CNC turning is just one of the many CNC machining services we’re able to offer our customers as part of our turnkey extrusion fabrication solutions. Combining our in-house capabilities with those of our trusted partners, we’re able to supply CNC turning services suited to almost any manufacturing project.

CNC turning is an affordable way to fabricate extruded aluminium parts that are (typically) symmetrical around a central axis of revolution. The workpiece is rotated at a speed determined by the computer, and a cutting tool is fed into the turning material. Unwanted material is shaved away, leaving the desired shape at the end. The shape achieved by CNC turning can be altered by changing the angle, pattern, and shape of the cutting tool.

Despite being a relatively simple process, CNC turning is flexible enough to achieve a variety of shapes, including cylindrical, tapered, contoured, fillet and radius profiles. CNC turning can also be used to achieve threaded surfaces, and combined with other CNC machining processes to create items such as shift knobs, pulleys, flywheels, hubs and shafts.

Generally speaking, CNC turning results in a very smooth surface finish on extruded aluminium, particularly if the profile created is a plain, gently contoured or tapered one. If the profile you are looking to achieve is a more complex one, with multiple sharp edges, or you require a highly polished finish, we can offer a range of vibro deburring services to help you achieve the look you want.

The three primary advantages of CNC turning over manual turning are speed, precision and cost. CNC turning is typically four times faster than manual turning, and is up to 99.9% accurate to the computer-aided designs used. CNC turning, particularly on four- and five-axis machines, makes more intricate work possible, and cuts down both man-hours and machine time needed. All in all, it’s a very accurate and cost effective process.

CNC turning services and CNC boring are effectively the same process, but applied in a different way. Both of these processes involve an aluminium component being rotated at speed around a central shaft. A single-point cutting tool is then used to shave away metal at varying depths, usually producing tubes, cylinders, or conical-shaped components.

When we talk about CNC turning services, the cutting tool is situated on the outside of the component. CNC boring involves this same tool being used to hollow out a space inside the component. So, in short: turning shapes the outside of the component, boring creates a cavity within it.