01
Runout shows up at assembly
A shaft that measures fine between centers but carries 0.03 mm TIR at the bearing journal will not seat. The press fit either drags or spins. By then the lot is cut and the assembly line is waiting.
Precision CNC Projects
CNC Machining Projects
Spline shafts, worm gear sets, motor shafts and machined housings. Turned and milled on 127 CNC machines to ±0.005 mm, with inspection reports on request.
±0.005 mm toleranceØ400 mm rotary table4,000 mm max size3–5 day shippingNo MOQISO 9001 / IATF 16949
2011Machining since
127High-precision CNC machines
99.99%Qualification rate
150Technicians on staff
Where projects go wrong
Four failures we see on shaft and gear work
02
Gear teeth pass inspection, then whine
Tooth profile and lead look acceptable on a chart, but the mating set howls at speed. Usually it comes down to center distance and heat-treat distortion that nobody accounted for before grinding.
03
Finish changes after the second op
A journal ground to Ra 0.4 μm can lose that finish when the next operation chucks on it. Marks left by soft jaws are not cosmetic on a sealing surface.
04
No traceable inspection record
The parts arrive, the paperwork does not. Without dimensional reports tied to the lot, incoming inspection has to re-measure everything or accept it on faith.
How we run projects
Set the datum first, then cut
Most of the cost of a tight-tolerance part is decided before the first chip.
Process planning
One setup plan, agreed before cutting
A shaft project starts with a drawing review, not a toolpath. We look at which surfaces control the fit, which tolerances stack, and where the datum should sit so that turning, milling and grinding all reference the same feature.
If a callout cannot be held on the machine it is assigned to, we say so in the DFM notes that come back with the quote. Free analysis, inside 12 hours. That note has saved more than one project from a redesign after the first article.
- 1Datum schemeOne reference carried through every operation
- 2Tolerance stackChecked against the machine's real capability, not the spec sheet
- 3DFM notesReturned with the quote, inside 12 hours
Machining and inspection
Turn, mill, then verify on the same datum
Shafts and gear blanks run on 16 mill-turn centers so a keyway, cross-hole or knurl lands in the same setup as the turning. Fewer setups means fewer chances to lose concentricity.
For larger housings and plates we work up to 4,000 mm, with a Ø400 mm rotary table for features that wrap around a bore. After machining, parts go through 100% inspection before shipment. Reports on request.
- 1Mill-turnRadial features in the same setup as the OD
- 25-axis16 simultaneous 5-axis centers for contoured faces
- 3InspectionRaw material check, in-process monitoring, final inspection
Fit the process to the part
Which machine class suits which feature
A rough guide we use when quoting.
| Feature | Typical process | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Bearing journal, ground fit | CNC turning + cylindrical grind | Holds roundness and Ra 0.2–0.8 μm on the seal surface |
| Spline or keyway on a shaft | Mill-turn, single setup | Keeps the keyway parallel to the turned axis |
| Worm or spur gear blank | Turning + hobbing + finish pass | Tooth profile cut after stress relief, not before |
| Housing with wrap-around ports | 4-axis with Ø400 mm rotary table | Angled features indexed without re-fixturing |
| Long rail, 4,000 mm class | 3-axis on 4,000 × 400 × 150 mm travel | One pass, no joint line to blend |
| Thin-wall bushing | Turned with soft jaws, low clamp | Wall stays round; no jaw marks on the OD |
What we machine
Part families we take on
01
Spline and motor shafts
Turned, keyway milled, diamond knurled. 4.46 in class shafts as well as longer stepped variants in 1045 and 4140.
02
Worm and spur gear sets
Micro gearing for actuator and hand assemblies, plus larger worm shafts for lawn and garden equipment.
03
Precision plunger shafts
Fuel system plungers and accelerator pump parts, turned to close diameter control with a fine ground finish.
04
Fuel pump shafts
Steel shafts for Tier 1 automotive programs, run against IATF 16949 process controls.
05
Piston rod and crosshead shafts
Long, straight parts where straightness and surface finish drive the seal life.
06
Housings and brackets
Milled and bored enclosures up to 4,000 mm, with the mating faces machined in one setup where possible.
