- Four core services run in-house on a hundred-odd machines.
- Right process the first time — no rework TCO.
- MOQ 1 piece, lead times of roughly 3 / 7 / 30 days. ±0.003 mm milling / ±0.002 mm turning; ±0.002 mm grinding.
- ISO 9001 · IATF 16949 · ISO 14001.
Which machining services run in-house?
Every service runs on our own floor, so the part is routed to the right process the first time — no brokered-out trial and error that inflates TCO.
| Process | Capacity | Max workpiece |
|---|---|---|
| 3-axis milling | 50+ centers | 1300 × 700 × 600 mm (milling) |
| 4-axis milling | 20+ centers | |
| 5-axis milling | 20+ centers | |
| CNC turning | 25+ lathes | Ø720 × 1280 mm |
| Mill-turn | Multi-task centers (Mazak / Brother class) | Single-setup complex geometry |
| Grinding | 7+ (surface / centerless / cylindrical) | ±0.002 mm finishes |
How does the right milling choice cut TCO?
Routing a part to 3-axis when 5-axis is unnecessary saves money; routing it to 5-axis when it is necessary avoids the rework of a failed 3-axis attempt. The review makes that call before cutting, so you pay once.
How does mill-turn cut TCO?
When turned and milled features must be related, mill-turn removes a re-fixturing step and the alignment error it introduces. One setup instead of two removes both a process step and the scrap that a misalignment would cause.
When does grinding avoid rework TCO?
Grinding is worth its cost when a surface must be flatter, rounder, or smoother than a cutting tool can deliver. Routing to grinding up front avoids the rework of discovering a surface finish failure after milling.
How does process capability cut TCO?
A process held to Ppk ≥ 1.67 at the initial study on key characteristics and Cpk ≥ 1.33 on general characteristics. Capability is reported per characteristic: every report names the feature, its tolerance band, the sample size, the sigma method, and the study window produces so little scrap that rework disappears from the TCO equation. Doing it right the first time is the cheapest way to do it.
How does bundling secondary operations cut TCO?
Every hand-off to a different supplier is a risk and a cost. Bundling finishing and heat treatment with one accountable supplier removes hand-off risk and keeps the TCO controlled.
Which secondary operations are bundled?
- Surface finishing: standard and hard anodizing, zinc / nickel / silver / gold / chrome plating, powder coating, painting, brushing, mirror polishing.
- Heat treatment: vacuum, bright, carburizing, nitriding, and stress-relief aging. In-house ovens reach 500 °C (fine for aluminum and low-temperature steel stress relief); titanium stress relief above that is outsourced to a qualified partner.
- Deburring, tapping, laser marking, assembly: included as your print requires.
Which cost line each service actually carries
Comparing service prices without knowing which cost dominates each one leads to the wrong negotiation. This is where the money sits, process by process.
| Service | Dominant cost | What reduces it |
|---|---|---|
| 3-axis milling | Setup count and programming at low volume | Fewer orientations, standard corner radii, tolerance only where it functions |
| 4-axis and 5-axis milling | Machine rate per hour | Removing re-fixturing, which also removes stacked alignment error |
| CNC turning | Cycle time and bar utilisation | Diameters that suit standard stock, avoiding unnecessary length |
| Mill-turn | Programming complexity | Timed and concentric features made in one setup instead of assembled across two |
| Precision grinding | An added operation and its inspection | Calling ±0.002 mm and fine finish only on the surfaces that need it |
| Surface finishing | Batch handling and lead time | Deciding early whether coating thickness sits inside the toleranced dimension |
The pattern is consistent: at low volume you pay for setups, at higher volume you pay for cycle time and yield, and in both cases you pay for tolerance you did not need. Envelope limits are 1300 × 700 × 600 mm on milling and Ø720 × 1280 mm on turning.
Why in-house process ownership shows up in your total cost
Each time a part leaves a supplier's building, three things happen: transport cost is added, calendar days are consumed, and the chain of responsibility gets an interface. Milling, turning, mill-turn, grinding and the full inspection bench run inside this 6,800 m² plant, so a part that needs turning, then milling, then grinding, then a CMM report stays inside one traceability chain and one control plan. Heat treatment to 500 °C is on site; titanium stress relief above that range is placed with a qualified partner and is declared as an external step.
