We use TSUGAMI Swiss-type lathes to produce small, slender and feature-dense components from bar stock. Guide-bushing support, driven tools and back-working routes combine turning, drilling, threading and selected milled details in one controlled cycle, with documented inspection from first article through repeat production.
AS9100D · IATF 16949 · ISO 10012
Diameter · Drawing Review
Production Machines
Confidential File Exchange
Our Swiss machining services use TSUGAMI sliding-headstock lathes with guide-bushing support, live tooling and back-working to produce small, slender parts up to 12 mm bar diameter and 135 mm length. Cutting close to the support limits deflection, while coordinated turning, threading, drilling and selected milling operations reduce re-clamping and secondary handling. From instrument shafts to electrical contacts and precision screws, the process supports consistent geometry through repeat production.
Material traceability and drawing-based inspection support each order. Complete RFQs receive an engineering response within one working day; the quotation follows confirmation of the manufacturing scope.
Our Swiss machining resources are centered on 28 TSUGAMI platforms with guide-bushing support, automatic bar feeding, driven-tool capability and back-working routes. Machine selection considers bar straightness, part length, material behavior, feature density, burr access and finished-part handling.
Sliding-headstock platforms keep the bar supported close to the cutting zone, helping control deflection while related diameters, faces, grooves and threads are produced in a stable sequence.
Swiss-type machining with automatic bar feeding supports small rotational components. The machining sequence, workholding, tooling and inspection plan follow the drawing and production requirements.
Sub-spindle and back-working routes can pick up the part at cut-off and complete rear faces, holes, threads and chamfers before collection, reducing separate fixtures and feature-to-feature stack-up.
The values below describe our confirmed Swiss machining envelope. Tolerance feasibility depends on bar straightness, material, length-to-diameter ratio, wall thickness, feature relationships and measurement access. A tighter tolerance can change tooling, cycle time, inspection method and scrap risk, so we distinguish functionally critical features from inherited title-block tolerances during DFM review and never change a requirement without approval.
| Capability | Specification |
|---|---|
| Max Part Length | 135 mm |
| Maximum Part Diameter | Ø12 mm |
| Maximum Bar Capacity | Ø12 mm |
| Tolerance | Straightness: 0.0508 mm (0.002 in) Concentricity: 0.0254 mm (0.001 in) Diameter (Outer/Inner): 0.0013 mm (≈0.000051 in) |
The manufacturing sequence covers drawing and technical requirements review, process planning, incoming material inspection, first article inspection, production machining, surface treatment and final inspection. Machining instructions and inspection records are tied to the approved drawing revision and production batch.
Material behavior on a Swiss machine is closely tied to bar straightness, diameter tolerance, hardness, chip formation and guide-bushing compatibility. We review stock condition, lot certification, cutting strategy and post-process requirements together so dimensional stability is protected from raw bar through final inspection.
| Image | Material Family | Regular Grades | Performance Advantages | Typical Applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Stainless Steel |
| Corrosion resistance, mechanical strength and clean-service compatibility; free-machining and precipitation-hardening grades provide options for cycle efficiency or higher strength. | Medical instruments, vacuum hardware, aerospace and fluid-control components |
| Aluminum |
| Low density, fast cutting and good thermal conductivity; 7075 and 2024 provide higher strength for weight-sensitive applications. | Aerospace hardware, electronics, robotic assemblies and anodized components |
 | Brass And Copper Alloys |
| High machinability or electrical conductivity, with selected alloys providing spring performance, strength and wear resistance. | Contacts, terminals, connectors, fittings and semiconductor components |
 | Titanium |
| High strength at low weight, excellent corrosion resistance and biocompatible grade options, supported by controlled tooling and coolant strategy. | Medical, aerospace and corrosion-resistant precision components |
| Carbon And Alloy Steel |
| Economical machinability or higher strength and fatigue resistance, with heat-treatment options for wear and load-bearing surfaces. | Pins, shafts, custom fasteners and industrial control components |
 | Engineering Plastics |
| Low mass, chemical resistance, electrical insulation and low-friction options; guide-bushing and chip-control strategies are adapted to polymer behavior. | Medical, electrical, semiconductor and lightweight instrument components |
Finishing is coordinated with masking, dimensional allowance, thread protection, burr condition and delicate-part handling. In-house and qualified partner processes are managed under one order, with critical dimensions rechecked after finishing when the drawing or control plan requires it.
A finish left directly by the cutting process, with controlled tool marks and no additional surface treatment. The process capacity table and drawing define the required roughness.
Typical Applications: Robotics journals and bearing seats
A mechanical finishing process that smooths the surface to reduce roughness and improve sealing, cleanability or appearance.
Typical Applications: Semiconductor sealing faces and vacuum bores
A surface treatment that creates a uniform matte texture by blasting fine abrasive media onto the part surface.
Typical Applications: Aerospace and robotics surfaces
Type II anodizing builds a protective oxide layer on aluminum for corrosion protection and appearance. Clear natural and dyed finishes are color options within the same process. A custom color reference and acceptance sample can be specified.
Typical Applications: Aluminum housings, robotics arms, brackets and visible components
Hard anodizing is selected for wear-resistant aluminum surfaces. Coating allowance and masking are planned around critical fits; any hardcoat color requirement is reviewed with the specified alloy and thickness.
