Swiss CNC Machining for Aerospace Precision Components
CITIZEN Swiss-type lathes producing aerospace fasteners, hydraulic fittings, connector pins, and flight-critical components to ±0.005mm. Ø0.5–25mm bar capacity. Full traceability from raw material to final inspection.
- ±0.005mm Dimensional Tolerance
- Ø0.5mm Min. Bar Diameter
- 43+ Swiss-Type Machines
- AS9100D Quality Standard
Precision-Turned Aerospace Parts We Produce
Aerospace Fasteners
NAS-type screws, hex socket bolts, specialized aerospace nuts, and custom fasteners to AN/NAS/MS standards. Swiss turning delivers the thread accuracy and head geometry repeatability flight assemblies demand.
- NAS 1638 / AN / MS specification compliance
- Thread tolerance Class 3A/3B achievable
- Ø0.5–25 mm, L/D up to 20:1
- Materials: Ti-6Al-4V, 17-4 PH, Inconel 718
Hydraulic & Pneumatic Fittings
Valve bodies, manifold fittings, union connectors, and pneumatic couplings for aircraft hydraulic systems. Internal bore geometry and thread run-out are held to aerospace drawing tolerances.
- Internal bore Ra ≤ 0.8 μm standard
- Thread forms: UN, UNF, NPT, BSP, Metric
- Pressure ratings documented per lot
- Materials: SS 303/316L, Brass C360, Ti alloy
Avionics Connector Pins & Contacts
Flight-critical electrical connector pins, socket contacts, and RF connector bodies for avionics systems. ±0.005 mm OD tolerance on pin diameter ensures positive contact force in every mating cycle.
- Ø0.5–6 mm pin diameters, ±0.005 mm OD
- Gold, nickel, or silver plating available
- 100% dimensional sorting on critical lots
- Materials: BeCu C17200, Brass C360, SS 303
Actuator Shafts & Control Pins
Flight control linkage pins, servo actuator shafts, push-rod connectors, and pivot elements with tight straightness and concentricity requirements. Sub-spindle parting leaves both ends finished in one cycle.
- Straightness ≤ 0.005 mm / 100 mm
- Concentricity ≤ 0.003 mm TIR
- Cross-drilling, knurling, flats via live tooling
- Materials: 4140, 17-4 PH, Ti-6Al-4V
Sensor Housings & Bushings
Pressure sensor bodies, speed sensor housings, and precision bushings for aircraft instrumentation. Our honing capability provides bore finishes to Ra ≤ 0.4 μm where drawing requires it.
- In-house honing: bore Ra ≤ 0.4 μm
- Roundness ≤ 0.002 mm on bearing bores
- Thin-wall machining: wall ≥ 0.5 mm
- Materials: SS 316L, Al 7075, Inconel 625
Fuel System Components
Fuel valve spools, nozzle bodies, metering pins, and flow-control orifice parts. Swiss machining's guide-bushing support minimizes runout on these slender, high-precision fuel system elements.
- Metering orifice tolerance ±0.003 mm
- Spool-to-bore clearance from 0.005 mm
- Cleanliness protocol per AMS 2770 available
- Materials: SS 440C, Ti alloy, Inconel 718
Why Swiss-Type CNC Machining for Aerospace?
Guide Bushing Eliminates Deflection on Slender Parts
Aerospace fasteners, pins, and shafts with L/D ratios up to 20:1 require near-zero deflection during cutting. The Swiss-type guide bushing supports the workpiece within 1–2mm of the tool contact point, achieving tolerances conventional lathes cannot match on long, small-diameter parts.
Complete Machining in One Setup
CITIZEN A20 and Tsugami B206 machines combine turning, milling, drilling, threading, cross-drilling, and parting in a single clamping. No re-fixturing means no datum shift — critical for aerospace GD&T callouts requiring runout and concentricity under 0.003mm TIR.
Repeatable ±0.005mm Across High Volumes
Our 43 Swiss-type lathes run automated bar loaders for unattended production. Statistical process control (SPC) monitoring on critical dimensions ensures Cpk ≥ 1.67 on flight-critical features throughout each production lot — not just the first-article.
