CNC Turning Service China

Machine type should match part geometry, diameter, length, and production volume.

Standard 2-axis CNC turning is the cost leader for cylindrical parts with diameters above 10 mm and simple profiles. Best for shafts, pulleys, and threaded components in high volumes.

Live-tooling turn-mill centers add driven tools that can mill, drill, and tap features on the rotating part. Use these when your turned part also needs cross holes, flats, or keyways. Consolidating operations on one machine cuts setup time and tightens positional tolerance between turned and milled features.

Swiss-type lathes feed bar stock through a guide bushing, which supports the workpiece right at the cutting edge. This eliminates deflection on long, slender parts and holds tolerances down to ±0.01 mm. Ideal for miniature medical screws, connector pins, and optical components under 38 mm in diameter.

Our engineering team can recommend the right machine type during the DFM review.

Milling and turning are complementary processes that together cover most subtractive machining.

Turning rotates the workpiece against a stationary tool. Best for cylindrical parts: shafts, bushings, rods, and threaded components. Lathes and Swiss-type lathes are the standard platforms.

Milling holds the workpiece stationary and rotates the cutting tool. Best for parts with prismatic geometry: flat faces, pockets, slots, and complex 3D surfaces. Vertical and horizontal machining centers are the standard platforms.

Many production parts use both. A shaft with a keyway is turned for the cylindrical diameter, then milled for the keyway. Our factory runs both processes on coordinated cells, so hybrid parts stay on the same traveler through finishing.

CNC turning covers almost every commonly specified metal and plastic.

Aluminum alloys (6061, 6063, 7075, 2024, 5052) are the default for aerospace, electronics, and consumer turned parts. Free-machining grades like 6061-T6 and 2011 run at high cutting speeds with excellent chip control.

Steel alloys cover strength and corrosion needs. Free-cutting stainless 303 and 316, tool steels (4140, 4340), and carbon steels (1018, 1045, 12L14) are standard. Hardened steel up to 62 HRC can be hard-turned on CBN-tipped tools.

Specialty metals include titanium Grade 5 (Ti-6Al-4V), brass C36000, copper C11000, and nickel superalloys (Inconel 718, Monel 400). Titanium and Inconel require slower cutting speeds and specialized coolant strategy.

Engineering plastics include PEEK, POM (Delrin), Nylon, PC, ABS, PMMA, PTFE, PVC, and PP. Plastics need controlled feeds to avoid melting from heat buildup.

Material selection should match the part’s mechanical load, operating environment, and cost target. Our DFM review can recommend the best grade before programming starts.

Tolerance depends on machine type, tool selection, and whether the part is post-machined or ground.

Standard 2-axis turning holds ±0.05 mm on diameters up to 25 mm and ±0.1 mm on longer dimensions. This covers most commercial parts.

Swiss-type turning holds ±0.01 mm on diameters under 38 mm thanks to the guide bushing that supports the workpiece right at the cutting edge. Cylindrical grinding after turning holds ±0.005 mm and Ra 0.2 μm on critical bearing surfaces.

Surface finish ranges from 3.2 μm Ra (standard roughing and finishing) down to 0.4 μm Ra (precision finishing with controlled feed and small nose radius). Mirror polish below 0.2 μm requires a secondary polishing pass.

Flag critical dimensions on your drawing so they can be reviewed for achievable tolerance. Over-tolerancing every dimension drives up cost without improving part performance.

Our lathes handle diameters from 0.5 mm on Swiss-type up to 500 mm on large horizontal chucking lathes. Lengths up to 2,000 mm are supported with steady rests for long shafts.

Small precision parts under 38 mm diameter run on Swiss-type lathes at 8,000 to 10,000 RPM for fine-feature work on brass, aluminum, and free-machining stainless.

Mid-size parts from 38 to 200 mm diameter run on production CNC lathes with bar feeders for lights-out operation. This is where most production programs land.

Large-diameter parts from 200 to 500 mm diameter run on chuck-only lathes with live tooling. Length is limited by bed length and tailstock support.

Specify diameter, length, and feature locations early so we can match the right machine class during quoting.

Turning wins on cylindrical geometry, cycle time, and bar-fed volume economics. Milling wins on prismatic geometry and non-rotational features.

Choose CNC turning when the part is primarily cylindrical or rotational, such as shafts, pins, bushings, threaded components, or anything that can be chucked and spun. Turning cycle times are measured in seconds per part for small bar-fed parts, versus minutes for equivalent milled parts.

Choose CNC milling when the part has flat faces, pockets, slots, or complex 3D surfaces that cannot be generated on a rotating workpiece. If the part has both, live-tooling turn-mill centers may be the correct answer.

Cost comparison also favors turning for bar-fed volume production: a bar feeder runs the lathe lights-out, which cuts per-part labor cost.

Yes. Most production programs include at least one post-machining operation.

Anodizing is standard on aluminum turned parts for corrosion and wear resistance. Type II anodizing adds 5 to 25 μm; Type III hardcoat adds 25 to 75 μm for abrasion-heavy applications.

Plating adds bright chrome, nickel, zinc, or tin for cosmetic and functional finishes on steel and brass turned parts. Plating adds 5 to 30 μm to part dimensions.

Passivation is required on stainless steel medical and food-grade turned parts to remove free iron and restore the chromium oxide layer (ASTM A967).

Polishing to Ra 0.2 to 0.4 μm is available for sealing faces, bearing surfaces, and mirror finishes. Specify which surfaces require polishing since it is a manual operation that adds cost.

Cylindrical grinding after turning holds ±0.005 mm and Ra 0.2 μm on critical shafts and pins. Decide on finish requirements during DFM review because they influence material selection and dimensional tolerance.

Custom fastener production covers a range of processes that convert wire or bar stock into finished parts. Here are the primary processes available through most full-service fastener manufacturers.

1. Cold Heading: Progressive dies form the head, shank, and recesses from a wire blank. The most cost-effective process for volumes above 10,000 pieces. Diameter range 1.5 to 25 mm.

2. CNC Turning: Rotating bar stock is machined by cutting tools. Suitable for fasteners with complex geometries, unusual thread forms, or tolerances tighter than cold heading allows.

3. Swiss Machining: A variant of CNC turning for small-diameter, long, or precision parts. Used for miniature fasteners and medical screws with tolerances to ±0.01 mm.

4. Thread Rolling: Hardened dies form threads by cold displacement rather than cutting. Rolled threads are stronger than cut threads and produce no chips. Standard process for high-strength fasteners.

5. Heat Treatment: Quenching, tempering, carburizing, or induction hardening produces fasteners to specified strength grades (Grade 5, 8, Class 8.8, 10.9, 12.9).

6. Plating and Coating: Zinc, hot-dip galvanizing, electroless nickel, black oxide, Dacromet, and chrome plating applied after threading. Provides corrosion resistance and appearance.

7. Inspection and Testing: Dimensional inspection with CMM and thread gauges. Mechanical testing includes tensile, hardness, and torque-tension. Salt spray testing for plated fasteners.

A full-service manufacturer combines these processes under one roof, reducing lead times and eliminating the coordination overhead of managing multiple suppliers.