Switching Your Tube Bending Supplier: TEC Makes It Simple
- TEC
- Aug 6
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 7
Switching your tube bending supplier is simpler than most OEM teams expect. Your side is three things: a drawing package, one person TEC can call with questions, and a date you want to move by. TEC handles everything after that.
Your current supplier keeps shipping the whole time, so nothing on your line changes until the new parts are proven.
Key Takeaways
Your side is three things. A drawing package, one point of contact, and a target date. Capability confirmation, CNC programming, tooling, the prototype build, first article inspection, and material certification are TEC's work to carry.
Your line is never exposed. Keep ordering from your current supplier while qualification runs. Nothing changes until TEC has demonstrated a compliant production run.
A prototype is a small order, not a commitment. TEC runs prototypes on production tooling with no minimum order penalty, so what you approve is what you get at volume.
Tolerances come to you in writing before you commit. TEC documents ±1° angular and ±1/16” length, ovality under 7%, and wall thinning under 12.5% on 3XD bends.
Measurement happens in house. 3D scanning and ROMER arm validation on site mean dimensional records come back without a round trip to an outside lab.
What Do You Have to Do to Switch Your Tube Bending Supplier to TEC?
Three things.
A drawing package for the parts in scope
One person TEC can reach with questions
A date you want the change to happen by
That is the whole of your side. The drawing package moves fastest when it includes:
Part numbers with current revision level
Annual volume and delivery expectations
Material specifications and any certification requirements
Any dimensional issues you have had with the current parts
An incomplete package is not a reason to wait. Send what you have. TEC reviews drawings every day and will tell you on the first call which callouts need resolving. See TEC's OEM tube fabrication capabilities for the range of parts covered.
What Does TEC Handle for You?
Everything between your drawing package and the first approved production run. Capability confirmation against your actual drawings rather than a general yes. CNC programming and tooling setup. The prototype build. First article inspection with signed dimensional records. Material sourcing with mill certifications. Documentation that survives your own supplier audit.
You should not have to project-manage a supplier transition. TEC's documented bend range and equipment capability is published rather than quoted on request, which is the first thing that should be easy to check.
Does Production Stop While You Switch?
No. You keep ordering from your current supplier through the entire qualification period, and nothing changes on your line until TEC has run the prototype, closed first article inspection, and demonstrated a compliant first production run.
Your exposure is carrying a little extra inventory for a few weeks. No one has to gamble a production schedule on an unproven source.
How Much Does It Cost to Try TEC First?
A prototype order, and nothing beyond it. TEC runs prototypes on the same production CNC setup and tooling the volume parts will run on, so the part you inspect is the part you will receive.
There is no minimum order penalty on that first run. You are buying a look at the real process before you commit a program to it.
How Do You Know TEC Can Hold Your Tolerances?
Ask for the numbers before the prototype and TEC will put them in writing. TEC documents ±1° angular and ±1/16” length, ovality under 7%, and wall thinning under 12.5% on 3XD bends.
Those figures are verified in house with 3D scanning and ROMER arm coordinate measurement, and every part TEC ships is covered by ISO 9001:2015 quality controls.
How Long Does the Switch Take?
Three things govern it rather than a fixed schedule. How complete the drawing package is at first contact, how many first article inspection cycles the parts need before sign-off, and whether the CNC program needs revalidation between prototype and production.
All three are things TEC can compress. The fastest way to find out where your program lands is to send your drawings to TEC and ask for a specific answer against your parts.
Ready to Make the Switch Simple?
Send the drawings. TEC reviews them directly and comes back with a specific capability confirmation, not a general expression of interest. Prototype through production runs on the same tooling and the same quality system, and your current supplier keeps shipping the whole time.
Phones are answered 7am to 5pm Central at (877) 987-3991.
