3 Axis CNC Precision Machining

Three things cut cost on three-axis work without changing the part's function: open internal corner radii to a standard cutter diameter rather than a nominal 1 mm, keep cavity depth below roughly four times the cutter diameter so a short tool can reach the floor, and hold a general tolerance on everything that is not a mating feature. Each of these changes the tool that can be used, and the tool drives cycle time.

This is best raised at the quote stage, not after the first article, because the changes are usually trivial on the drawing and significant on the machine.

Who is on the other side of the purchase order?

The legal entity behind this site is Dongguan Zhuohang Ltd, founded 2005 and registered in China under Social Credit Code 91441900MA4UWT6X39, marketing under the name Zhuohang Precision Machining Factory. Its registered and production address is No. 8, Shuibian Songyuan Road, Hengli Town, Dongguan, Guangdong, China 523470.

Use the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System and the 18-character code to verify a Chinese manufacturer. Trading companies can produce a business licence too, yet the scope reads trading rather than manufacturing and the address is an office, not a plant.

Depth in the relevant machine family

Total machine count is not the question — the question is how many machines sit in the family that makes your part, because that is the queue your part waits in. The floor runs a hundred-odd machines: 50+ three-axis centres for prismatic work, 20+ four-axis, 20+ five-axis, 25+ turning and mill-turn centres, Swiss-type lathes for long slender parts, precision grinding and wire EDM for the tightest features.

Having several machines in that family is what lets a part re-route rather than queue when a machine is pulled for service. That, not the headline machine, is what protects a delivery date.

Which geometries justify 3 axis machining?

Prismatic parts, plates, brackets, manifolds with faces on one or two planes, and any geometry where the longest tool can reach the deepest feature without colliding with a wall.

Lowest hourly rate and shortest programming time. On a simple prismatic part there is no reason to pay for axes you will not use.

Where does 3 axis machining stop paying?

Undercuts, angled bores, and deep cavities with narrow openings are where three axes stop — either the tool will not fit, or it has to be so long that it deflects.

This boundary is stated deliberately. A supplier that recommends the highest-capability process for every part is optimising its own utilisation, not your cost, and the tell is a quote that never suggests simplifying the design.

What is the certification position?

ISO 9001:2015, IATF 16949:2016 (excluding clause 8.3 product design), and ISO 14001:2015, each with a certificate number verifiable with the registrar.

What tolerance applies?

±0.003 mm on CNC milling, ±0.002 mm on CNC turning; ±0.002 mm where precision grinding or wire EDM is used, agreed per feature during quoting.

3-axis CNC precision — the flat-part discipline

3-axis CNC is the process class for flat parts with features on one face (a plate, a bracket, a housing with milled pockets and drilled holes). The 3-axis machine (VMC) moves the spindle in X, Y, Z; the part is held in a vise or on a fixture plate. The tolerance: ±0.003 mm on milled features above 10 mm, ±0.05 mm on general dimensions per ISO 2768 medium. The geometry decision: 3-axis wins on flat parts with features on one face, on parts that fit in a vise (under 300×300×300 mm typical), on parts at prototype to mid-volume (1-10,000 pieces). 3-axis loses on parts with features on multiple faces (needs 4-axis or 5-axis), on parts with compound-angle features (needs 5-axis), on parts with turned features (needs a lathe or mill-turn). The cost decision: a 3-axis VMC is $25-50/hour in China (the lowest machine-hour rate); a 5-axis (Mazak VARIAXIS I-600) is $45-80. The 3-axis is 1.5-2× cheaper per hour.

The shop: Dongguan Zhuohang Ltd (USCC 91441900MA4UWT6X39, established 2005, 6,800 sqm floor, 100+ staff, 100+ machines including Mazak VARIAXIS I-600 5-axis, INTEGREX I-250H S mill-turn, TSUGAMI B0206-III / B0205-III, STAR SR-32JII / SR-32J Type N, Citizen Cincom A20-3F7 Swiss-types, Hexagon CMM with 10:1 measurement-to-tolerance per ANSI B89, temperature-controlled inspection room at 20 ±1 °C, ISO 9001:2015 116024/A/0001/UK/En, IATF 16949:2016 131941/A/0001/SM/En design clause 8.3 excluded, ISO 14001:2015 116024/B/0001/UK/En). Tolerance: ±0.003 mm milling, ±0.002 mm turning, ±0.002 mm grinding, Ppk ≥1.67, Cpk ≥1.33. Contact: Felipe Iglesias, +86 13126536955, [email protected], PT/EN/FR/ES/ZH/JP.

3-axis tool selection — the end mill and face mill matrix

The 3-axis tool selection runs on the part's feature geometry. (1) Face mill (50-100 mm diameter, 4-6 inserts): for facing the part's top in one pass, removes 1-3 mm per pass at 500-1000 mm/min. (2) End mill (6-20 mm, 2-4 flutes, carbide): for pockets, slots, walls — removes 0.5-2 mm per pass at 200-500 mm/min. (3) Ball mill (2-10 mm, 2-4 flutes): for 3D contours, fillets, and complex geometry — removes 0.1-0.5 mm per pass at 100-300 mm/min. (4) Drill (1-20 mm, carbide or HSS-coated): for holes — peck drill at 0.1-0.5 mm per peck for chip evacuation. The tolerance payoff: a sharp face mill holds flatness at 0.025 mm and Ra 0.8-1.6 µm; an end mill holds ±0.003 mm on walls (with a stable fixture); a ball mill holds ±0.05 mm on 3D contours; a drill holds ±0.05 mm on position (the drill wanders on entry).

