We build custom lathe workholding for thin-wall and hard-to-hold turned parts. Internal support, rear-pull clamping, and A2-5 spindle integration, machined to your part drawing at high precision custom CNC tolerances.
Most scrap on a lathe traces back to workholding, not to the insert.
A 1.5 mm wall on a Ø120 mm ring deforms the moment the jaws close. After release the bore springs back oval, and the roundness callout on the drawing fails at final inspection. Rework means a second setup and a fresh risk of error.
Flip a part into soft jaws and the bore-to-OD relation drifts. The operator chases the dial indicator for an hour, then runs the batch at reduced speed to hold size. Cycle time climbs 20 to 40 percent.
A shaft with an 8:1 length-to-diameter ratio starts to chatter before the tool reaches full speed. Surface finish drops to Ra 3.2 μm or worse, and the operator has to take lighter passes.
Without a repeatable fixture, the same job runs differently on the night shift. First-article checks pass, then mid-batch parts drift. Scrap shows up at final inspection, after the value is already in the part.
Every design starts from the turning operation, the stock condition, and the features that must stay concentric.
Thin-wall rings and bushings fail in a standard 3-jaw chuck because the clamping force pushes the wall inward. We design a non-standard internal support that contacts the bore across a controlled arc, then a rear-pull mechanism draws the part back against a fixed face. The wall sees nearly no radial load, so it stays round from the first cut to the last.
The rear-pull action also seats the part against a hard stop on every cycle. Operators load, close, and cut. There is no tapping the part with a dead-blow hammer to find the face. For a Ø120 mm ring with a 1.5 mm wall, roundness holds inside 0.01 mm through the batch.
A fixture is only as good as its interface. We machine the mounting face, pilot diameter, and bolt pattern to match your A2-5 spindle and 46-series machine directly, rather than selling a generic adapter plate. Runout at the fixture face is verified before the tool ever touches a part.
If your machine uses a different nose, we measure the spindle and cut the interface to that drawing. Balanced fixtures for higher spindle speeds are available when the operation calls for them. The goal is simple: bolt it on, indicate it once, and hold that number for the life of the job.
Match the method to the wall thickness, the feature tolerance, and the batch size.
| Part condition | Recommended method | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Wall under 2 mm, bore access open | Internal support with rear pull | Radial load stays low, wall keeps its round |
| Solid body, tight OD-to-bore relation | Machined soft jaws | Cheap to make, good for a few thousand parts |
| Long shaft, 6:1 ratio or higher | Steady rest or tailstock support | Cuts whip and chatter before they start |
| Odd shape, no round gripping surface | Custom cradle or form fixture | Locates on a real datum, not on a guess |
| Second op needing 0.01 mm concentricity | Fixture with integral hard stop | Repeatable axial seat every cycle |
| Quick changeover, mixed batch | Modular base with swap plates | Setup time drops, no re-indicating |
One shop for the fixture, the turned part, and any secondary operation.
Internal support, rear-pull, soft jaws, and form fixtures built to your spindle and part drawing.
Mill-turn and lathe work from one prototype to 10,000+ part runs, with the fixture proven on your geometry.
16 simultaneous 5-axis centers for fixtures with angled pads, ports, or features that need one setup.
A working fixture model in days when you need to prove the concept before committing to production.
Hardcoat anodizing, electroless nickel, black oxide, and bead blasting for wear surfaces and grip.
100% inspection before shipment, with dimensional reports available for the fixture and the first parts.
| Item | Range or detail |
|---|---|
| Materials | 6061, 7075, 17-4PH, 4140, tool steel, C36000 brass |
| Tolerance | ±0.005 mm on locating features |
| Surface finish | Ra 0.8–1.6 μm typical on locating faces |
| Maximum size | 4,000 mm maximum processing size |
| Lead time | Quote and DFM in 12 hours, parts ship in 3–5 days |
| Order size | No minimum order quantity, one piece to full runs |
| Documentation | Inspection reports on request; NDA available |
Locating features cut to ±0.005 mm, so the fixture does not eat your part tolerance before the first chip.
