapest for that part, and why.
Specifications
The numbers engineers and buyers ask for first. If your drawing needs something outside these ranges, ask. Some of it we can still do, and we will say so rather than guess.
| Process | Tolerance | Min. wall | Surface finish | Lead time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5-axis CNC machining | ±0.005 mm critical / ±0.05 mm standard | 0.5 mm | Ra 0.4–1.6 µm | 3–7 days |
| CNC turning | ±0.005 mm on diameter | 0.5 mm | Ra 0.8–1.6 µm | 3–7 days |
| 3D printing (SLA / DLP) | ±0.1 mm | 0.6 mm | Ra 1.6 µm after polish | 1–3 days |
| 3D printing (SLS / MJF) | ±0.3 mm or ±0.3% | 0.8 mm | Matte, slightly grainy | 2–5 days |
| Metal 3D printing (SLM) | ±0.1 mm | 0.4 mm | As built, then machined | 5–10 days |
| Injection molding | ±0.02 mm critical / ±0.1 mm standard | 0.5 mm | SPI A1–B3 | 25–40 days |
| Sheet metal | ±0.1 mm | 0.4 mm | Powder coated, zinc plated, painted | 5–10 days |
Lead times start from approved DFM and, for molding, from approved tool design. Tolerances are quoted per feature, so tell us which dimensions sit in the RF path.
Quality & documentation
The part is half the delivery. The other half is the evidence that it will still work in five years, in a format your quality team can file.
Cavity depth, iris position, flange flatness and bore diameter. Measured on a CMM and reported feature by feature.
Air-decay test on sealed enclosures, plus the gasket groove measured against the drawing before assembly.
Silver, nickel and chromate thickness measured by XRF, with the certificate in the box. Plating is performance, not cosmetics.
Mill certs with heat lot, matched to the parts. Alloy and temper exactly as specified, no substitutions.
Declarations plus UL94 V-0 evidence for plastic parts. No surprise at customs and no surprise in the lab.
First article on every new tool, with cosmetic inspection under D65 light for housings a customer will actually see.
Our scope
Telecom buyers get burned by suppliers who say yes to everything and then miss a firmware-freeze date. So here is the honest line, before you send a drawing package.
If your program needs any of the four listed above, tell us at RFQ. We will point you at the right kind of supplier instead of costing you a launch date.
How a project runs
Communication hardware moves in sample rounds. Each one answers a single question. We are set up to move with you, and to hand over clean files at every gate.
Drawing review, RF-critical features flagged, plating and coating call confirmed. Back in 24 hours.
Machined and printed samples, 5 to 20 pieces. Fast, close to final material, cheap to change.
Real material, real plating, IP test and thermal check. 20 to 100 pieces, FAI included.
Production tool or fixture, capability check, then scheduled shipments with lot traceability.
STEP, IGES, X_T, DXF, or a PDF with GD&T. Tell us the alloy, the plating, the IP target and the date you need it. You get price, lead time and drawing questions, usually the same business day.
FAQ