Custom Machining Services

Our facilities CNC turning centers produce precision turned parts with tight tolerances down to +/- .0001” and have automatic bar feeders for bar stock up to 4 inches in diameter and cut pieces up to 16 inches in diameter and 24 inches long.  CNC turning centers produce similar cylindrical-shaped parts as CNC Swiss machining but can run much larger parts. They are also better suited to small and medium volume runs. Chucking type CNC machines work by spinning the raw material, (Barstock, tubing, cut slug, a raw casting or a raw forging or almost any raw material that can be chucked up) and then the cutting tool moves into the spinning raw material along the desired cutting path. The tool then sheers the spinning material off to create the desired finished part. Some of the operations that occur include drilling, turning, reaming, knurling, boaring, grooving, milling, threading and many others. These machines are often used for low to medium volume production. 

The concept of the Swiss machine is that the raw material bar itself moves towards the cutting tool that is doing the work rather than the tool traveling to the bar. Since the tool is not moving, cutting now takes place very close to the guide bushing. This results in much less deflection by the cutter. Parts that require tight tolerances, critical straightness, tight concentricities as well as very smooth surface finishes are all good fits for CNC Swiss machines. 

CNC Swiss Machines have one or two spindles. This allows these machines to be fast and efficient. Once a part is programmed, it can be quickly set up and ready to produce custom parts in very short cycle times, in some cases, parts are being completed in as little as 10 seconds. Other parts depending on how much machining is required can take well over a minute. This makes them great for small, medium or large production runs of parts up to 1.5 inches in diameter.  

The new CNC Swiss machines can often drop parts complete where in the past the same part may have required multiple secondary operations. Typical tolerances that are held on CNC Swiss machines are +/-.0005” (+/-.013mm) depending on the part as well as the raw material.

Our manufacturing facility has 38 Pieces of Multi-Spindle and Automatic screw machine equipment including 18 Wickman machines as well as an additional 10 Davenport, ACME Gridley machines as well as 10 Tornos machines. Our Multi-Spindle capacity goes from 5/8 diameter to 3 1/4 inch diameter machines.

The first Multi-spindle machines were designed in the early 1900s. The goal was to machine parts much faster than conventional lathes. The key factor that allows Multi-Spindle machines to be so efficient is centered on the ability to split up the required operations into different spindles. Each operation such as drill, turn, screw, bore, shave, form, ream, knurl and others can be spread among different spindles that operate simultaneously. Whichever operation takes the longest cycle time to complete is the one that determines the total cycle time of the entire part.   

Hydromat machines are a type of rotary transfer machine that utilizes both hydraulically driven and CNC driven motors. The Hydromat Rotary Transfer Machine is a modular system consisting of horizontal and vertical tool spindles rigidly mounted around a precision cast iron ring. (Hence the name Rotary Transfer machine) This rotary configuration provides a lot of versatility and many efficiencies.

Bar stock is loaded into the machine and the first operation is to cut the part to length. (If bar stock material is not being used, a slug of raw material, a raw casting, a forging or an extrusion can also be robotically loaded into the Hydromat to be machined.) The raw material is loaded into a collet. The collet system is then used to index the part around the various machining stations.

We can take complete responsibility for machining a raw casting, raw forging, drawn tubing, cast tubing as well as many bar stock materials ranging from 2.5 inches to 16 inches in diameter. There are many additional problems that can occur when machining a casting and a forging but there are many benefits as well. Some of the problems that can occur such as shink, porosity, pattern shift, twisted castings, folds in forgings as well as surface finishes and casting clean up that do not normally occur when machining bar stock or plate materials.

One of the biggest benefits of using a raw casting or a raw forging as well as cast or drawn tubing is that the base material you are starting with is a near-net shape of the object you are striving to produce. As a result, less machining is required to obtain the finished part.

Decades of experience: Our machining facilities average over 63 years in business. 

VMI (Vendor Managed Inventory): We have decades of experience doing Vendor Managed Inventory and we can ship parts via JIT, EDI, Kan Ban or per your delivery schedules on a daily basis. 

In-house Tooling & Design: Each of our machining facilities has in-house toolmakers and engineers to design the fixtures required to hold, fixture and machine your parts.   

Facilities: Our facilities show and audit extremely well. We welcome for you to visit our facility to meet with our manufacturing, engineering and quality teams as well as take a plant tour. We would also provide you the ability to visit our facility as well as conduct an audit virtually if you would prefer.  

Quality: ISO 9001:2015 Certified & AS 9100 Certified & ITAR Registered.

Supplier Awards & On-Time Delivery: Our manufacturer is consistently awarded the highest rankings possible on our monthly delivery & quality ratings from our customers. Our plant-wide on-time deliveries are over 99%.