sales@precisiongroundbars.com
Every shop has its own way of buying bar stock. Some buyers have called the same supplier for decades. Others put every order out for a quote. Either way, the bars that show up on your dock decide how smoothly your next production run goes. At Precision Ground Bars, we’ve supplied precision ground bars stock since 1970 from Palos Hills, Illinois, near Orland Park, Oak Lawn, and Tinley Park. These are the questions we’d ask if we were sitting on your side of the desk.
A Practical Checklist for Sourcing Ground Bar Stock in the Chicago Area
When sourcing precision ground bar stock, the supplier’s material range is only one consideration. Bar condition, dimensional requirements, available finishing services, and packaging can also affect your purchasing decision. For Chicago area manufacturers, these are practical questions worth answering before you request a quote.
Does the supplier carry the materials you actually run?
Start with breadth. If your shop runs stainless one week and alloy steel the next, a narrow supplier means more vendors to manage. Our materials cover stainless steel, carbon steel, alloy steel, aluminum, copper, brass, bronze, and nickel and high temperature alloys, in a wide variety of sizes, grades, and lengths.
That includes common shop grades like 303, 304/304L, 316/316L, 416, 17-4 PH, 1018, 1045, 12L14, 1144 Stressproof, 4140/4142, 8620, 6061, 7075, 360 Brass, and Inconel 625. When you can source across materials from one supplier, comparing quotes takes less effort.
Is the bar condition right for your part?
Grade is only half the specification. The condition the bar arrives in can matter just as much. Our precision ground rod is made with tight diameter tolerance, precise roundness, and a clean surface finish, and its straightness and roundness minimize vibration.
For shaft work, the specifications get more specific. Our pump shaft quality stainless bar is produced by centerless grinding, in sizes from 1/2 inch to 5 inch. For bars under 1 inch OD, the specified diameter tolerance is +0/−0.002 inch. Minimum tensile strength is 100 KSI and minimum yield strength is 75 KSI.
Other conditions solve other problems. Bearing shaft quality stainless bar resists galling and seizing, and turned, ground, and polished (TGP) bar is made for high speed shafting. Cold finished bars offer improved straightness, tolerance, and concentricity, and chrome plated bars add corrosion resistance and surface quality.
What tolerance information can the supplier document?
Ask any supplier what specifications they can provide before you place an order. For precision ground rod, important specifications include mill size, weight tolerance, length tolerance, thickness tolerance, and diameter tolerance. Ask us about the requirements for your order so your engineering team can confirm the selected bar fits the job before machining begins.
Can they handle the prep work in house?
Some suppliers ship the bar and stop there. Precision Ground Bars offers grinding, polishing, straightening, cutting, chrome plating, and custom packaging, all handled in house.
In practice, our centerless grinding service delivers tight dimensional tolerances, precise roundness, and a clean surface finish. We cut bar stock to your exact length specifications, chamfer bar ends for smoother indexing, and straighten bars that have been distorted by heating, welding, or cooling. If you’re looking for centerless grinding in the Chicago area, getting those services from the same supplier that sells you the bar means fewer vendor handoffs to manage.
Do they understand your industry?
A supplier that knows your parts asks better questions. We supply materials for industries including aerospace, automotive, medical, dental, electronics, fasteners, bearings, hydraulic and air cylinders, precision shafts, and screw machine and Swiss machine work. We also supply bar stock to screw machine shops in the Midwest.
Swiss parts we supply material for include drive shafts and pins, axles and bolts, armatures and bushings, couplings and spacers, and pump shafts.
How will the bars arrive?
Ground surfaces can be damaged in transit. Our custom packaging helps protect finished metal products during transport. For pump shaft quality bar, that includes wooden boxes and cardboard tubing. If your parts can’t take handling marks, tell us when you request a quote.
What should go into your first quote request?
Give a new supplier enough detail to quote accurately the first time. Include the grade, the bar condition, the diameter, the length, the quantity, and any services you need, such as grinding, straightening, cutting, or chamfering. Our Submit a Quote form asks for your name, email, phone, company, referral source, and quote information. Put your specifications in that last field.
Let’s talk about your next order
If you’re a Chicago area manufacturer reviewing your bar stock sources or have a drawing with specific material and finishing requirements, give us a call. We’re at 8150 W 111th St, Suite 14, in Palos Hills, and we’re available Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM.
Submit your requirements through our Submit a Quote form, or call (708) 880-7277 locally or (800) 818-0822 toll free.
FAQs
Where are you located?
At 8150 W 111th St, Suite 14, Palos Hills, IL 60465. Our hours are Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM.
What materials do you supply?
Stainless steel, carbon steel, alloy steel, aluminum, copper, brass, bronze, and nickel and high temperature alloys, in a wide variety of sizes, grades, and lengths.
Which industries do you supply?
We supply materials for aerospace, automotive, medical, dental, electronics, fasteners, bearings, hydraulic and air cylinders, precision shafts, and screw machine and Swiss machine work.
What services can you perform before the bars ship?
Centerless grinding, OD grinding, polishing, bar straightening, bar stock cutting, bar chamfering, chrome plating, and custom packaging.
