Swiss CNC Machining Services in China
We machine slender, intricate components that conventional CNC turning cannot hold — using sliding headstock Swiss lathes (CITIZEN & TSUGAMI) with live tooling for turning, milling, drilling, and threading in a single setup. Bar diameter Ø0.5 mm to Ø32 mm. Standard tolerance ±0.005 mm.
- ISO 9001 Certified
- No MOQ — Prototype to Mass Production
- Quote in 24 Hours
- Free DFM Analysis
Ultra-Precision Tolerances
Achieve tolerances as tight as ±0.0001 inch with our advanced Swiss CNC technology
Multi-Axis Machining
Up to 9-axis simultaneous machining for complex geometries and intricate parts
Small Part Specialization
Expert in manufacturing precision components from 0.5mm to 32mm diameter
Lights-Out Manufacturing
24/7 automated production with bar feeders for maximum efficiency
What Is Swiss CNC Machining?
Swiss CNC machining is a specialized precision turning process that uses a sliding headstock and guide bushing to support the workpiece close to the cutting tool. This unique setup minimizes deflection, enabling extremely tight tolerances and superior surface finishes—even on slender or complex parts.
At Richconn, we combine this high-precision process with advanced CNC control, live tooling, and automated bar feeding to streamline production of custom components with repeatable quality and exceptional accuracy.
The Guide Bushing Advantage — and Why It Matters for Your Part
In conventional CNC turning, the workpiece is gripped at one end and cantilevered outward. As bar length increases and diameter decreases, the unsupported overhang deflects under cutting forces — making tight tolerances impossible to sustain and causing surface waviness on long, slender features.
Swiss CNC machining solves this with a sliding headstock and guide bushing. The bar stock feeds through the guide bushing, which supports the material immediately adjacent to the cutting tool. Only a short length of bar is ever unsupported — regardless of total part length. The result: no deflection, no vibration, consistent cuts from the first feature to the last.
This is why Swiss machining is the standard process for small-diameter parts with high L/D ratios — and why switching from conventional CNC to Swiss is often the only path to meeting a tight-tolerance drawing on slender components.
Single-Setup Complete Parts
Live tooling for milling, drilling, cross-drilling, tapping, and threading — all in one cycle. No re-fixturing = no datum shift error.
Sustained Tolerance on Long Slender Parts
L/D ratios up to 20:1 maintained within ±0.005 mm — features that deflect and wander on conventional lathes hold steady on Swiss.
Bar-Feed Automation for High-Volume Consistency
Automated bar feeders enable continuous, lights-out production. Every part in a 50,000-piece run is cut from the same repeatable setup.
Our Swiss CNC Machine Fleet
We run 43 dedicated Swiss CNC machines across CITIZEN and TSUGAMI platforms — covering Ø0.5 mm micro-pins through Ø32 mm complex shafts, with bar-feed automation for continuous production.
A16 Swiss-Type Sliding Headstock
Purpose-built for miniature and ultra-precise small-diameter work. The A16 is our go-to for connector contacts, pogo pins, medical needles, and watch-grade precision components where diameter tolerances are in single-digit microns.
- Bar capacity Ø0.5–15 mm
- Tolerance ±0.005 mm std.
- Live tooling Yes — milling, drilling, tapping
- Bar feed Automated — lights-out capable
A20 Swiss-Type Sliding Headstock
Our highest-volume Swiss platform — covering the broadest range of small-diameter CNC work. The A20 handles the full spectrum from Ø0.5 mm micro-features to Ø25 mm complex shafts with simultaneous live tooling operations.
- Bar capacity Ø0.5–25 mm
- Tolerance ±0.005 mm std.
- Live tooling Yes — full Y-axis capability
- Production High-volume bar-feed
BNC40 Fixed Headstock Turn-Mill
For mid-to-large-diameter components that need Swiss-level precision with the capacity to handle heavier bar stock. Y-axis milling, simultaneous turning and milling operations, and sub-spindle for complete front-and-back machining in one cycle.
- Bar capacity Ø5–120 mm
- Tolerance ±0.005 mm std.
- Y-axis milling Yes
- Sub-spindle Yes — back machining
B206 Swiss-Type CNC Lathe
High-rigidity Swiss platform with precision feed control — ideal for medical-grade pin components, semiconductor probe contacts, and small-diameter parts where bore finish and concentricity are critical inspection points.
- Bar capacity Ø1–20 mm
- Tolerance ±0.005 mm std.
- Origin Japan — high rigidity
- Best for Medical & semiconductor pins
Operations We Perform in a Single Swiss Cycle
Live tooling on our Swiss machines means these operations happen in the same setup as turning — no re-fixturing, no datum shift.
