CNC Machining Services
- From 1 Prototype to 1000+ Parts
- Tight Tolerance
- Global Delivery
CNC Rapid Prototyping Service
Our CNC Machining Capability
Our Facility
RpProto, located in Xiamen City, China, is your most reliable supplier. It has hundreds of sets of 3, and 5-axis CNC machines and a turning center to offer you rapid precision prototyping and new product development services, including milling, turning, EDM (electrical discharge machining), wire EDM, surface grinding, etc.
Using our cut-edge 3, 5-axis CNC machining centers, our skilled machinists can make turned and milled parts using a wide range of plastic and metal materials. Our multi-axis CNC machining capabilities complement the 3D metal printing service, making us a great one-stop shop for prototyping designs. We manufacture millions of machined plastic and metal parts annually for companies worldwide. Please feel free to contact us to request your manufacturing solution.
Examples of CNC Prototyping
RpProto machine rapid prototypes and low-volume plastic and metal parts production for customers in all industries.
The most common areas are aerospace, automotive, electronics, machinery, manufacturing, medical devices, oil & gas, and robotics.
CNC Milling
Our factory has hundreds of 3-axis, and 5-axis CNC milling machines, which can create complex shapes from brasses, mild and stainless steel, aluminium, titanium, and rigid plastic.
The advantage of multi-axis machines makes the CNC milling process versatile and tight tolerances (0.02 mm) for creating many types of part features of complex geometries.
Milling is also the best process to create pressure die casting and plastic injection molding tooling.
Our Facility
CNC Turning
RpProto employs advanced machines with live tooling and automatic bar feeders, allowing us to perform some tasks without additional setups.
The turning process can produce complex external and internal geometries with tight tolerances and excellent surface finishes.
CNC turning is a more efficient method for any round-shaped component, such as shafts, worms, and spheres, and is suitable for rapid prototype low-volume production.
parts a month
CNC Machines
CNC Turning Machines
CNC Lathes
CNC Machining is the most common technics for rapid prototyping and volume production because of the following features:
- Flexible, Versatile, Easily customized
- Highly accurate with tight tolerances
- Lower cost for fixed tooling and preparation
- Suitable for various materials (aluminium, brass, mild and stainless steels, magnesium and titanium, engineering-grade plastic resins, etc.)
- CNC machined components are full strength and can be used soon after processed
CNC Machining Materials
More than 40 different grades of metal and plastic materials are available at RpProto.
- Metal: Steel, Aluminium(6061-T6, 7075), Stainless Steel (17-4, Inconel 625 & 718), Titanium, Magnesium, Zinc, Brass, Bronze, Copper. Learn More…
- Plastic: POM， Nylon， ABS， PEEK， PTFE， PC， HDPE， PVC， PMMA， PET， PP. Learn More…
Some important characteristics of the most popular machining materials include:
| Aluminium 6061-T6 |
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Aluminium 6061-T6 6061 offers excellent machinability, low cost, and versatility. Wall Thickness: 0.75 mm Tolerances: ±0.125mm (±0.005″) Max part size: 200 x 80 x 100 cm |
| Aluminium 7075 |
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Aluminium 7075 offers high strength, hardness, low weight, and heat tolerance. |
| ABS |
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| ABS offers high impact strength, low heat conductivity, and low coefficient of friction. |
| Acetal |
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This material provides high mechanical strength, superior dimensional stability, and low moisture absorption. |
| PEEK |
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PEEK offers high abrasion and wears resistance, low moisture absorption, and low coefficient of friction. |
| Ultem (PEI) |
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Ultem (PEI) is a high-dielectric-strength material with great strength, stiffness, and chemical resistance. |
Examples of material:
CNC Machining Surface Finishes
We provide complete surface finishing options for precision machined parts, such as Anodizing， Bead Blasting， Powder Coating， Electroplating， Polishing， and Brushing. Learn More…
It is typically used on machined aluminium parts to reduce corrosion and add an appealing metallic coloring. Anodizing is a scratch-resistant coating that is a natural electrical insulator and one of the most durable finishes.
