03CNC milling±0.025 mm
CNC milling services in Hamilton
Three-, four- and five-axis CNC milling for prototype and production parts: brackets, housings, manifolds, fixture plates and anything else that starts as a block or a plate. One programmer owns your part from the CAD model to the inspection report.
- 3-axis travel
- 1,020 × 510 mm (40 × 20 in)
- 5-axis table
- Ø 500 mm (19.7 in)
- Precision grade
- ±0.025 mm (±0.001 in)
- Tight, on request
- ±0.01 mm (±0.0004 in)
Sample figures for this demo website.
3.1Typical parts1–5,000
What we mill most weeks
Milling suits any part that is mostly flat faces, pockets, holes and profiles. If it started life as a plate or a block, it belongs here. When a part also has turned diameters, we turn it first on a lathe and finish the milled features after, or do both on the lathe with live tooling.
We hold work in vises, on fixture plates and in soft jaws machined for your part, so a repeat order is set up in minutes instead of hours. Programs, fixture notes and inspection plans are kept for every part number.
- Motor mounts, brackets and gussets
- Bearing housings and pillow-block bodies
- Hydraulic and pneumatic manifolds
- Fixture plates, nests and locating details
- Enclosures, covers and heat sinks
- Prototype parts before a casting or extrusion is ordered
3.2Axes3 · 4 · 5
Three, four or five axes: which one your part needs
More axes are not always better. The right machine is the one that finishes the part in the fewest set-ups, because every new set-up adds time and a chance of misalignment.
3axis
Faces from one side
Plates, brackets and pockets cut from the top. A second set-up flips the part for the back. The most economical choice for simple geometry.
4axis
Around one axis
A rotary table turns the part, so holes and flats on four sides of a block or a shaft are cut in one clamping and line up with each other.
5axis
Almost anything, once
The trunnion tilts and turns the part, reaching five sides and angled features in one set-up. Best for manifolds, impellers and tight positional tolerances.
3.3Design for machiningNotes
Six drawing notes that lower the price
These come up in almost every drawing review. None of them changes how the part works; all of them change how long it spends on the machine.
Give inside corners a radius
A cutter is round, so a pocket corner is too. R3 mm (1/8 in) or larger lets us use a stiffer tool and run faster.
Keep pockets shallow
Depths up to four times the corner cutter's diameter machine cleanly. Deeper pockets need long tools, slow feeds and more passes.
Tolerance only what fits
Bearing seats and dowel holes need tight numbers. Clearance holes and outside edges are fine at ±0.10 mm (±0.004 in).
Use standard threads
M3 to M12 and #4-40 to 1/2-13 are tapped from stock tools. Thread depth of 1.5 × diameter is enough for most steel and aluminum.
Avoid very thin walls
Walls under 1 mm (0.04 in) in metal or 2 mm (0.08 in) in plastic chatter and move. Thicker walls are cheaper and stiffer.
Send the 3D model
A STEP file with the PDF drawing saves programming time. The PDF still rules for tolerances, threads and finish.
3.4Lead timesSample
Lead times for milled parts
| Job | Working days |
|---|---|
| Prototype, 1–5 parts | 5–10 |
| Production run, after first article approval | 10–20 |
| Repeat order, program on file | 5–10 |
| Breakdown or line-down part | By arrangement |
Related
Round parts with milled features are often cheaper on a lathe with live tooling. See CNC turning. To choose a grade, compare strength, machinability and corrosion resistance on the materials list, and see the parts we make for automotive, agriculture, food and energy.
Outside finishing such as anodizing or plating adds three to five working days; we include it in the quoted lead time.
Have a milled part to quote?
Attach a STEP and a PDF, tell us the quantity, and we will reply with a price and a date.