Guides / For Suppliers
From RFQ to Delivered Part: How Delrin and POM Machining Sourcing Works Here
September 25, 2026
It helps to see the whole path once, start to finish, rather than piecing it together from separate pages. This walks through what happens from the moment an RFQ is sent to the moment a finished part arrives, and it is written for both sides: the buyer sending the request and the shop deciding whether to take it.
Step 1: A buyer sends an RFQ
A buyer fills out the RFQ form with the part description, material grade, quantity, tolerance, service environment and a drawing or 3D file. This step is free and creates no obligation. Nothing is shared with any shop yet.
Step 2: The RFQ is reviewed
A person, not an algorithm alone, reads the RFQ. This step checks that the request is complete enough to match well: is the grade specified or open, does the drawing carry the tolerances that matter, is the quantity clear. If something important is missing, the buyer hears back before matching happens, rather than the RFQ going out incomplete and coming back with mismatched quotes.
Step 3: The request is matched against registered shops
The RFQ is compared against what shops have registered: machines, stock, grades, part envelope, quantity range and, if the buyer specified one, preferred region. Up to three shops that genuinely fit the request are selected. If only one or two shops are a strong fit, the request goes to fewer rather than being padded out to reach three.
This is the step that differs most from an open marketplace. The request does not go out to every registered shop for an auction. It goes to the shops whose actual capabilities match what the part needs.
Step 4: Matched shops see an anonymous preview
Each matched shop sees a preview: part type, material, approximate size, quantity, tolerance, region and needed-by date. The buyer’s name, company, contact information and files are not included in the preview. A shop decides whether to take the lead based on this preview alone.
This anonymity protects the buyer’s information from being shared beyond the shops that are actually going to quote the part, and it lets a shop judge fit and effort before committing to anything.
Step 5: A shop takes the lead
Taking a lead has a cost, shown on the preview before the shop decides. Once taken, the buyer’s contact details and files are released to that shop. There is no obligation for a shop to take every preview it sees, and no penalty for passing on ones that do not fit.
Step 6: The shop and the buyer connect directly
From this point, delrincnc.com is out of the process. The shop contacts the buyer, asks any clarifying questions, and prepares a quote. If the buyer requested an NDA, that gets signed between the two parties before anything beyond the initial preview information changes hands, and files are held back until it is in place.
Step 7: The buyer compares quotes and chooses
A buyer who was matched with more than one shop compares the quotes that come back: price, lead time, and any questions or suggestions the shop raised about the drawing. The buyer places the order directly with whichever shop they choose. There is no requirement to choose the lowest quote, or any quote at all.
Step 8: The order, production and delivery happen between the two parties
Purchase order, payment terms, production schedule, shipping, all of it is handled directly between the buyer and the shop, on whatever terms the two of them agree to. We take no commission on this transaction and have no visibility into its terms.
Step 9: Repeat orders go the same way
If the relationship continues, repeat orders for the same part typically happen directly between the buyer and the shop going forward, without needing to go through a new RFQ. The matching step did its job once; the ongoing relationship is between the two parties from there.
Where each side’s information stays private, and where it does not
This is worth stating plainly because it is the part of the process both sides ask about most.
Before a shop takes a lead: the buyer’s name, company, contact details and files are not shared with any shop. Only the anonymous preview is visible.
After a shop takes a lead: that specific shop receives the buyer’s contact information and files. Other matched shops that did not take the lead never see this information.
Between shops: shops matched to the same RFQ do not know which other shops were matched, and do not see each other’s pricing decisions.
With us, after the match: we do not see the quote a shop gives, the final order value, or the terms agreed between buyer and shop. Our role ends at the match.
Why the process is built this way
Two things drove these choices. First, buyers sending a drawing want it to go to a small number of genuinely qualified shops, not be broadcast widely. The anonymous preview and the cap of three matched shops both serve that. Second, shops taking on a lead want a fair shot at winning the work without bidding against an unknown number of competitors on price alone. No open auction and no commission on the order both serve that.
The result is a slower, narrower process than a large open marketplace, by design. Fewer shops see any given request, and fewer quotes come back. What each side gets in exchange is a request that was actually matched to fit, rather than one competing for attention in a large, undifferentiated pool.
What happens when a part does not fit well
Not every RFQ results in a clean match, and it is worth describing what happens then rather than leaving it implied.
If the material is wrong for the part. Some requests describe a use case where acetal is a poor fit, high continuous temperature, strong acid exposure, or a load case better suited to a different plastic entirely. When that shows up during review, the buyer hears about it before matching happens, sometimes with a suggestion to reconsider the material rather than a match to shops that would have to talk them out of it later.
If no registered shop fits the specifics. A part that needs a grade, a size, or a process step that no currently registered shop handles does not get forced into a match. The buyer is told plainly rather than being sent quotes from shops working outside their actual capability.
If the quantity or timeline is unrealistic for the process. A tight-tolerance part needing a stress relief cycle, quoted with a needed-by date that does not allow for it, gets flagged so the buyer can adjust expectations or the drawing before shops see it, rather than discovering the conflict after a shop has already started quoting.
In each case, the goal is the same: a clear answer, even when that answer is not a match, is more useful to both sides than forcing one that will not hold up.
How this differs from posting an RFQ on an open board
An open RFQ board or a general marketplace works differently in a few specific ways worth naming directly. On an open board, a request typically goes out to every interested supplier at once, and suppliers compete by submitting bids, often with price as the most visible differentiator. The buyer sees many quotes and has to sort through them; the supplier competes against an unknown number of others for the same job, frequently sight unseen of who else is bidding.
Here, the request goes to a small number of shops selected for fit, not broadcast for open competition. A buyer sees fewer quotes, but each one comes from a shop matched on capability rather than one of many bidders. A shop sees fewer requests, but each one was already filtered to fit what it actually runs, and it is not quoting blind against a large unknown field.
Neither model is universally better. An open board suits a buyer optimizing purely for the lowest price across the widest possible pool. This process suits a buyer who wants a small number of well-matched options and a shop that wants a fair shot at winning the work it takes the time to quote.
For buyers ready to start
Send your RFQ with your drawing and the details above, and matching happens within 24 business hours.
For shops ready to start
Register your shop with your machines and stock, and you will start seeing previews matched to what you actually run.
Frequently asked questions
Does the order pass through delrincnc.com at any point?
No. Once a shop takes a lead, the buyer and the shop deal with each other directly for the quote, the purchase order, payment and delivery. We match the request and then step out of the process.
How long does the whole process take from sending an RFQ to getting a quote?
Matching and reply happen within 24 business hours. After that, how quickly you receive a quote depends on the shops that were matched and how they choose to respond, typically within a few business days for a complete RFQ.
What happens if no shop is a good fit for my part?
We say so plainly rather than forcing a match. Some parts, materials or quantities are outside what the shops in this network handle well, and a clear no is more useful than a bad match.
Need a quote for this part?
Send the drawing. We match you with up to 3 shops that machine acetal and reply within 24 business hours.
Get matched with a Delrin shop