Materials: aluminium, magnesium, titanium
Texture: Smooth, matte finish
Thickness: 1.8 μm to 25 μm (0.00007″)
- Type I: Basic type, using chromic acid to produce a thin and ductile anodized layer on an aluminium part
- Type II: Utilizes sulfuric acid to produce a thicker anodized layer on a part, making it for a variety of visual effects
- Type III: Known as “hard anodizing.” It also uses sulfuric acid but produces a thicker anodized layer, which is for surfaces that need to be extra hard.
- Chemical Film / Alodine: Entails coating part with alodine to produce results comparable to anodization.
Bead-blasted parts have a smooth surface with a matte texture.
Materials: ABS, Aluminum, Brass, Stainless Steel, Steel
Texture: Matte
Standards: Sa1, Sa2, Sa2.5, Sa3
Electroplate a single metal or a combination of metals onto parts to increase the parts’ strength, lifespan, and conductivity.
Materials: Aluminum, Steel, Stainless Steel
Plate type: Zinc, Nickel, Electroless Nickel
Texture: Smooth, glossy finish
On the surface of parts, powder coating creates a long-lasting, wear-resistant, and corrosion-resistant layer. Powder coating can be used to color items and is suitable for usage on any metal.
Materials: Aluminum, Stainless Steel, Steel
Texture: Gloss or semi-gloss
Used on metals where a series of tiny parallel lines are scratched onto the surface with a wire brush or polishing tool
Materials: ABS, Aluminum, Brass, Stainless Steel, Steel
Texture: satin
Standards: Sa1, Sa2, Sa2.5, Sa3
Get a smooth surface by removing cutting marks or printing marks. It is to prepare your parts for later painting and plating. For various metallic effects, we can provide brushed and satin surfaces and optically clear polishes on transparent acrylics.
Materials: Aluminum, Brass, Stainless Steel, Steel
Texture: Glossy
Types: Mechanical polishing, chemical polishing
Tolerances for CNC Machining
Metal
| Dimension | Tolerances |
|---|---|
| 0.5 – 6.00 mm | ± 0.05 mm |
| 6.00 – 30.00 mm | ± 0.10 mm |
| 30.00 – 120.00 mm | ± 0.15 mm |
| 120.00 – 400.00 mm | ± 0.20 mm |
| 400.00 – 1000.00 mm | ± 0.30 mm |
| Angular: ±0.5° | |
| Surface Roughness 3.2μm Ra | |
With drawing: Tolerance quality equivalent to IT7 can be achieved.
Without drawing: ISO 2768 fine
Example of application of tolerances:
Tolerances for CNC Machining
Plastic
| Dimension | Tolerances |
|---|---|
| 0.5 – 6.00 mm | ± 0.10 mm |
| 6.00 – 30.00 mm | ± 0.20 mm |
| 30.00 – 120.00 mm | ± 0.30 mm |
| 120.00 – 400.00 mm | ± 0.50 mm |
| 400.00 – 1000.00 mm | ± 0.80 mm |
| Angular: ±0.5° | |
| Surface Roughness 3.2μm Ra | |
With drawing: Tolerance quality equivalent to IT11 can be achieved.
Without drawing: ISO 2768 medium
Example of application of tolerances:
CNC Machining FAQs
CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machining is a subtractive manufacturing method. The feedstock is machined to its final form by subtracting and removing material. Drilling holes, boring lots and pathways and shaping metal stock into new material with varying tapers, diameters, and shapes are all done.
CNC machining can process aluminum, steel, brass, copper, titanium, rigid plastics, etc.
Prices vary depending on the materials, complexity, quantity, and lead time. CNC Machining is more expensive than 3D printing but offers tighter tolerances and improved material properties and surfaces. To obtain an accurate price, upload your 3D CAD model.
For all CNC machined parts, we adhere to ISO 2768 standards. We manufacture metal parts following ISO 2768-m (medium) or ISO 2768-f (high) (fine). Plastic-machined parts will adhere to 2768-m (medium). Geometric tolerances down to ± 0004 in. (0.010 mm) are possible but must be indicated in technical drawings.
We use CNC machining to manufacture prototypes and production parts rapidly. It offers high precision, engineering-grade materials, and short lead times.
All machined parts will receive a standard inspection included in the part price and lead time.