Three-axis milling for flat, prismatic and hole-dense parts, held to ±0.005 mm with 100% inspection before shipment. Send a STEP file and get a quote plus free DFM analysis within 12 hours.
Most of these start as a drawing review problem, not a machine problem.
A part arrives with six faces of work. The shop quotes it as six operations, and the price never lands. On the right 3-axis setup with tombstone fixtures, the same part is two or three ops. The hours disappear, and so does the price gap.
Holes look fine on part one and miss on part fifty. Usually the cause is a vise that was re-clamped after a drill change, or a fixture with no hard stop. Position tolerance should come from the fixture, not from the operator.
A Ra 1.6 μm callout turns into a hand-polish step, and the lead time grows. That usually means the tool path left chatter marks or the feed was pushed to save cycle time. Both are fixable in the program, not on the bench.
If every face of the part is reachable from three directions, 5-axis time buys nothing. You pay for simultaneous motion and a more expensive machine hour. Three-axis work with good fixtures is often the cheaper route to the same drawing.
Three-axis work is won or lost in fixturing and in-process checks.
We start from the drawing and the stock, not from the machine list. Parts with flat faces, stepped pockets, drilled hole patterns and open profiles sit well on three axes. We plan the op sequence so datum faces stay accessible and re-clamping happens as little as possible.
Tombstone and pallet fixtures let us run the second and third sides without losing the datum. For a 200 mm aluminum bracket with 14 holes and two pockets, that is typically two setups instead of four, and the operator is not re-indicating the part each cycle.
The machines hold ±0.005 mm on a controlled process. To get there, we check the raw material certificate first, then monitor the first article and the middle of the run. A CMM report is available on request.
Thermal drift matters on long runs. We keep roughing and finishing in separate passes and let the part stabilize before the finish cut on tight bores. That is why a Ra 0.8–1.6 μm finish holds across the batch and does not need a polishing bench.
Same drawing, different machine hour. Pick by reachable faces and tolerance stack.
| Part feature | Three-axis | Five-axis |
|---|---|---|
| Flat faces and open pockets | Preferred | Works, extra cost |
| Holes on three sides | With tombstone fixture | One setup |
| Undercuts and side walls | Needs special tooling | Preferred |
| Deep curved cavity | Not practical | Preferred |
| Tight true position across faces | Fixture dependent | Fewer datum shifts |
| Simple plate, high volume | Preferred | Overkill |
| Prototype, one piece | Fast to set up | Only if geometry needs it |
Three-axis work rarely ships alone. These are the services that sit around it.
Milling of flat, prismatic and drilled parts on 27 three-axis machines, up to 4,000 mm in length.
Milled features and turned diameters on the same part, with mill-turn centers for round-to-flat transitions.
Indexed rotary work for parts needing features on four sides without a second fixture.
For undercuts, curved cavities and one-setup multi-face work that three axes cannot reach.
Low-volume runs from a single piece, with DFM feedback before the program is cut.
Anodizing, plating, bead blasting, polishing and laser marking to finish the part.
Numbers below come from our own machine list and inspection process.
| Item | Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tolerance | ±0.005 mm | ±0.0002 in |
| Surface finish | Ra 0.8–1.6 μm | Ra 0.2–0.8 μm on request |
| Maximum length | 4,000 mm | Travel 4,000 × 400 × 150 mm |
| Medium travel | 750 × 1,150 × 550 mm | Also 600 × 600 × 600 mm |
| Compact travel | 500 × 500 × 450 mm | Also 500 × 310 × 200 mm |
| Order size | One part to 10,000+ | No minimum order quantity |
| Lead time | Ships in 3–5 days | Production start within 24 hours |
| Inspection | 100% before shipment | Reports on request |
Six numbers that decide whether your part ships on drawing.
Dedicated three-axis capacity, so a simple plate does not wait behind a complex five-axis job.
Achievable on a controlled process, with first-article and in-process checks.
Quotation plus free DFM analysis within 12 hours of receiving a usable file.
Across 3 wholly-owned plants covering 7,600 m² in Dongguan and Singapore.
ISO 9001:2015, IATF 16949:2016, ISO 13485:2016 and ISO 27001:2022.
Fifteen years of production work, from prototypes to repeat runs.
HDPE and POM plates with drilled patterns, flatness checked on the table.
6061-T6 enclosures with stepped pockets and cover screw holes.
316L blocks with cross-drilled ports and sealed faces.
Machined, deburred and clear anodized before final inspection.
Use three axes when every feature is reachable from a small number of directions: flat faces, open pockets, drilled holes, stepped profiles. If the part has no undercut and the tolerances stack from datums you can hold in a fixture, three axes will be cheaper and faster.
Move to five axes when the geometry needs side access, a deep curved cavity, or true position across faces that would otherwise need three or four re-clamps.
±0.005 mm ( ±0.0002 in ) is our stated achievable tolerance on a controlled process. That assumes a stable material, a reasonable wall thickness and a datum you can repeat in the fixture.
Tighter work is possible on specific features, but it should be discussed before quoting. We will say so if a callout is not realistic on three axes.
A STEP file plus a 2D drawing with tolerances, material, finish and any critical features marked. If you only have a 3D model, note which dimensions are functional.
We return a quotation and a free DFM analysis within 12 hours. Production can start within 24 hours after the order is confirmed.
Aluminum 6061, 6061-T6, 2024, 5052, 5083, 6063, 6082, 7075 and ADC12; stainless 303, 304, 316, 316L, 420, 430, 431, 440C and 17-4PH; steels including 1018, 1045, 4130, 4140 and 4340; brass C36000 and other copper grades; titanium TA1, TA2 and TC4.
Plastics such as ABS, PC, POM, PA, PEEK, PP and HDPE are also common, especially for fixture plates and covers.
No minimum order quantity. We run from one prototype to 10,000+ part runs on the same process.
For one-off parts we still do a first-article check. For repeat runs we keep the fixture and the program so the second order does not restart from zero.
The fixture does the work. Hard stops and a repeatable datum mean the operator is not re-indicating the part every cycle. On thin plates we control clamping pressure so the part does not spring back after unclamping.
For hole patterns, we check the first article on a CMM and monitor the middle of the run. A dimensional report is available on request.
As machined we work in the Ra 1.6–3.2 μm range. On request we hold Ra 0.8–1.6 μm, and Ra 0.2–0.8 μm for sealing faces and sliding surfaces.
Finishing options include anodizing, electroless nickel and zinc plating, powder coating, black oxide, bead blasting, brushing, polishing and laser marking.
All uploads are secure and confidential. We do not share drawings or models outside the production team, and an NDA is available on request.
ISO 27001:2022 covers our information security process, which applies to customer files as well as internal data.
Upload a STEP file and we return a quotation with free DFM notes. No minimum order quantity, 100% inspection before shipment.
12-hour quote100% inspectionNo MOQ
Trusted by engineers and manufacturers worldwide
Upload your 3D model or 2D drawing and get a quotation with a free DFM analysis. Maximum processing size 4,000 mm.
CNC Metals 13 grades
CNC Plastics 10 grades
Machines & processes 12 options
Surface & post-processing 10 options
Material: not selected Machine: not selected Post-process: not selected
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