The practical effect on a quote is fewer contingency days and fewer inspection duplications. The practical effect on a problem is that root cause analysis has one record to read, in the MES and ERP system, rather than three parties to interview.
Bundled secondary operations versus buying them separately
Buyers sometimes source machining and finishing separately to compare prices line by line. The unit prices look better and the total usually does not, for reasons that are easy to price once you look for them.
- Two freight legs instead of one, plus the packing that protects a machined surface twice.
- Duplicate inspection, because the finisher checks what it received and you check what arrives.
- A responsibility gap on size, since plating and anodizing add thickness on toleranced features. Coating thickness is measured here with a Fischer gauge, and corrosion performance with salt spray where it is specified.
- Schedule risk, because two queues in series rarely behave like one.
Available finishing includes standard and hard anodizing, zinc, nickel, silver, gold and chrome plating, powder coating, painting, brushing and mirror polishing, along with deburring, tapping, laser marking and assembly as the print requires. Send a STEP or IGES file with a toleranced drawing, the quantity and the destination to [email protected] and the quote states the full route rather than the machining step alone.
How to choose between 3-axis, 4-axis, and 5-axis
The axis count is not a quality ladder — it is a routing decision, and choosing the right one the first time is the cheapest thing that happens on a part. Each step up removes a re-fixturing operation, and each step up also raises the machine-hour rate.
| Option | When it is the right call | What it avoids |
|---|---|---|
| 3-axis | Features reachable from one direction; prismatic parts, flat work | Unnecessary machine cost on geometry that does not need more |
| 4-axis | Features on multiple faces of a part, or indexing around an axis | A second setup and the alignment error between setups |
| 5-axis | Compound angles, deep pockets, or features that must relate across a compound surface | Stacked alignment error and the scrap of a failed multi-setup attempt |
The TCO mistake runs in both directions. Routing a simple part to 5-axis when 3-axis would do spends machine rate you did not need; routing a compound part to 3-axis and flipping it three times invites the alignment error that becomes scrap. The review makes that call before cutting, which is why "routed right the first time" is the whole point.
When to turn, when to mill, when to mill-turn
Round parts and prismatic parts live on different machines, and the boundary is where a lot of unnecessary cost is created by routing a part to the wrong one. The table is the short version of the decision.
| Part shape | Route | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Purely round, symmetric | CNC turning | A lathe makes a round part in one fixturing, cheaply and concentrically |
| Purely prismatic, flat faces | CNC milling | A machining center reaches every feature from the faces it can address |
| Round body with milled flats, holes, or slots | Mill-turn | One setup relates the turned and milled features, removing a re-fixture and its concentricity error |
| Round or flat surfaces needing finer finish or roundness | Grinding after the primary cut | Grinding reaches Ra and roundness a cutting tool cannot, on the surfaces that need it |
Mill-turn is the quiet cost-saver for the in-between parts. When a turned and milled feature must be concentric or timed to each other, doing both in one setup removes an entire re-fixturing step — and the scrap that step would have caused — instead of assembling the part across two machines and hoping the alignment holds.
How tolerance drives the process choice
Tolerance and process are tied: the tighter the number, the more the process has to earn it. The ladder below shows where the floor routes a part as the tolerance tightens, and it is the same ladder that should guide what you put on the drawing.
| Required tolerance | Typical route | Cost implication |
|---|---|---|
| ±0.1 mm and looser | Single machining pass, general setup | Cheapest; cycle time dominates |
| ±0.05 mm | Careful setup and process control | Moderate; the setup and checking rise |
| ±0.003 mm (milling) / ±0.002 mm (turning) | Milling / turning with CMM verification | Higher; capability and measurement are part of the price |
| ±0.002 mm | Precision grinding | Highest; a dedicated operation plus its inspection |
The buyer lesson is the same one that runs through the whole site: call the tight tolerance only where the feature locates or mates, and let the rest of the drawing float. Every tolerance you tighten without a functional reason is a process step you just bought, and it shows up in the total rather than the function.
