With over 75 years of proven performance and technical expertise, SDP/SI offers a wide range of engineering and manufacturing solutions to support OEMs across the aerospace, medical, defense, and robotics industries. Our team of experienced engineers collaborates with customers to deliver innovative, cost-effective, and high-performance solutions tailored to meet specific project needs.
Why Choose SDP/SI?
Our engineers provide hands-on support from concept through production, helping you:
Facing a design challenge? Involve our engineers early.
We’re here to deliver smart solutions that drive success.
At SDP/SI, quality, compliance, and precision are the foundation of everything we do. Our certifications demonstrate a commitment to meeting the most rigorous industry standards and ensuring reliable, high-performance components for every application.
We are proud to be:
Engineering Expertise You Can Rely On
Our experienced engineering team not only helps you design the right component for your application but also ensures it's manufacturable, cost-effective, and adaptable to evolving performance requirements. Whether improving efficiency, redesigning for new constraints, or scaling for production—SDP/SI delivers with precision.
Send Us Your Blanks for Precision Tooth Cutting
We specialize in tooth cutting for blanks ranging from 3/16” to 4” OD. With world-class manufacturing equipment and industry expertise, we ensure fast turnaround times while meeting your exact specifications.
We cut and deburr:
Additional Services
Let us help streamline your production with precision, reliability, and efficiency.
We've compiled real-world scenarios that our engineers have tackled with various clients. Below are four case studies showcasing how we've helped customers overcome engineering challenges with practical, effective solutions.
If you have questions or would like to speak directly with our engineering team, feel free to email us at sdp-sisupport@sdp-si.com or call us at (800) 819-8900.
A leading medical device manufacturer approached our engineering team after experiencing a catastrophic failure in a planetary gearbox used in their orthoscopic device. The failure was traced to the ring gears grinding against the internal gear, creating significant debris. Further inspection revealed that the ring gear shafts were misaligned, causing the ring gears to run off-center and exacerbate the damage.
Our team conducted a detailed failure analysis and developed a custom-engineered solution. By redesigning the planetary gear system and correcting the shaft alignment issue, we eliminated the root cause of the failure. The modified gearbox featured enhanced ring gear geometry and precision-machined components to ensure proper centering and load distribution.
The result was a robust, reliable gearbox that enabled faster production and improved device performance. This success led the manufacturer to partner with us for ongoing gearbox design and production.
As the engineering team's preferred supplier, SDP/SI offers a comprehensive selection of high-precision components, including:
An aerospace company came to us with a unique gearbox design for a critical R&D application. While innovative, the design wasn’t manufacturable due to limited production experience on their end—a common challenge we see at SDP/SI.
Our engineers, with deep manufacturing and mechanical design expertise, streamlined the gearbox to make it lighter, more compact, and production-ready—without compromising performance. The result? Multiple gearboxes are now in use where reliability is mission-critical and failure is not an option.
Whether it’s modifying a standard part or engineering a custom solution from the ground up, we collaborate with OEMs from prototype through full production runs. If off-the-shelf doesn’t fit, we’ll make it work—smarter, faster, and more cost-effectively.
An optics device manufacturer came to us with a prototype for a mobile imaging system. Their design called for a specific set of standard pulleys—but with bores reduced by 2 mm—and a longer timing belt than originally planned.
Our Solution:
As a precision manufacturer, we modified standard pulleys to meet their requirements. This saved time and reduced cost compared to fully custom parts. Our engineering team also provided free CAD files for the pulleys (which are available for free on our online store), making integration seamless for the customer’s design team.
Choosing the Right Belt & Center Distance:
To finalize the system, the customer needed help selecting the correct timing belt and calculating the center distance between pulleys. We pointed them to our free Center Distance Calculator, which made it quick and easy.
Watch the video: Learn how to use our Center Distance Tool in under 2 minutes.
Results:
With our support, the customer successfully completed their prototype and put it into production. Their mobile imaging system is now up and running!
Need help with your own drive system? Contact our engineers for personalized support.
This case study from SDP/SI highlights a great example of how collaborative engineering and thoughtful component selection can solve complex challenges—especially when high performance and precision are critical, as in nanoscale instrumentation.
Here are a few technical takeaways and best practices from the case:
Would you like a summary checklist of considerations for designing timing belt systems for high-speed applications?
Often, a custom part isn't necessary.
Many times, a custom part can be replaced with an off-the-shelf solution that’s cheaper, faster to source, and more reliable due to proven performance and quality control. Custom components should generally be reserved for when:
By performing a secondary operation—such as enlarging a bore or adding a keyway—we can modify a standard part to meet your specific needs. This approach can significantly reduce lead times and offer a more cost-effective solution compared to full custom manufacturing.