Scope
What a project quote covers
Same list for a one-off prototype and a 10,000-part run.
| Item | Included | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Material | Aluminium, stainless, steel, brass, titanium, PEEK | Sourced and checked before cutting |
| Machining | Turning, milling, 5-axis, mill-turn | 127 machines, 16 of them 5-axis |
| Finishing | Anodizing, plating, black oxide, bead blasting | Laser marking from 1.5 mm character height |
| Inspection | 100% before shipment, reports on request | ISO 9001:2015 and IATF 16949:2016 controls |
| Volume | One prototype to 10,000+ parts | No minimum order quantity |
| Timing | Quote and DFM within 12 hours | Production can start within 24 hours |
Why GreatLight
Numbers, not adjectives
15Y
Machining since 2011
Fifteen years on shaft and gear work, across three wholly-owned plants and 7,600 m² of floor space.
±0.005
Tolerance in mm
That is ±0.0002 in. It applies where the drawing calls for it and the process can actually hold it.
127
CNC machines
16 simultaneous 5-axis centers, 12 four-axis mills, 16 mill-turn centers, plus 3-axis capacity for long parts.
99.99%
Qualification rate
Measured across shipped lots. One bad part in a box is a line stoppage at your end, not a rounding error.
4,000
Millimeters of travel
Largest envelope is 4,000 × 400 × 150 mm. Medium frames run 750 × 1,150 × 550 mm and 600 × 600 × 600 mm.
12H
Quote turnaround
Quotation and free DFM analysis inside 12 hours. Uploads are confidential, NDA available on request.
7,600 m²Manufacturing space
3Wholly-owned plants
<2%Historical late-delivery risk
100%Inspection before shipment
Project types
What the work looks like
Robotics and automation
Micro worm and spur gear sets for hand actuator drives, cut with profile control and matched as a pair.
- Gear sets
- Ra 0.8–1.6 μm
- Matched pair
Automotive and EV
Fuel pump and plunger shafts for Tier 1 programs, run under IATF 16949 process control with lot records.
- IATF 16949
- ±0.005 mm
- 100% inspection
Industrial machinery
Spline shafts up to 4.46 in class, keyway milled and diamond knurled in the same setup as the turning.
- Spline shafts
- Mill-turn
- Keyway
New energy
Long rails and bus bars machined on 4,000 mm travel, with the joint line eliminated by a single pass.
- 4,000 mm
- Single pass
- Aluminium 6061
FAQs
Questions engineers ask before sending a drawing
What kind of work counts as a project here?
Anything that needs a controlled process rather than a one-off cut: shafts with a ground fit, gear blanks that get hobbed, housings with wrapped features.
If the part is a plain bracket with open tolerances, it will still run, but the planning effort sits elsewhere.
Can you hold ±0.005 mm on every dimension?
No, and no shop can. That tolerance applies to the features that need it, on the machine class assigned to them.
Open dimensions stay at general machining tolerance. The quote notes which features carry the tight callout.
Who heat treats and grinds the shafts?
Heat treatment is handled by qualified suppliers and scheduled before finish grinding. Cutting a keyway before stress relief is a common cause of a shaft that bends after hardening.
Grinding happens after treatment so the journal diameter and roundness survive the process.
How do you handle gear matching?
Worm and spur sets are cut and checked as a pair when the drawing defines a center distance. Profile and lead are inspected, and the set is kept together through finishing.
If your design allows a wider backlash band, say so. It widens the number of processes that stay viable and usually lowers cost.
What volumes do you run?
No minimum order quantity. One prototype is fine, and so is a 10,000+ part run.
Prototypes and production parts come off the same machine class, so the process does not change between them unless the drawing does.
What does inspection look like?
Raw material check, in-process monitoring, then final inspection on 100% of parts before shipment.
Dimensional reports are available on request. If you need first article inspection documentation, put it in the RFQ so it is built into the plan and the price.
How fast can a project start?
Quotation and free DFM analysis come back within 12 hours. Production can start within 24 hours after that.
Parts typically ship in 3–5 days for the standard scope.
Is my design kept confidential?
Uploads are secure and confidential. An NDA is available on request before you send files.
We hold ISO 27001:2022 for information security management.
Send the drawing. Get a plan and a price.
Free DFM analysis with every quote, inside 12 hours. No minimum order quantity, from one prototype to a 10,000+ run.
12-hour quote100% inspectionNo MOQNDA on request