Typical Applications: Sliding guides, bushings and wear-contact aluminum components
A chemical treatment for stainless steel that removes free iron from the surface and supports its natural corrosion resistance.
Typical Applications: 316L semiconductor and vacuum parts
A chemically deposited nickel coating that provides consistent thickness on complex geometry and improves corrosion and wear resistance.
Typical Applications: Semiconductor chambers and robotic leadscrews
A corrosion-resistant precious-metal coating that provides stable electrical contact performance and low contact resistance.
Typical Applications: Precision contacts and semiconductor electrodes
A highly conductive metallic coating used to improve electrical and thermal transfer on functional component surfaces.
Typical Applications: High-current contacts and conductive components
A thin conversion finish for ferrous metals that reduces glare and adds mild corrosion protection with the specified seal or oil.
Typical Applications: Steel fasteners, tooling and fixtures
A crystalline conversion coating for steel that improves lubricant or paint adhesion and supports wear-in and corrosion protection.
Typical Applications: Aerospace fasteners and wear components
A permanent marking process for part numbers, lot codes and traceability without adding a separate label.
Typical Applications: Traceability and part numbers
An electroplated zinc layer adds sacrificial corrosion protection to carbon and alloy steel while allowing finish color and thickness to be specified.
Typical Applications: Steel fasteners and industrial components
A conductive and solderable metallic coating used on contacts and terminals where electrical connection and corrosion protection are required.
Typical Applications: Electrical contacts and connector components
A mass-finishing process used to remove light burrs, soften handling edges and produce a consistent overall surface on suitable small parts.
Typical Applications: High-volume small parts and handling-sensitive components
Through-hardening, case hardening or precipitation hardening is coordinated with material grade, dimensional allowance and final inspection requirements.
Typical Applications: Wear surfaces, shafts, pins and load-bearing features
Centerless or cylindrical grinding can refine critical diameters and surface finish beyond the practical turning limit when the drawing requires it.
Typical Applications: Bearing fits, journals and precision locating diameters
Quality control begins before the production cycle is released. The first piece is verified against the drawing, critical features are sampled at defined intervals to monitor tool wear and process drift, and final dimensional checks use calibrated equipment selected for feature size and accessibility. Requested AS9102 first-article reports, material certificates, lot traceability, inspection records and certificates of conformance are planned at the RFQ stage and retained with the production record. Additional checks use 10 microscopes for burrs, edges and surface condition, plus roughness instruments for drawing-defined surface finish.
Our Swiss machining service connects engineering review, TSUGAMI equipment, bar preparation, guide-bushing control, in-cycle feature planning, qualified finishing and documented inspection under one accountable production route.
A 28-machine TSUGAMI base supports small-diameter work, flexible scheduling and continuity from initial samples through repeat production.
Guide-bushing support shortens the unsupported bar span to limit deflection, chatter and taper on slender components.
Turning, drilling, threading, cross-working and rear-side details can be coordinated to reduce secondary setups, handling and tolerance stack-up.
We review bar condition, minimum walls, thread runout, tool access, burr location, cut-off conditions and measurement strategy before the route is released.
Vision measurement, microscopes, micrometers, gauges and Zeiss CMM programs are selected around feature size, tolerance type and accessibility.
Machining, qualified finishing, heat treatment, post-process verification and documentation are managed through one purchase order and one responsible team.
Swiss machining supports industries where small diameter, fine threads, burr control, material traceability and repeatable feature relationships directly influence the performance of the finished assembly.
AS9102 first-article planning, lot-level material traceability and controlled inspection support small features where diameter, thread and positional relationships must remain stable across repeat orders.
Ti-6Al-4V · 17-4PH · Inconel 718
Released revisions, material identity, defined sampling and retained inspection records are connected to the production lot so dimensional evidence remains available throughout the program.
17-4PH · 4140 · brass
Fine features, burr control, plating-ready surfaces and clean handling are planned together, with concentricity and surface requirements reviewed before tooling is released.
316L · C110 · C17200
Sealing diameters, internal passages and fine threads are reviewed with surface finish, cleaning and any specified leak-performance requirement as one manufacturing route.
316L · titanium · PEEK
Guide-bushing support helps control slender geometry, while repeatable bar-fed cycles protect bearing fits, thread relationships and assembly consistency across production batches.
Stainless steel · alloy steel · aluminum
Customer-defined medical quality controls supports traceable materials, burr-free edge requirements, consistent thread quality and documented inspection for drawing-defined critical features.
316L · Ti-6Al-4V ELI · PEEK
Swiss machining, also called Swiss turning or sliding-headstock turning, feeds bar stock through a guide bushing while the headstock moves along the Z-axis. The cutting tool works only a short distance from that support point, rather than cutting a long section projected from a conventional chuck.
Supporting the material close to the cut limits deflection, chatter and taper on small-diameter or high length-to-diameter parts. That stability makes Swiss machining well suited to slender geometry, fine threads, narrow grooves and related diameters that must remain concentric.
Modern Swiss machines are complete manufacturing cells. Driven tools, cross-working positions and back-working capability can combine turning, drilling, tapping, slotting, flats and rear-side features in one coordinated cycle, reducing re-fixturing and tolerance stack-up between operations.
The process is most effective for small, predominantly rotational parts with detailed secondary features and repeat demand. Large-diameter components, heavy roughing and primarily prismatic geometry are usually better matched to conventional turning, mill-turn or CNC milling after engineering review.