Which surface finishing options exist, and what each costs
Finishing is a second process on top of machining, and each option has its own cost and lead-time shape. Bundling it with the machining supplier keeps the hand-off inside one accountability, but the option still has to be chosen deliberately.
| Finish | What it does | Cost and lead-time shape |
|---|---|---|
| Anodizing (standard / hard) | Corrosion and wear resistance on aluminum | Adds a batch step and a lead-time tier; hard anodizing builds a thicker, harder layer |
| Plating (zinc / nickel / chrome / silver / gold) | Corrosion, conductivity, or appearance on metal | Thickness on toleranced features must be planned into the size |
| Powder coating / painting | Appearance and corrosion for larger parts | Batch handling; mask surfaces that mate or conduct |
| Brushing / mirror polishing | Cosmetic or hygienic surface | Labor-intensive on complex geometry |
The recurring trap is specifying a finish without saying where it applies. A coating called on a toleranced bore closes the bore; a polish called on a functional sealing face changes the finish the design counted on. Decide the finish and the masking in the same breath as the tolerance, and the finishing step stops being a surprise.
How to specify a secondary operation so it does not inflate the route
Secondary operations — finishing, heat treatment, deburring, marking, assembly — are where a clean machining quote quietly grows, usually because the print left something open. Four calls on the drawing keep the route honest.
- Name the finish and the surface it applies to. Anodizing "all over" is a different cost and a different masking job than anodizing the exterior only.
- Put the heat treatment condition in the material call. "4140 hardened and tempered" routes the part through heat treatment and grinding; "4140" leaves it open.
- State the marking content and method. Laser marking is cheap and durable; a stamped mark needs a flat surface and adds a step.
- Say what "deburred" means. A broken edge is not the same as a controlled radius or a chamfer, and the difference is rework if it is not agreed up front.
Each of these is a decision the supplier otherwise has to guess, and a guess becomes a cost when the part comes back different from what the buyer pictured. A print that closes these four loops routes the part once, and that is the cheapest possible route.
What this shop actually runs
Ask for capability evidence and the answer should be specific. The facility behind this guide runs 100+ CNC machines on a 6,800 m2 floor in Dongguan, China, with 100+ staff. The machine list, by category:
- 5-axis machining centres (10+) - Mazak VARIAXIS I-600 (510/910/510 mm travel, 12,000 rpm, 22 kW, 71.6 N·m, 30-tool BT40) and Mazak INTEGREX I-250H S (B-axis 0.0001°, 24 kW, 124 N·m, 38-tool HSK-A63). Run on compound-angle parts, single-setup multi-face prismatic work, and aerospace fittings where datum transfer loss is unacceptable.
- 3-axis / 4-axis machining centres (50+) - Brother SPEEDIO S500Z2N / S700Z2N (10,000 rpm, 14/21-tool ATC, 0.7 s tool-to-tool, Z-axis 2.2 G) and Mazak VCE-430A L / VCE-570C L (10,000 rpm, 118 N·m, 24-tool ATC). Run on prismatic parts, plates, brackets, housings.
- Swiss-type turning centres (10+) - Citizen Cincom A20-3F7 (Φ20 mm, 10,000 rpm), TSUGAMI B0206-III / B0205-III (Φ20 mm, 0.1 µm), STAR SR-32JII / SR-32J Type N (Φ32 mm, 8,000 rpm). Run on long, slender rotational parts at ±0.002 mm.
- CNC turning centres (20+) - HEADMAN T70M/1250 (720 mm swing, 117 mm bore, 3,000 rpm, BMT75 12-station turret). Run on shafts, bushings, flanges up to ±0.002 mm.
- Wire EDM (5+) - Sodick AQ535L (550/350/300 mm travel, ±20° taper, 800 kg workpiece). Run on hardened tool steel, internal splines, sharp internal corners that milling cannot reach.
- Inspection: Hexagon CMM + 20+ gauges - Hexagon CMM for coordinate measurement, plus vision system, profilometer, hardness tester, coating thickness gauge, XRF for material verification. The 10:1 rule (gauge 10x more accurate than the band) is applied to every feature.
