Build-to-print manufacturing means the customer owns the design and supplies a complete drawing or technical data package (TDP), and the supplier makes the part exactly to that print, with no design changes. The supplier is responsible for process, quality and on-time delivery; the customer is responsible for the design. It is the standard way defense buyers, primes and firearm OEMs source print-defined parts. A package that is missing any of these slows the quote. PHLX keeps a checklist at RFQ & TDP checklist. Government buyers often own the technical data for spare parts and publish it with a solicitation, so any capable supplier can quote the same print. Defense primes and their subcontractors do the same with sub-tier suppliers. Because the design is fixed, the supplier competes on price, quality and delivery, and must follow the drawing and any quality clauses (for example AS9100 or ITAR handling) exactly. Firearm brands with proven designs send drawings for handguards, receivers, bolt carrier groups, pistol slides and small parts to contract manufacturers, then assemble or sell them under their own name. The same rules apply: the brand owns the design and the supplier makes it to print. PHLX Tactical (CAGE 199E9, UEI VQMULC9KZFQ4, Orange City, Iowa) quotes build-to-print firearm and defense components, including AR-15 handguards, upper and lower receivers, BCGs and pistol slides. We respond to RFQs right away and typically return quotes within days, not weeks. AS9100, ISO 9001 and ITAR are held by our manufacturing partner Douglas Machine & Engineering (CAGE 87BF4), not by PHLX Tactical. See build-to-print manufacturing or email sales@phlxtactical.com. Build-to-print means the customer owns the design and supplies a complete drawing or technical data package, and the supplier makes the part exactly to that print without changing the design. In build-to-print the customer owns the design and the design risk. In build-to-spec the supplier designs the part to meet a performance specification and carries the design risk. A manufacturer that quotes and produces parts from the customer's drawings, controlling process, quality and delivery but not the design. Drawings, revision level, material and finish callouts, tolerances, inspection and acceptance requirements, and any referenced specifications. A supplier can flag manufacturability questions, but any change must be approved by the design owner and reflected in a new drawing revision before it is made.What is build-to-print vs build-to-spec?
Build-to-print Build-to-spec Who owns the design Customer supplies the drawing / TDP Supplier designs to a performance specification Who carries design risk Customer Supplier Supplier's job Make it exactly to print; control process, quality, delivery Design, prove and make a part that meets the spec Typical buyers Defense agencies, primes, OEMs with mature designs Programs that need engineering from the supplier Changes Only through a new drawing revision from the design owner Supplier may change design within the spec What does a build-to-print package include?
How is build-to-print used in defense contracting?
How is build-to-print used for firearm parts?
How do you choose a build-to-print supplier?
Where does PHLX Tactical fit?
Frequently asked questions
What does build-to-print mean?
What is the difference between build-to-print and build-to-spec?
What is a build-to-print supplier?
What is in a technical data package?
Can a supplier suggest changes to a build-to-print part?
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