Minimum Diameter Ø0.5mm for Miniaturized Avionics
Modern avionics and UAV systems require increasingly miniaturized connector pins and micro-fasteners. CITIZEN A20 machines accept bar stock from Ø0.5mm — enabling aerospace-grade precision at scales that exceed the capability of conventional CNC turning centers.
| Capability | Swiss CNC | Conv. Lathe |
|---|---|---|
| Min. diameter | Ø0.5 mm | Ø6 mm typ. |
| L/D ratio support | Up to 20:1 | 3:1 typical |
| Runout on long shafts | ≤0.003 mm | 0.01–0.05 mm |
| Single-setup complete | ✓ Yes | ✕ Often 2–3 ops |
| Lights-out production | ✓ Bar fed | ✕ Manual load |
| Surface finish (turned) | Ra ≤ 0.4 μm | Ra 0.8–1.6 μm |
| Tolerance repeatability | Cpk ≥ 1.67 | Cpk ~1.0–1.3 |
43+ Swiss-Type CNC Lathes — Purpose-Built for Aerospace
Our Swiss-type machine fleet covers bar diameters from Ø0.5 mm to Ø150 mm. Every machine runs with automated bar loaders, high-pressure coolant, and SPC monitoring for unattended aerospace production.
CITIZEN A20 × 15 Units
- Bar capacityØ0.5–20 mm
- Tolerance±0.005 mm
- Axes9-axis CNC
- Live toolingFront + Rear
- Sub-spindleYes
- Bar feederAuto magazine
Tsugami B206 × 20 Units
- Bar capacityØ1–20 mm
- Tolerance±0.005 mm
- AxesMulti-axis
- Live toolingYes
- Sub-spindleYes
- ApplicationHigh-volume precision
CITIZEN A16 × 4 Units
- Bar capacityØ0.5–15 mm
- Tolerance±0.005 mm
- Axes7-axis CNC
- Live toolingYes
- ApplicationMiniature aerospace pins
- Bar feederAuto magazine
CITIZEN BNC40 × 4 Units
- Bar capacityØ5–40 mm
- Tolerance±0.005 mm
- TypeCNC turning center
- Live toolingYes
- ApplicationLarger aerospace fittings
- Dual spindleYes
Tolerance & Surface Finish Capabilities
Every tolerance specification is verified by Mitutoyo CMM, roundness tester, and laser profilometer. First Article Inspection (FAI) is standard on all aerospace programs.
Standard Swiss turning (±0.003 mm achievable on critical features)
Bearing seats and bore IDs per lot
OD-to-bore, single setup eliminates datum shift
Ra ≤ 0.2 μm on bores with honing (in-house)
Class 3A/3B for NAS-type aerospace fasteners
Mitutoyo CMM — traceable to ISO 10012 standard
Materials for Flight-Critical Applications
We machine the full range of aerospace structural, high-temperature, and corrosion-resistant alloys. Material certifications with mill traceability are provided with every shipment.
Titanium Alloys — Ti-6Al-4V, Ti-3Al-2.5V
The aerospace workhorse. Exceptional strength-to-weight ratio and corrosion resistance for fasteners, landing gear pins, and structural connectors. Swiss turning's guide bushing manages titanium's work-hardening tendency, delivering dimensional stability that conventional lathes cannot.
Stainless Steel — 303, 304L, 316L, 17-4 PH, 440C
From standard 303 for connector pins to precipitation-hardened 17-4 PH for high-strength fasteners and 440C for fuel metering components. Full material certifications with heat number traceability supplied with every lot.
Superalloys — Inconel 718, Inconel 625, Monel K-500
High-temperature components for engine compartment, fuel system, and exhaust-adjacent applications where operating temperatures exceed 500°C. Swiss machining's process stability is critical for holding tolerances in these expensive, difficult-to-machine superalloys.
Aluminum Alloys — 2024-T351, 6061-T6, 7075-T6
Lightweight structural and secondary components: brackets, housings, non-structural fittings, and avionics enclosure inserts. 7075-T6 delivers near-steel strength at one-third the weight for applications where mass budget is critical.
AS9100D Certified — Full Aerospace Documentation Package
Our quality management system is designed around aerospace's zero-defect culture. Every production lot ships with complete, traceable documentation — from mill certifications to final inspection reports.
Aerospace Documentation Package
- Raw material mill certificate
- First Article Inspection Report
- In-process SPC data
- CMM dimensional report
- Certificate of Conformance
- Surface finish report (profilometer)
- Heat lot traceability record
- Plating/coating certifications
Inspection Equipment
- Mitutoyo CMM — 3D coordinate measurement, ±0.001mm accuracy
- Laser profilometer / roughness tester — Ra, Rz verification per part
- Roundness & cylindricity tester — bore geometry verification
- Height gauge & optical contour measurement
- Calibrated micrometers — OD, bore, thread pitch
- CCD vision system — thread form, pitch, profile analysis
- XRF spectrometer (Seiko SII SEA1000A) — alloy verification
- Salt spray / corrosion testing chamber
- Thread gauges — Go/No-Go, class 3A/3B aerospace threads
Aerospace & Defense Programs We Supply
From commercial aviation OEM supply chains to UAV systems and space launch vehicles, our Swiss-machined components are qualified for a wide range of flight-critical programs.