- Machine highlights - VARIAXIS I-600: one-setup multi-face 5-axis + MAZA-CHECK auto-calibration; INTEGREX I-250H S: DONE-IN-ONE mill-turn, B-axis 0.0001° + Ai thermal shield; SPEEDIO S500Z2N / S700Z2N: Z-axis 2.2 G + 0.7 s ATC; Swiss-type: guide-bush switchable + 0.1 µm resolution.
Tolerances held: milling ±0.003 mm, turning ±0.002 mm, grinding and wire EDM ±0.002 mm. Capability: Ppk >= 1.67 initial and Cpk >= 1.33 in production on key characteristics.
Certifications: ISO 9001:2015 (116024/A/0001/UK/En), IATF 16949:2016 (131941/A/0001/SM/En, clause 8.3 design excluded, disclosed openly) and ISO 14001:2015 (116024/B/0001/UK/En), issued to Dongguan Zhuohang Ltd, USCC 91441900MA4UWT6X39, established 2005.
Service area: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom in Europe; Brazil, Canada, Mexico and the United States in the Americas; China, Israel, Japan, Singapore and Sri Lanka in Asia; Australia and New Zealand in Oceania; and South Africa in Africa — built in China, shipped worldwide.
Contact: Felipe Iglesias, [email protected], +86 13126536955.
Send your drawing for a quote.
Email [email protected] or call +86 13126536955 for a review and quote.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which CNC machining services do you provide?
We provide 3-axis, 4-axis, and 5-axis CNC milling, CNC turning, single-setup mill-turn, and precision grinding, plus deburring, tapping, laser marking, and assembly — all in-house on a floor of 100-plus machines.
How does the right process choice cut TCO?
Routing the part to the right process the first time avoids the rework of a failed attempt. The review makes that call before cutting, so you pay once.
How does process capability cut TCO?
In short, A process held to Ppk ≥ 1.67 at the initial study on key characteristics and Cpk ≥ 1.33 on general characteristics. Capability is reported per characteristic: every report names the feature, its tolerance band, the sample size, the sigma method, and the study window produces so little scrap that rework and re-measurement disappear from the total-cost equation.
What tolerances do your services hold?
In short, ±0.003 mm on CNC milling, ±0.002 mm on CNC turning, and ±0.002 mm for precision grinding. We verify critical dimensions on Hexagon CMMs, with process capability Ppk ≥ 1.67 at the initial study on key characteristics and Cpk ≥ 1.33 on general characteristics.
What is your minimum order quantity and lead time?
Roughly 3, 7, or 30 days depending on part complexity and process steps. Simpler parts ship in about 3 days; parts with surface finishing or many operations fall into the longer 30-day tier.
How do I get a machining service quote?
Email your STEP, IGES, or 2D drawing to [email protected]. We return a review and a quote, usually within one business day, and we flag any feature that would drive up cost before you commit.
How do I choose between 3-axis and 5-axis?
In short, Choose 3-axis when features are reachable from one direction, 4-axis when the part has features on multiple faces, and 5-axis when compound angles or deep pockets must relate across a compound surface. The review makes that call before cutting so you do not pay for axis count you do not need.
When is mill-turn the right choice?
Mill-turn is right when turned and milled features must be concentric or timed to each other. One setup removes a re-fixturing step and the alignment error it would introduce, so you pay once instead of twice.
What surface finishing options do you offer?
In short, Standard and hard anodizing, zinc, nickel, silver, gold and chrome plating, powder coating, painting, brushing and mirror polishing, plus deburring, tapping, laser marking and assembly as the print requires. Coating thickness on toleranced features is planned into the size, not applied after it.
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Standards referenced on this page
- ASTM B348/B348M-21 — Standard Specification for Titanium and Titanium Alloy Bars and Billets
- ASTM B211/B211M-19 — Standard Specification for Aluminum-Alloy Rolled or Cold Finished Bar, Rod, and Wire
- ISO 9001 — Quality management systems — Requirements