Capabilities
CNC Turning vs Swiss-Type Turning
Both are lathe processes and both run in our Shenzhen plant. They are not interchangeable: one covers the wide diameter range, the other holds the smallest diameters to a tighter, faster result. The question a drawing usually answers for you.
Side-by-side
Comparison
| Property | CNC turning (chuck or bar fed) | Swiss-type turning |
|---|---|---|
| Diameter range | Ø 2–65 mm | Ø 0.5–20 mm |
| Length | up to 300 mm | short lengths — Swiss machines are built for slender parts |
| How the material is held | Chuck or collet, or bar fed | Bar fed from a sub-spindle, tool guided by a bushing |
| Parts it suits | Shafts, flanges, housings, bushes, larger-diameter features | Slender pins, needles, small medical and instrument fasteners |
| Batch economics | Holds up from a single piece upwards | Pays off from tens of pieces; weaker on a one-off |
| Tolerance on metal work | ±0.005 mm typical | ±0.005 mm typical |
| Surface finish | Ra 0.2 µm achievable | Ra 0.2 µm achievable |
| Inspection | Zeiss SPECTRUM CMM, TRIMOS V5 height gauge, AI-Vision | Same metrology — acceptance criteria do not change with the machine |
Decision guide
How to decide
- <p>Choose <strong>conventional CNC turning</strong> when the diameter sits above the Swiss range, the part is a housing, flange or bushing rather than a slender pin, or the quantity is one or two pieces — a Swiss machine's setup cost is never recovered at that volume.</p>
- <p>Choose <strong>Swiss-type turning</strong> when the part is a slender pin, needle or small fastener inside the small-diameter range and the quantity is tens of pieces or more, so the automatic bar feed and the sub-spindle earn their keep.</p>
- <p>For a part that sits <strong>between the two ranges</strong>, send us the drawing. We will tell you which machine runs it and whether the process route has to change to keep the cost sensible.</p>
- <p>Either way, both processes are measured on the same in-house metrology, so the acceptance criteria do not change with the machine that cut the part.</p>
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Both cut a rotating part on a lathe. A Swiss-type machine feeds bar automatically from a sub-spindle and guides the tool with a bushing, which keeps deflection low on very small diameters. A conventional CNC turning machine is chuck- or bar-fed and covers a much wider diameter range.
For a diameter inside the Swiss range, usually yes — and we will tell you which route we would take. Outside that range only conventional turning applies.
It depends on diameter, length and batch size, not on the machine label. Small-diameter parts in tens or hundreds pay off on Swiss; large-diameter or one-off parts are cheaper conventionally. Send the drawing and the annual volume and we will price the route that fits.
Both are held to ±0.005 mm on metal 3-axis work, and both are measured on the same Zeiss SPECTRUM CMM and TRIMOS V5 height gauge.
Send it anyway. The boundary is a production question, not a technical wall, and we will tell you plainly whether the part runs as drawn, needs a different process, or should be redesigned to a more economical route.
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