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šŸ‡«šŸ‡· French Rail Equipment Manufacturer | Custom Aluminum Machining and Rapid Prototyping with EU Compliance

Project Background

In Q3 2024, we were approached by a rail technology manufacturer based in Franceā€”one of the primary suppliers to SNCF (the French National Railway Company). The client specializes in structural systems and auxiliary power modules for high-speed and intercity trains.

They were developing a next-generation modular power unit, and required custom-machined aluminum brackets and thermal support frames using non-standard aerospace-grade material. The initial goal was to deliver fully machined prototypes for form-fit testingā€”within 10 working daysā€”along with complete EU-compliant documentationĀ for internal qualification and customs clearance.

Customer Requirements & Key Challenges

Special Material Requirement
The customer specified EN AW-7475-T7351 aerospace aluminum sourced from a France-approved vendor, which is rare in the local Chinese market. Full material certification per EN 10204 3.1 was required.

Tight Delivery Timeline
The complete processā€”from raw material sourcing, machining, and cleaning, to final inspection and export to Toulouseā€”had to be completed within 10 working days.

EU Documentation Compliance
The customer required not only material certs and inspection reports, but also REACH/RoHS declarations, a formal conformity statement, and a component cleanliness note.

Complex Part Design
The part design involved a combination of CNC machining and precision sheet metal bending, with multiple threaded holes and orientation-critical features that had to align accurately.

Challenges & Solutions

Material Sourcing and Certification

On the day of RFQ, we contacted the French brandā€™s official distributor in China and secured a qualified batch of EN AW-7475-T7351 bar stock.

Upon arrival, we performed optical emission spectrometry (OES) and hardness validation to confirm conformity

Activated our small-lot rapid prototyping cell, enabling CNC machining and sheet metal processes to run in parallel.

Developed custom fixtures to ensure repeatable precision across all critical dimensions, with key alignment and mating features controlled to within Ā±0.01mmĀ to avoid stack-up errors during assembly.

After machining, all parts were cleaned with deionized water and passed particle residue inspection per clientā€™s cleanliness requirements.

In addition to dimensional reports, we prepared RoHS and REACH compliance declarations based on the clientā€™s provided templates.

Issued a full packaging list, Certificate of Conformity (COC), and additional explanatory files to support French customs verification.

Assisted the client in scheduling pickup using their French DHL account.

Provided packaging reinforcement advice and secured the components in foam trays for international shipment.

All tracking and documents were shared within 24 hours of pickup to support the clientā€™s internal tracking process.

Jean Dupont
Jean Dupont ā€” Project Lead, Electrical Integration Group (France)
ā€œThe lead time and documentation were impeccable. Your ability to work with our material spec and comply with European certification needs was very impressive.ā€

Future Collaboration

All prototypes were delivered on time and cleared customs without issue. The client has since invited us to support the next phase of the program, including pre-series production and other modules in the same product family.

The client especially recognized our strengths in

The speed of material sourcing and validation

The precision and cleanliness of the prototypes

The completeness and professionalism of EU regulatory documentation

Project Summary

This project demonstrates our capabilities in:

Processing uncommon, aerospace-grade materials

Delivering rapid prototypes under tight timelines

Achieving Ā±0.01mm internal tolerance control on critical dimensions

Supporting European clients with full EU-compliant documentation

For engineering teams working on mission-critical R&D programs, we act as more than a supplierā€”weā€™re a responsive technical partner.

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JoeVin

Joe Vin is the Operations Director at Alec Model, a CNC machining and 3D printing manufacturer in China. With full in-house production and years of hands-on experience, he helps global clients solve real-world manufacturing challenges ā€” from prototyping to production.

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