OD / ID Turning
Diameters, tapers, radii, and contours on outer and inner surfaces.
Cross-Drilling
Radial holes and cross-drilled passages — positioned to ±0.05 mm.
Milling & Flats
Flats, hex profiles, slots, keyways, and off-center milled features.
Thread Milling
External and internal threads — metric M, NPT, UNC/UNF, and custom forms.
Grooving & Parting
O-ring grooves, snap-ring grooves, and precision cutoff.
Boring & Reaming
Precision bores for close sliding fits (H7/g6) in a single setup.
Part Families We Produce on Swiss CNC
Swiss machining excels at specific part geometries. If your part fits one of these families — especially at the tight end of the tolerance band — Swiss CNC is almost certainly the right process.
Connector Pins & Contacts
Pogo pins, spring contacts, coaxial pins, and electrical connector terminals. Swiss machining holds pin body diameter, tip geometry, and plating-allowance undersize consistently across 100,000+ piece runs.
Medical Device Components
Bone screws, dental abutments, surgical guide needles, implant pins, catheter components, and endoscope shaft sections. Biocompatible materials (316L, Ti-6Al-4V, PEEK) with Ra ≤ 0.4 μm surface finish.
Precision Shafts & Spindles
Encoder shafts, motor output shafts, miniature spindles, and positioning pins with high L/D ratios. Single-setup Swiss machining holds runout and straightness relationships that multi-setup turning cannot match.
Fasteners & Threaded Parts
Precision fasteners, standoffs, spacers, and threaded inserts where thread quality and concentricity to the shank OD are critical. Form-ground threads and thread-milled profiles achievable in the same cycle.
Semiconductor & Electronics Parts
Test socket pins, probe tips, contact springs, and semiconductor process components requiring ultra-clean surfaces and tight dimensional stack-ups for accurate test and contact performance.
Miniature Valve & Fluid Components
Valve spools, needle valve tips, nozzle bodies, and micro-orifice components for analytical instruments, chromatography, and precision fluid control systems where bore geometry is the functional feature.
Swiss CNC Machining Materials
We machine a broad range of metals on our Swiss CNC platforms — from high-volume brass Swiss machining to specialist nickel alloy Swiss machining for aerospace applications. Each material demands a different tooling strategy, cutting parameter set, and chip control approach at small diameters.
At Ø1–5 mm, material behavior dominates process outcome. Free-cutting alloys like brass C360 and 303 stainless steel machine cleanly at high feed rates with predictable chip formation. Work-hardening materials — 316L stainless, titanium, Inconel — require sharp carbide tooling, controlled chip breaking, and correct cutting speeds to prevent tool deflection-induced diameter drift.
We review material-specific risks during DFM and flag issues before production starts — not after the first batch.
The highest-volume material in Swiss CNC production. C360 free-cutting brass machines at maximum feed rates with excellent chip control — ideal for connector pins, fittings, and threaded fasteners where cycle time and unit cost are critical. Accommodates complex cross-drilled and milled features in a single pass.
Stainless Steel Swiss Machining Stainless Steel 303 · 304 · 316L · 17-4PH · 440C303 is our default stainless for Swiss work — free-cutting with consistent chip control. 316L is specified for medical, semiconductor, and corrosive-environment parts where passivation or electropolish is required. 17-4PH H900 handles spring-element and high-strength precision shaft applications where yield strength exceeds standard austenitic grades.
Aluminum Swiss Machining Aluminum Alloys 6061-T6 · 7075-T6 · 2024Lightweight connector housings, spacers, and structural pins where weight matters — typically aerospace, portable medical devices, and robotics. Machines quickly, but requires polished tooling to prevent built-up edge at small diameters. Hard anodizing available for wear and corrosion resistance. Best choice when density is a constraint and corrosive media are not present.
Copper Swiss Machining Copper C110 ETP · C101 OFESpecified for electrical contacts, bus bar terminations, and RF components where resistivity is the primary material requirement. C110 electrolytic tough pitch copper offers >99.9% purity with excellent machinability at Swiss diameters. C101 oxygen-free copper is used for vacuum and hermetic applications. Soft material — requires correct tool geometry to avoid work-hardening.
Titanium Swiss Machining Titanium Grade 2 · Grade 5 (Ti-6Al-4V)For implant-grade medical components, aerospace fasteners, and high-performance pins where biocompatibility and strength-to-weight ratio are both required. Low thermal conductivity means heat concentrates at the cutting edge — through-coolant tooling and carbide inserts are mandatory at Swiss diameters. DFM review required: we flag L/D and feature geometry concerns before quoting.