Commercial Aviation
Structural fasteners, hydraulic fittings, and avionics connector pins for commercial aircraft platforms. AS9100D and IATF 16949 supply chain integration with full first-article and production documentation.
Space Launch Systems
Precision-machined valve components, propellant fitting bodies, and sensor housings for launch vehicles. Inconel 718 and Ti-6Al-4V machined to drawing tolerances with full material traceability from melt lot to finished part.
Defense & Military
Flight-critical components for military aircraft, guided munitions, and ground vehicle systems. Military-standard materials including 17-4 PH and Monel K-500, with packaging and shipping compliant with defense procurement requirements.
Helicopters & Rotorcraft
Rotor head actuator pins, tail rotor control linkages, and transmission fasteners for rotorcraft. Fatigue life is a primary design driver — Swiss turning's surface finish and dimensional accuracy directly influence component fatigue margins.
UAV & Drone Systems
Lightweight, miniaturized components for unmanned aerial vehicles: titanium and aluminum pins, micro-fasteners, connector contacts, and servo actuator shafts to Ø0.5mm minimum diameter — impossible on conventional turning equipment.
Aircraft Engine Components
Superalloy turned components for engine hot sections, fuel systems, and compressor stages. Inconel 718 and Inconel 625 machined with specialized toolpaths that manage heat and chip formation in these challenging, non-forgiving alloys.
Aerospace Swiss Machining — Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Our facilities hold AS9100D:2016 certification — the international quality management standard for aviation, space, and defense manufacturing. This covers our entire production process: incoming inspection, machining, in-process QC, final inspection, and shipping. We can provide our certificate upon request with your RFQ.
We accept STEP, IGES, SolidWorks (.SLDPRT), and 2D PDF or DXF drawings. For aerospace parts, we always request a drawing with GD&T callouts, tolerances, and material/finish specifications — a 3D model alone is insufficient for aerospace programs. Send files to sales@richconn.com and we'll return a quote within 24 hours.
Yes. We regularly machine Ti-6Al-4V, Ti-3Al-2.5V, Inconel 718, Inconel 625, and Monel K-500 on our CITIZEN and Tsugami Swiss lathes. These materials require specialized toolpaths, cutting parameters, and coolant strategies — our process engineers have developed and qualified these parameters across thousands of production lots. All superalloy work includes XRF incoming material verification and full heat-lot traceability.
Yes. First Article Inspection Reports per AS9102 are standard on new aerospace part numbers. The FAIR package includes a ballooned drawing with all features numbered, corresponding CMM measurement data, material certifications, and process certifications. FAI is completed and approved before production quantities are released for shipment.
We do not have a fixed MOQ. Prototype quantities from 10–50 pieces are welcome — aerospace programs often require qualification hardware before production authorization. For production lots, quantities from 500 to 500,000+ pieces are routinely run on our automated bar-fed Swiss lathes. Please include target quantity in your RFQ so we can provide accurate per-piece pricing.
Yes. Through our qualified finishing partners, we offer passivation per ASTM A967, hard anodize per MIL-A-8625 Type III, gold plating per AMS 2422, cadmium plate per QQ-P-416, and chromate conversion (Alodine) per MIL-DTL-5541. All finishing is performed at AS9100-compliant sub-suppliers with full lot traceability. One purchase order covers machining through certified finishing.
For new part numbers with FAIR: 4–6 weeks (includes first article approval cycle). For qualified production repeat orders: 3–4 weeks standard; 2 weeks expedite available depending on current machine loading. We offer blanket order programs for recurring aerospace programs with scheduled releases — this eliminates lead time risk while keeping your inventory investment low.
Yes. For U.S. defense programs requiring DFARS compliance, we source raw materials from DFARS-qualifying countries and can provide the required mill certifications and country-of-origin documentation. We also support RoHS and conflict minerals declarations as required by individual customer quality plans.
Request an Aerospace Swiss Machining Quote
Upload your drawing or describe your component. Our aerospace machining engineers review every RFQ personally — you’ll receive a detailed quote with DFM feedback within 24 hours.
Detailed pricing with material, process, and lead-time breakdown
We flag any tolerance, geometry, or material concerns before you commit to tooling
FAIR, CoC, CMM report, and material certs are included — not billed separately
We sign NDAs before receiving proprietary aerospace drawings
Qualify your part number with us and scale to full production without re-qualification risk