Complex fixture bodies with angled faces run in one setup instead of three, which keeps datums honest.
Fixtures and production parts run in the same shop, so a design change does not wait on an outside vendor.
Large lathe fixtures and long shafts fit our travel, along with 750 × 1,150 × 550 mm work envelopes.
Raw material check, in-process monitoring, and final inspection before anything ships out the door.
Three wholly-owned plants, 7,600 m² of floor space, and 150 technicians on turning and workholding.
Bushing and sleeve families need roundness that survives heat treat and press fit.
Thin-wall stainless housings must stay clean and burr-free after turning.
Titanium and Inconel rings resist chatter only with the right internal support.
Repeated joint and hub sizes demand a fixture that seats the same way every cycle.
Soft jaws are the cheaper answer when the wall is thick, the tolerance is loose, or the batch is small. They stop paying off once the wall drops under roughly 2 mm, or once the bore-to-OD roundness callout is tighter than about 0.02 mm. At that point jaw pressure alone distorts the part enough to fail inspection.
An internal support fixture costs more up front and takes longer to design. It earns that back on scrap rate and on cycle time, because the operator stops fighting the part. If your annual volume is a few hundred pieces and the wall is thin, the fixture is usually the cheaper route over a year.
We start from the wall section and the material yield strength, then estimate how much radial load the wall can take before it deflects past the roundness limit. Stainless and titanium behave differently here than 6061.
From that estimate we size the contact arc and the pull force. A wider contact arc spreads the same force over more area. We usually prove the design on a first article before the fixture goes into production.
Yes. A2-5 and 46-series machines come up often, but the interface is not limited to those. Send the spindle drawing or the machine model, and we machine the mounting face, pilot, and bolt pattern to match.
If the drawing is not available, basic measurements of the spindle nose are usually enough to cut a working interface. We verify runout at the fixture face before shipment.
The part drawing with tolerances, the material and stock condition, the machine model or spindle drawing, and the operation the fixture supports. A note on where the part is currently failing helps more than anything else.
Photos of the existing setup and the scrap part are useful. We return a quotation and a free DFM analysis within 12 hours, and production can start within 24 hours of approval.
Locating features are measured against the drawing, and face runout is checked on the interface that matters. We run a first-article part on the fixture when the geometry allows it.
Inspection covers raw material check, in-process monitoring, and final inspection. Dimensional reports are available on request. Every fixture gets 100% inspection before shipment.
A fixture can be designed for a single prototype or for a long run, and the difference is mostly in the wear surfaces and the material choice. Prototype work often uses 6061 because it machines fast and is easy to modify.
Production fixtures move to 4140, 17-4PH, or tool steel on the contact and locating surfaces. We have no minimum order quantity, so a fixture can start at one piece and scale to 10,000+ part runs.
Aluminum 6061, 6061-T6, 2024, 5052, 5083, 6063, 6082, 7075, and ADC12 are common for bodies and plates. Stainless options include 303, 304, 316, 316L, 420, 430, 431, 440C, and 17-4PH.
Steel choices cover 1018, 1045, 4130, 4140, 4340, A36, and tool steel. Brass C36000 and beryllium copper show up on contact pads where galling is a concern.
Uploads are secure and confidential. We do not share drawings or part geometry outside the project team, and an NDA is available on request before you send files.
If the part is under an existing customer NDA, tell us at the start and we will work inside those terms.
Quotation and free DFM analysis within 12 hours. No minimum order quantity. 100% inspection before shipment.
12-hour quote100% inspectionNo MOQNDA on request
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Upload your 3D model or 2D drawing and get a quotation with a free DFM analysis. Maximum processing size 4,000 mm.
CNC Metals 13 grades
CNC Plastics 10 grades
Machines & processes 12 options
Surface & post-processing 10 options
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