Nickel Alloy Swiss Machining Nickel & Superalloys Inconel 625 · Inconel 718 · Monel 400Aerospace fasteners, downhole sensing elements, and high-temperature instrument components in Inconel and Monel. These alloys work-harden severely under incorrect feeds — tool wear is rapid and diameter drift is a real risk at small sizes. We run nickel alloy Swiss work with aggressive DFM input on chip-breaking geometry, tool change intervals, and cutting sequence before committing to production.
Not sure which material is right for your application? Tell us the operating environment — temperature, media, load, and surface finish requirement — and we'll give you a material recommendation as part of our free DFM review. Submit your drawing →
Swiss CNC Parts for 6 Key Industries
Swiss machining was built for applications where small diameter, tight tolerance, and high volume converge. These six industries account for the majority of our Swiss CNC production — and each has distinct material, surface finish, and documentation requirements we handle as standard.
Aerospace & Defense
Precision fasteners, hydraulic fitting bodies, actuation pins, and guidance system components machined in titanium, Inconel, and stainless steel. Full lot traceability, material certs, and first article inspection reports as standard. AS9100D-adjacent quality controls available on request.
View aerospace machining →Semiconductor & Advanced Manufacturing
Test socket pins, probe contacts, wafer handling components, and process gas fitting bodies — produced to fab-grade cleanliness standards. 316L SS with electropolish and passivation per SEMI F19. Zero-particle-generation packaging available for cleanroom delivery.
View semiconductor machining →Industrial Robotics & Automation
Encoder shafts, joint pivot pins, harmonic drive components, and linear guide elements where positional repeatability and runout are the primary performance requirements. Single-setup Swiss machining holds the feature-to-feature relationships that multi-setup turning cannot sustain.
View robotics machining →Medical Devices & Surgical Instruments
Bone screws, dental implant abutments, guide needles, catheter shafts, and endoscope components — in 316L SS and Ti-6Al-4V with full material traceability. Ra ≤ 0.4 μm surface finish standard. Biocompatibility material documentation and ISO 13485-adjacent controls available.
View medical machining →Automotive & New Energy Vehicles
EV charging connector terminals, sensor housings, electronic connector pins, and precision fasteners produced in high volumes with IATF 16949-compatible quality documentation. Brass C360 and 316L SS are the standard materials; copper C110 for high-current contact applications.
View automotive machining →Industrial Electronics
Pogo pins, spring contact probes, coaxial connector bodies, and RF shielding components — produced at volumes from 10,000 to 500,000+ pieces on bar-feed automated Swiss CNC lines. Brass C360 for standard signal contacts; beryllium-copper alternatives available for spring-force applications.
Discuss your requirement →The Tolerance Numbers We Hold in Production
These are not laboratory capabilities or single-part demonstrations. They are sustained production tolerances verified by CMM and calibrated gauging on every first article, with process data maintained for ongoing production monitoring.
Where your drawing requires tighter tolerances on specific features, we will tell you during DFM review whether it is achievable and what process controls are required — before you commit to tooling or production.
Dimensional Tolerance
Standard across all Swiss platforms. ±0.002 mm achievable on critical features with dedicated gauging and process controls.
Circular Runout
Single-setup Swiss machining eliminates re-fixturing datum shift — the primary cause of runout error in multi-setup turning.
Bar Diameter Range
CITIZEN A16 covers the fine end (0.5–15 mm). BNC40 handles up to 120 mm with Swiss-level precision on larger-diameter work.
Surface Finish
As-machined Swiss finish Ra 0.4–0.8 μm standard. Electropolish available for medical and semiconductor applications.
Inspection Accuracy
Mitutoyo CMM certified to ISO 10012. All gauging instruments on calibration schedule traceable to national standards.
Certifications & Inspection Infrastructure
We don’t rely on final inspection to find problems — we build quality into the process at every step. Our inspection infrastructure covers the full range from first-article CMM verification to 100% production gauging for critical features.
ISO 9001:2015 — Quality Management
Foundation certification covering our process controls, first-article inspection, in-process QC, and final inspection across all Swiss CNC production.
ISO 9001:2015 — Quality Management
Environmental management certification — relevant for customers with ESG supply chain requirements.
ISO 10012:2003 — Measurement Management
Every gauge, CMM, micrometer, and calibration standard on our floor operates under a documented calibration schedule traceable to national standards.
Material Traceability — Standard on Every Order
Certified bar stock with mill test reports (MTRs). Heat/lot numbers recorded at goods-in and carried through the job traveller to shipping documentation.
