CNC Machining Guides & Resources
How-to guides, cost breakdowns, processes, materials, and industry deep-dives from the Wexmar shop floor.
Process
CNC Turning: How It Works, When to Use It, and What It Costs
A practical CNC turning guide covering how turning works, achievable tolerances, surface finishes, material grades, and real cost drivers for machined parts.
CNC Milling Guide: 3-Axis vs 4-Axis Horizontal, Features, and Cost
CNC milling guide comparing 3-axis and 4-axis horizontal machining, achievable tolerances, surface finishes, feature limits, and realistic cost drivers.
CNC Drilling and Hole-Making: Peck Drilling, Reaming, and Position Tolerance
CNC drilling and hole-making guide covering peck drilling, reaming, boring, tapping, position tolerance, hole finishes, and realistic cost drivers.
Swiss Machining Guide: When Swiss CNC Beats a Standard Lathe
Swiss machining guide covering guide bushing setup, small-diameter high-volume parts, tolerances, cost drivers, and exactly when Swiss beats a lathe.
CNC Threading and Tapping: Single-Point, Rolled, and Cut Threads Explained
CNC threading and tapping guide: single-point vs rolled vs cut threads, thread classes 2A/3A, tolerances, gauging, and realistic cost ranges.
Boring and Reaming for Precision Bores: Roundness, Tolerance, and Cost
Boring and reaming guide for precision bores: roundness, cylindricity, bore tolerances, surface finish, when to bore vs ream, and realistic cost ranges.
Machines
CNC Lathe Explained: Bar-Fed vs Chucker, Live Tooling, and Y-Axis Turning
How a CNC lathe works: bar-fed vs chucker setups, live tooling, and Y-axis turning, with real tolerances, finishes, lead times, and cost ranges.
VMC vs HMC: Choosing Between a Vertical and Horizontal Machining Center
VMC vs HMC compared for CNC milling: chip evacuation, pallet changers, tolerances, finishes, and real cost ranges to help you pick the right machine.
Swiss-Type Lathe Explained: How It Differs From a Conventional CNC Lathe
Swiss-type lathe explained: sliding headstock, guide bushing, and why Swiss machining wins on long slender parts, with real tolerances and cost ranges.
Parts
How Precision Shafts Are Machined
A CNC machinist's guide to precision shaft machining: turning, grinding, concentricity control, tolerances, materials, and real cost drivers.
Machining Bushings and Bearing Sleeves
How CNC shops machine bushings and bearing sleeves: press fits, running clearances, materials, tolerances, bore finish, and real cost ranges.
Machining Flanges
How CNC shops machine flanges: facing flat, drilling bolt circles, sealing-surface finishes, materials, tolerances, and real cost ranges.
CNC Machining Hydraulic and Pneumatic Fittings
How CNC machining produces hydraulic and pneumatic fittings: thread specs, sealing surfaces, brass vs stainless, tolerances, and real cost ranges.
CNC Machining Housings and Manifolds on an HMC
How horizontal machining centers cut housings and manifolds: multi-face setups, bore tolerances, port sealing, deep-hole cross-drilling, and cost ranges.
Swiss Machining Pins, Dowels, and Standoffs at Volume
How Swiss CNC machining produces pins, dowels, and standoffs at volume: tight diameters, L:D ratios, finishes, materials, and real per-part cost ranges.
Manufacturing
Build to Print Machining Explained: What a Complete Drawing Package Includes
Build to print CNC machining guide: what a complete drawing package needs, GD&T, tolerances, material certs, CMM inspection, and real cost drivers.
Prototype to Production: How to Bridge From One-Off to Full CNC Run
Prototype to production CNC machining: how to scale from a one-off part to a full run, control cost per part, lock tolerances, and set up FAI and CMM.
Design for Manufacturability (DFM) for CNC Parts: Cost-Saving Design Rules
DFM for CNC machining: practical design rules that cut cost. Wall thickness, corner radii, L:D ratios, tolerances, and finish, with a real cost table.
Inspection
CMM Inspection Explained: How a Coordinate Measuring Machine Verifies Your Parts
How CMM inspection works, what a CMM report shows, and realistic cost ranges for coordinate measuring machine verification on precision CNC parts.
First Article Inspection and AS9102: A Buyer's Guide to FAI Requirements
When first article inspection and AS9102 are required, what the three FAI forms include, and realistic cost and lead-time impact for CNC machined parts.
GD&T Basics for Buyers: Datums, Position, and Profile Without the Jargon
A plain-English GD&T guide for buyers: how datums, true position, and profile tolerances work and how each callout drives CNC machining cost.
Materials
Machining 6061 and 7075 Aluminum: Speeds, Finishes, Anodizing, and Cost
A precision CNC guide to machining 6061 and 7075 aluminum: speeds and feeds, tolerances, surface finish, anodizing, and real cost drivers.
Machining 303, 304, and 316 Stainless Steel: Work Hardening, Tooling, and Cost
How to machine 303, 304, and 316 stainless steel: controlling work hardening, tooling and feed strategy, tolerances, and real cost drivers.
Machining Titanium and High-Nickel Alloys: Challenges, Tooling, and Cost Premium
A precision guide to machining titanium and high-nickel alloys like Inconel: heat, work hardening, tooling strategy, tolerances, and cost premium.
Cost
How Much Does CNC Machining Cost?
A real CNC machining cost breakdown: setup, material, machine time, finishing, and CMM inspection, with dollar ranges for turning, milling, and Swiss.
What Drives CNC Part Cost Up
The real reasons CNC part cost climbs: tight tolerances, hard materials, extra setups, and demanding finishes, with numbers and cost multipliers.
How to Reduce CNC Machining Cost Without Losing Quality
Practical DFM moves to reduce CNC machining cost: loosen non-critical tolerances, batch orders, pick machinable materials, and cut setups.
Industry
CNC Machining for Aerospace: Tolerances, Traceability, and Materials
Aerospace CNC machining guide covering tolerances, material certs, traceability, CMM inspection, finishes, and cost drivers for precision flight-hardware parts.
CNC Machining for Medical Devices: Materials, Cleanliness, and Validation
Medical device CNC machining guide covering biocompatible materials, surface finishes, cleanliness, validation, CMM inspection, and realistic cost drivers.
CNC Machining for Defense and DoD: DFARS, Build to Print, and Small-Lot Spares
Defense CNC machining guide covering DFARS material, build-to-print work, small-lot spares, traceability, CMM inspection, and realistic cost drivers for DoD parts.
Send drawings, get a quote
Email a print, STEP file, or solicitation package. Quotes include material, machine time, finishing, inspection, and freight to your dock.