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I am wanting to produce custom mass plates for a project, very similar to those found in gyms. Here's a rough idea of what each one should look like:

Rough concept of custom mass plate

This is essentially identical to mass plates one can buy online, however I am needing to produce my own, with custom specifications, sizes, etc. Most notably each plate will need a thread through the center hole.

Where would I even start looking for someone who could do this? Looking online, I get confused by all the metallurgical terms. What type of professional am I looking for? I feel clueless.

Thanks in advance.

Mark
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Callum Tilbury
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    That looks pretty straightforward for a local machine shop to make. Try googling "machine shop" and your location, and you will likely find lots of options. If you start calling them up you can get a better sense of how much they'll charge and what they'll need from you in terms of specifications/drawings. – ericksonla Jun 06 '18 at 21:03

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At higher volumes, these weight plates are generally cast iron. Here's a link to some more info on that: http://www.metals-china.com/cast-iron-weight-plate-iron-casting-foundry.html . You'll want to search for "cast iron manufacturer." Adding the country to the end of that search term will help you find someone based on location. Note: Generally, it may be less expensive to manufacture it in Asia, however due to the weight, shipping it back may make it more expensive than making it in the US. Get quotes from both markets to compare.

Now however, casting isn't ideal for having threads. In this case, after casting, the weight plates need secondary processing via machining to get the threads. Afterwards, a third aditional process would be added to it.

From Wikipedia:

Most plates are coated with enamel paint or hammertone to resist corrosion; more expensive varieties may be coated with chrome, rubber, or plastic

PS. I'd recommend adding some fillets to your sharp edges for comfort and to prevent cuts to the user of your product.

Davbog
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The best place to look with just a drawing is a machine shop. Machine shops work by contacting metal suppliers for them, then creating the items as you need. For a small batch such as this, a machine shop is ideal. They will take metal already pre-made and shape it to the shape you need. For large batches with pre-made work, the machine shop may refer you to a cast-iron shop.

Mark
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