"standard" shop rate for my shop depends on the machine. For a mill to make a cascade...$60/hr. If you are making 500 the cost per unit really is not that bad, as the setup time and programming is balanced out over 500 parts. If you go into a shop with a sketch on a napkin (it has happened), its going to cost more than if you already have the thing drawn in Solidworks. The first thing I get to do when I get a job in is draw the thing up into a solid model and then program all the toolpaths. If you supply the model then some of the work is already done. Modeling the thing up also lets you work out the bugs before you even bother someone to make it....
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