ASDAC CNC Processing Co: Expert Machining Solutions

A simultaneous 5-axis center cuts a part from more angles before the workpiece is re-clamped. That matters most on parts with features on four or five faces, deep pockets with drafted walls, or contoured surfaces that would need a long sequence of 3-axis setups. Each re-clamp adds fixture error and time. Removing two or three setups usually pays for the higher machine rate, especially on low-volume work where no dedicated fixture exists.

Five-axis is not automatically the cheaper route. On a simple plate with holes on one face, a 3-axis mill with a good vise will hit the same tolerance faster. The deciding factors are feature count per face, the angular relationship between features, and how tight the true position callout is. If most of your features sit on one plane, ask for a 3-axis quote and compare.

The machine envelope also sets the limit. Large travel reaches 4,000 × 400 × 150 mm on the long-bed machines. Medium and compact travels cover 750 × 1,150 × 550 mm, 600 × 600 × 600 mm, 500 × 500 × 450 mm and 500 × 310 × 200 mm. A Ø400 mm rotary table suits round parts that need continuous indexing. Check your part against those numbers before assuming it fits.

Tolerance is the other gate. ±0.005 mm is achievable on well-supported features with stable material and controlled temperature. Holding that across a thin wall 300 mm long is a different problem, and no shop can promise it on a part that deflects under its own cutting load. Send the drawing and let the process engineer tell you which dimensions are realistic.

Aluminum is the default for prototypes and enclosures. Grades 6061 and 6061-T6 machine fast and hold a good finish. 7075 gives higher strength for aerospace brackets but chips harder and is less forgiving on thin sections. 2024 and 5052 suit formed or welded assemblies, while 6082 and 6063 are common in Europe. ADC12 is a die-casting alloy, so expect it only where casting is the intended route.

Stainless steels behave very differently from each other. Grades 303 and 304 cut cleanly for general parts. 316 and 316L resist corrosion in medical and marine use but work-harden quickly, so feeds and speeds matter. 17-4PH (SUS630) can be heat treated after machining to reach high strength. Grade 440C suits wear surfaces such as shafts and valves. Tool wear raises cost on all of them, so budget accordingly.

Titanium and nickel alloys are the expensive end. TC4 (Ti-6Al-4V) needs slow speeds, rigid setups and plenty of coolant. Inconel is worse: it holds heat at the cutting edge, so tool life drops sharply and cycle time climbs. Magnesium AZ31B and AZ91D machine easily but the chips are flammable and need dedicated handling. Not every shop will quote them, and that is a fair signal.

Plastics round out the list. POM and PA are stable for functional parts. PEEK survives high temperature and chemical exposure in medical and semiconductor work. Carbon fibre composites need diamond-coated tooling to avoid delamination and frayed edges. Finish expectations should be set early, because a plastic part that looks fine on a drawing can come off the machine with visible tool marks.

Four certificates cover most buying decisions. ISO 9001:2015 is the baseline for process control. IATF 16949:2016 applies to automotive and EV work, where traceability and change control are audited. ISO 13485:2016 covers medical devices and their documentation trail. ISO 27001:2022 covers information security, which matters when you send proprietary CAD files to an outside shop.

Inspection is where the tolerance claim gets tested. A shop running 100% inspection before shipment will check raw material on arrival, monitor dimensions in process, and run a final check against the drawing. Reports are available on request. Ask for the specific dimensions you care about rather than a generic certificate, because a first-article report on the wrong features proves nothing.

Finish specifications belong in the same conversation. Anodizing comes in clear, colour, hardcoat and conductive types. Electroless nickel, zinc, silver and gold plating cover wear and conductivity needs. Powder coating and black oxide handle appearance and corrosion. Bead blasting, tumbling, brushing and polishing set the surface texture. Laser marking holds a minimum character height of 1.5 mm, so plan your part numbers around that.

Qualification rate on production runs sits at 99.99%. That number only holds when the drawing, the material and the process route agree. If you change one of the three after first article, expect a new qualification cycle. It is cheaper to freeze the design before tooling than to chase a moving target through inspection.

Quotation and a free DFM analysis come back within 12 hours. Production can start within 24 hours after that, and parts ship in 3–5 days on standard work. Historical late-delivery probability is below 2%. Those numbers assume the drawing is complete and the material is in stock. A missing tolerance or an ambiguous surface callout will pause the job until someone resolves it.

There is no minimum order quantity. A single prototype and a 10,000+ part run go through the same quoting process. On low volumes the setup and programming cost dominates the price. On high volumes the fixture design and cycle time dominate. Knowing which side of that line your order falls on tells you where to push for cost reduction.

Uploads are treated as secure and confidential, and an NDA is available on request. For defense, medical or unreleased consumer products, sign the NDA before sending STEP files. It costs nothing and removes a later argument. Also decide early whether the shop may use your part as a sample, because the default answer should be no unless you say otherwise.

One more practical point. Post-processing, heat treatment and final inspection can sit under one roof, which shortens the chain between machining and shipping. Splitting those steps across vendors adds handling, packing and transit time. On a tight program, keeping them together is often worth more than a small rate difference.