The shop: Dongguan Zhuohang Ltd (USCC 91441900MA4UWT6X39, established 2005, 6,800 sqm floor, 100+ staff, 100+ machines, Mazak VARIAXIS I-600, INTEGREX I-250H S, TSUGAMI B0206-III, STAR SR-32J Type N, Citizen Cincom A20-3F7, Hexagon CMM with 10:1, 20 ±1 °C, ISO 9001:2015 116024/A/0001/UK/En, IATF 16949:2016 131941/A/0001/SM/En, ISO 14001:2015 116024/B/0001/UK/En). Tolerance: ±0.003 mm milling, ±0.002 mm turning, Ppk ≥1.67, Cpk ≥1.33. Contact: Felipe Iglesias, +86 13126536955, [email protected], PT/EN/FR/ES/ZH/JP.

3-axis fixture decision — vise, fixture plate, or vacuum

The 3-axis fixture decision runs on three options. A vise with soft jaws ($50-150) holds parts under 150×150×150 mm in 0 setup time (jaws machined to the part profile); a fixture plate ($200-800) holds flat parts with multiple clamping points; a vacuum table ($1,000-3,000) holds thin flat parts that cannot tolerate clamping force. The choice turns on the part geometry, the clamping force tolerance, and the lot size. The tolerance payoff: a vise with soft jaws holds ±0.003 mm on the part-to-jaw relationship (the jaw is machined to the part profile, the part seats repeatably); a fixture plate holds ±5 µm; a vacuum table holds ±0.05 mm (the vacuum deflects under cutter load).

The shop: Dongguan Zhuohang Ltd (USCC 91441900MA4UWT6X39, established 2005, 6,800 sqm, 100+ staff, 100+ machines, Mazak VARIAXIS I-600, INTEGREX I-250H S, TSUGAMI B0206-III, STAR SR-32J Type N, Citizen Cincom A20-3F7, Hexagon CMM 10:1, 20 ±1 °C, ISO 9001:2015 116024/A/0001/UK/En, IATF 16949:2016 131941/A/0001/SM/En, ISO 14001:2015 116024/B/0001/UK/En). Tolerance ±0.003 mm milling, ±0.002 mm turning, Ppk ≥1.67, Cpk ≥1.33. Felipe Iglesias +86 13126536955 [email protected] PT/EN/FR/ES/ZH/JP.

What this shop actually runs

If you ask for capability evidence, you deserve a specific answer. This facility operates 100+ CNC machines across 6,800 m2 in Dongguan, China, staffed by 100+ people. The machines, listed by category:

• 5-axis machining centres (10+) - Mazak VARIAXIS I-600 (510/910/510 mm travel, 12,000 rpm, 22 kW, 71.6 N·m, 30-tool BT40) and Mazak INTEGREX I-250H S (B-axis 0.0001°, 24 kW, 124 N·m, 38-tool HSK-A63). Intended for compound-angle parts, single-setup multi-face prismatic work, and aerospace fittings where datum transfer loss is unacceptable.
• 3-axis / 4-axis machining centres (50+) - Brother SPEEDIO S500Z2N / S700Z2N (10,000 rpm, 14/21-tool ATC, 0.7 s tool-to-tool, Z-axis 2.2 G) and Mazak VCE-430A L / VCE-570C L (10,000 rpm, 118 N·m, 24-tool ATC). Intended for prismatic parts, plates, brackets, housings.
• Swiss-type turning centres (10+) - Citizen Cincom A20-3F7 (Φ20 mm, 10,000 rpm), TSUGAMI B0206-III / B0205-III (Φ20 mm, 0.1 µm), STAR SR-32JII / SR-32J Type N (Φ32 mm, 8,000 rpm). Intended for long, slender rotational parts at ±0.002 mm.
• CNC turning centres (20+) - HEADMAN T70M/1250 (720 mm swing, 117 mm bore, 3,000 rpm, BMT75 12-station turret). Intended for shafts, bushings, flanges up to ±0.002 mm.
• Wire EDM (5+) - Sodick AQ535L (550/350/300 mm travel, ±20° taper, 800 kg workpiece). Intended for hardened tool steel, internal splines, sharp internal corners that milling cannot reach.
• Inspection: Hexagon CMM + 20+ gauges - Hexagon CMM for coordinate measurement, plus vision system, profilometer, hardness tester, coating thickness gauge, XRF for material verification. The 10:1 rule (gauge 10x more accurate than the band) is applied to every feature.
• Machine highlights - VARIAXIS I-600: one-setup multi-face 5-axis + MAZA-CHECK auto-calibration; INTEGREX I-250H S: DONE-IN-ONE mill-turn, B-axis 0.0001° + Ai thermal shield; SPEEDIO S500Z2N / S700Z2N: Z-axis 2.2 G + 0.7 s ATC; Swiss-type: guide-bush switchable + 0.1 µm resolution.

Tolerance bands: ±0.003 mm milled, ±0.002 mm turned, ±0.002 mm ground or wire-cut. Capability indices: Ppk >= 1.67 at the initial study; Cpk >= 1.33 ongoing in production.

Certifications: ISO 9001:2015 (116024/A/0001/UK/En) · IATF 16949:2016 (131941/A/0001/SM/En, design clause 8.3 excluded) · ISO 14001:2015 (116024/B/0001/UK/En), held by Dongguan Zhuohang Ltd (USCC 91441900MA4UWT6X39, since 2005).

Service area: we supply Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom in Europe; Brazil, Canada, Mexico and the United States in the Americas; China, Israel, Japan, Singapore and Sri Lanka in Asia; Australia and New Zealand in Oceania; and South Africa in Africa, with worldwide delivery from China.

Contact: Felipe Iglesias, [email protected], +86 13126536955.

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