Order CNC Parts With
No CAD File

The CAD Barrier — And Why It Shouldn't Stop You

Almost every online machining platform — Xometry, Protolabs, JLCCNC and the rest — is built around one assumption: that you already have a CAD file. Their instant-quote engines need a STEP or STL upload before they'll even give you a price. If all you have is a worn-out part, a phone photo, or a sketch on the back of an envelope, the door is closed.

That assumption locks out a huge group of people who need parts made every day: maintenance engineers chasing a discontinued component, classic-car and motorcycle restorers, farmers and machine-shop owners, product inventors, and small manufacturers without a drafting department. None of them are missing a part. They're only missing a file.

EKINSUN was built around exactly this gap. We keep an in-house engineering team whose specific job is to turn whatever you have into a proper, confirmed CAD drawing — for free — and then machine it. You do not need to learn CAD, hire a draftsman, or buy software. This page explains the four ways to order without a file, how accurate each one is, and how your design stays protected.

Four Ways to Order Without a CAD File

There isn't one "no-CAD" method — there are four, and the right one depends on what you have in front of you. Here's how they compare, and where each goes next:

Your input	Best when…	What we need from you	Typical accuracy
A photo of an existing part	You have the old/broken part but can't ship it	Sharp photos from several angles + one known dimension or a ruler in frame	±0.1–0.3 mm after we confirm critical sizes
A hand sketch / dimensions	The part is in your head, or you're modifying a design	A rough 3-view sketch with the measurements you know	As marked; ISO 2768-m default where unspecified
A physical sample	You have the part and want an exact copy	Mail us the sample; we measure it on a CMM	±0.02–0.05 mm (highest accuracy)
Written measurements	A simple part — a spacer, bushing, shaft, flange	Key dimensions + material + what it bolts to	As specified; we flag anything that looks off

Each route has its own detailed walkthrough. Start with whichever matches what you're holding:

How Accurate Can It Be Without a Drawing?

This is the question every engineer asks, and it's a fair one. The honest answer: accuracy is set by the quality of the input, not by whether a CAD file existed first. A CAD file is just a way to record geometry — and we can record it ourselves, often more precisely than the original.

When you mail us a sample, we don't eyeball it. We measure it on a coordinate measuring machine (CMM), record every feature, and rebuild it as a dimensioned model. That's how we hold tolerances tighter than a hand drawing ever could:

Measurement source	How we capture it	Tolerance we can hold
Physical sample	CMM probing + caliper/micrometer verification	±0.02–0.05 mm
Detailed dimensioned sketch	Engineer redraws to your marked sizes	Per callout, down to ±0.05 mm
Photo + one reference dimension	Scaled reconstruction, then we confirm criticals with you	±0.1–0.3 mm
Threads, splines, gears	Thread gauges + profile measurement off the sample	Matched to standard pitch/class

The one rule we never break: we never guess a critical dimension. If a measurement is ambiguous or missing and it matters to how the part fits, we stop and ask you a specific question before any metal is cut. Most failed "copy" jobs elsewhere come from a shop assuming a number. We don't.

What Our Engineers Actually Do With Your Input

Behind every no-CAD order is a real person, not an automated converter. Here is the short version of the loop — and you stay in control the whole way:

If you'd like the full step-by-step with examples, the dedicated hand drawing to part page and the no-CAD ordering guide go deeper.

A Real Example

Your Design Stays Yours

Sharing a photo or a sample with an overseas shop feels risky — so we remove the risk. We'll sign an NDA before you send anything, we never reuse or resell a customer's design, and we return or destroy your sample once the job is done. If you're ordering from China for the first time, our guide on protecting your design walks through exactly how we handle confidentiality.

Already Have a File? That Works Too

No-CAD is our specialty, not a limitation. If you do have a file, we accept STEP, IGES, X_T, DXF, DWG, SolidWorks, and PDF drawings (including hand-annotated PDFs). Mixed inputs are welcome — for instance a STEP file for the body plus a photo showing a modification you want.

Frequently Asked Questions