Swiss-type turning for small-diameter precision components.

Swiss-style turning supports small-diameter parts with tight concentricity, repeatable surface finish, and long-running production cycles. Common applications include medical components, electronics hardware, and fluid system parts.

Stainless Steel 303 / 304 / 316 / 17-4 PHAluminumBrass C360Titanium
Swiss Turning — precision machined work at Northline
Swiss Turning — precision machined work at Northline
Typical tolerance
±0.0005”
Working envelope
Up to Ø 20 mm bar capacity
Machine platforms
Citizen L20 Swiss-type CNC lathe
Production
Prototype → production

Overview

What this process is for.

  • Bar feed for high-volume production runs.

  • Live tooling for cross-drilling and milled features.

  • Tight concentricity and parallelism on long, slender geometries.

Process at a glance

Working envelope
Up to Ø 20 mm bar capacity
Tolerances
Project-specific · confirmed at RFQ
Inspection
CMM · Faro arm · optical
Quality system
ISO 9001:2015 · ITAR

Equipment

Machines used for this work.

  • Citizen L20 Swiss-type CNC lathe

Materials

Materials supported on this process.

  • Stainless Steel 303 / 304 / 316 / 17-4 PH
  • Aluminum
  • Brass C360
  • Titanium
  • PEEK

Applications

Typical part types and uses.

  • Medical instrument shafts and pins
  • Electronics connectors and contact pins
  • Fluid system fittings
  • Small precision hardware

Tolerances & quality

How we hold and verify the part.

CMM inspection of a precision-machined component
Zeiss Contura CMM · Metrology bayISO 9001:2015

Tolerance approach

Diameter, concentricity, and length tolerances confirmed at quote review.

View tolerance standards

Quality & documentation

  • Production-volume inspection and traceability
  • Lot control available for medical programs
  • Surface finish verification on request

FAQ

Engineering FAQs

The questions engineering and procurement teams ask most often before a first quote.

What's the maximum bar diameter?

20 mm. For diameters above 20 mm, parts move to the Mazak or Okuma turning centers.

Are Swiss parts suitable for medical applications?

Yes — Swiss turning is widely used for medical components. Material lot control and traceability are available for qualified programs.

Do you offer secondary finishing?

Yes. Common secondaries include grinding, deburring, and outsourced surface treatments such as passivation or anodizing.

What's a typical Swiss production run size?

Anywhere from a few hundred to many thousands of pieces. Volume affects setup amortization — discuss your expected annual volumes at RFQ.

Quote Swiss Turning

Have a part ready for swiss turning?

Upload your CAD files or drawings — our engineering team reviews and responds within one business day.