Standard Documents on Every Swiss CNC Order
- Certificate of Conformance
- Dimensional Inspection Report
- PPAP Level 1–3 (on request)
- Material Test Reports (Mill Certs)
- Lot / Heat Number Traceability
- RoHS XRF Test Report (on request)
- Mitutoyo CMM — 3-Coordinate ±0.001 mm · Japan
- Rational 2D / 2.5D Optical System ±0.001 mm · 4 units
- RKE CCD Automatic Sorter ±0.002 mm · 6 units
- Mitutoyo Profilometer (Ra) Surface finish verification
- Thread Gauges — Go/No-Go Sets NPT, Metric, G-thread
- Seiko SII XRF Analyzer RoHS / material verification
- Vickers Hardness Tester Material verification
From Drawing to Delivered Part
Every Swiss CNC order follows a structured development process. Each step is documented, and every gate requires sign-off before the next step begins.
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Drawing Review & Design for Manufacturability (DFM)
We review your 2D / 3D drawings and flag any features that present Swiss CNC manufacturability risk — thread engagement lengths that are too short, groove dimensions that don't match standard O-ring cross-sections, bore tolerances that are achievable but cost-driving. DFM feedback is provided in writing before quoting, at no charge.
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Quotation in 24–48 Hours
Itemized quote covering material, machining, secondary operations, finishing, and inspection requirements. Volume-break pricing provided as standard. We note any tooling lead time (special form tools, custom thread gauges) that could affect your schedule.
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First Article Production & Inspection Report
We machine a first article run (typically 5–20 pieces), perform 100% dimensional inspection against every callout on the drawing, and provide a first article inspection report (FAIR). CMM data, thread gauge records, surface finish measurements, and material certification ship with the first article. Parts leave only after your written approval.
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Production with In-Process Quality Control
Full production runs with IPQC inspection at critical operations. Statistical process control (SPC) where specified by your quality plan. Lot codes assigned at material receipt and carried through every operation. Any nonconformance is tagged, segregated, and disposition-documented before the lot continues.
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Final Inspection, Finishing & Shipment
OQC inspection per AQL sampling plan or 100% as specified. Cleaning, passivation, plating, or other surface treatments coordinated through our partner network with full lot traceability. Certificate of conformance, material test reports, CMM reports, and any customer-specific quality records ship with every lot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Swiss CNC machining uses a swiss-type lathe structure, with cutting tools positioned close to the spindle, which reduces the overhang length of the workpiece. This results in higher precision and better stability when machining slender parts. In contrast, regular CNC machining is suitable for a wider range of part types but is slightly less precise and efficient when dealing with slender components.
Cost calculation typically includes material costs, processing time, labor expenses, tool wear, equipment depreciation, and subsequent processing fees.
Generally speaking, the larger the batch size, the lower the processing cost per part. This is because mass production can amortize fixed costs like equipment setup and programming, while also improving production efficiency and reducing material procurement costs.
Common surface treatment methods include electroplating (zinc plating, chrome plating, etc.), anodizing, painting, sandblasting, polishing, passivation, etc. Suitable treatments can be selected based on customer needs to enhance the part's corrosion resistance, aesthetics, and other properties.
The main factors include order quantity, part complexity, material procurement cycle, whether special process treatments are required, and potential technical issues that may arise during production.
Yes, we offer design assistance services. Our professional engineers will provide optimization suggestions for your design drawings based on machining process characteristics, such as improving part machinability and reducing production costs, to ensure the design 方案 is better suited for actual machining requirements.
Yes, we can provide rush services. For orders with urgent needs, we will adjust the production schedule to prioritize them, but a rush fee will be charged for this service.
If customers find quality issues with the parts after receipt, and it is confirmed to be caused by machining, we will promptly arrange rework or replacement to protect the legitimate rights and interests of customers.
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Ready to Discuss Your Swiss CNC Machining Requirement?
Send us your drawing and we’ll review it for Swiss CNC manufacturability, flag any concerns, and have a quote back within 24–48 hours. DFM feedback is included at no charge.
- Quote in 24–48 hours with DFM feedback included
- ISO 9001 certified — material certs on every order
- CITIZEN & TSUGAMI Swiss fleet — Ø0.5–32 mm
- ±0.005 mm standard · ±0.002 mm on critical features
- No MOQ — prototype to 500,000+ piece production
- Free electropolish & passivation consultation
Upload your drawings and specifications for a detailed quote within 24 hours
- All information and uploads are secure and confidential.
* If you have drawings, contact us at sales@richconn.com for a fast quote.