CNC Machining for Custom Automation Equipment
Most custom automation builds never repeat. One machine, one fixture set, one revision at a time. We machine the parts for those builds from your drawings — one-offs, short runs, and the revisions that come after the first fit-up.
- One-off parts and short runs — no minimum order quantity
- Drawings that are still being revised: we quote the revision, not a new job
- Parts measured and drawn from a sample when there is no drawing
- Fixtures, jig bodies, machine frames, mounting plates and actuator mounts
- Aluminium, stainless steel, carbon and alloy steel, and engineering plastics
The short answer
Custom automation work rarely arrives as a released drawing. It arrives as a model that will change twice before the machine runs — a hole pattern moved after fit-up, a bracket thickened after the first test, a sensor relocated because the cable did not reach.
That is normal, and it changes what you need from a machine shop: someone who will quote a revision without reopening the whole job, who will machine one piece on the same process as twenty, and who will work from a sample when there is no drawing at all.
We do all three. Send the drawing in whatever state it is in, tell us what is still likely to move, and we will quote what is on it — within 48 hours in the normal case.
What we hold on automation parts
The numbers we quote against, and what they mean for the parts above.
General tolerance
ISO 2768-m
Applies to every dimension with no callout of its own. Most brackets and plates need nothing tighter.
Critical features
±0.01 mm
Held on bore fits, shaft fits, datum faces and hole patterns — the dimensions you mark as functional.
Milling envelope
1000 × 600 × 500 mm
3-axis and 4-axis work. Larger is quoted case by case.
Turning capacity
Ø 300 × 500 mm
Shafts, hubs, bushings and coupling parts, with Ø 42 mm bar capacity for small turned parts.
Materials
Al / SS / steel / plastics
6061-T6 and 6082, 304 and 316, 1018 to 4140, plus POM, PEEK, nylon and UHMW.
Finishing
On the same order
Anodising, passivation, zinc and nickel plating, black oxide and powder coating arranged with the machining.
Parts we machine for custom automation builds
What each part is usually made from, and what the cost actually hangs on.
| Part | Typical material | What usually matters |
|---|---|---|
| Fixture and jig bodies | 6061-T6, tool steel | Datum faces and hole patterns held to each other |
| Machine frames, machined after welding | 1018, 6061 | Flat mounting faces, and hole patterns to the mating parts |
| Mounting and adapter plates | 6061-T6, 304 | Hole pattern that matches the part it bolts to |
| Sensor and camera brackets | 6061-T6, POM | Slot position repeatability, and keeping the part light |
| Linear rail and bearing seats | 1018, 4140 | Shoulder heights and bore fit |
| Actuator mounts and clevises | 304, 4140 | Pin fit and thread class |
| Tooling nests and nest plates | POM, 6061 | Wear, and whether the part releases cleanly |
| Guards, panels and covers | 6061, 304 | Fit, and how the outside faces look |
Have a drawing ready?
Send a STEP, IGES or DWG — you get a priced quote within 48 hours in the normal case, with tolerance and lead time stated on it.
Revisions are part of the job
A build whose drawing never changed is rare. What costs money is not the change itself — it is a shop that treats every revision as a new enquiry and starts the quote from zero.
We keep the setup notes and the program from the first part. When revision B arrives, we re-quote the features that changed and leave the rest where it was, so the second quote takes hours, not a week.
If there is no drawing at all — a sample part, a worn bracket, a plate someone drilled by hand — send it. We measure it, produce a drawing, and quote to that drawing once you have confirmed it. For repeat batches of the same part, see CNC machining for industrial automation.
Processes behind these parts
Most automation parts use one or two of these. Where a job needs more than one, we run them on the same order rather than handing it back to you to coordinate.
POM · PEEK · UHMW
Insulators, wear strips and light tooling that metal cannot do.
Getting the drawing right the first time
Small decisions on the drawing that cut hours off a build that is going to change anyway.
- Mark which faces are datums. Hole patterns quoted to a marked datum line up at fit-up; the same holes quoted to an edge do not.
- Tolerance only the dimensions that matter. Everything else falls back to ISO 2768-m and costs nothing extra.
- Tell us what is still likely to move. If the sensor position is not decided yet, say so — we can hold that feature until you confirm.
- Say which faces are appearance faces. They get a different finishing pass and different packing, and it costs less to know up front.
- If you only have a sample, send the sample. Measuring one part is faster than a round of questions about a drawing that does not exist.
- Give the target date up front. Standard lead time is 2–4 weeks; rush orders are confirmed case by case.
Frequently asked questions
What custom automation builders ask before they send the first drawing.
Do you take one-off parts, or is there a minimum order?
There is no minimum order quantity. A one-off is quoted as a one-off, on the same process we would run a batch on — the setup is planned the same way whether we make one or twenty.
The drawing is going to change. Can you still quote it?
Yes. Quote it as it stands and tell us which features are still open. When the revision arrives we re-quote the changed features and keep the rest — you get a revised price within 48 hours in the normal case, not a new enquiry.
We only have a sample part, no drawing. Can you make it?
Yes. Send the part and we will measure it, draw it, and quote to that drawing once you have confirmed it. This is the usual route for replacement parts on older machines.
Do you machine weldments after they are welded?
Yes. Send the welded frame with the weldment drawing and we machine the mounting faces flat and drill the hole patterns to the mating parts. If the frame needs stress relieving first, say so and we will tell you what we need from you.
What material should a fixture body be?
6061-T6 for most fixture bodies — it machines cleanly, stays flat and anodises well. Move to tool steel or 4140 for wear surfaces and load paths, and to 304 or 316 where the fixture is washed down or runs near food product.
What do you need to quote, and how long does it take?
A 3D model plus a dimensioned PDF, the material, the quantity including spares, and your target date. You get a priced quote within 48 hours in the normal case, with tolerance and lead time stated on it. Standard lead time is 2–4 weeks; rush orders are confirmed case by case.
Send us the drawing
Send a STEP, IGES or DWG model with a dimensioned PDF, the material, the quantity including spares and your target date. If the drawing is going to change, say which part of it — that helps more than waiting until it is final. You get a priced quote within 48 hours in the normal case, with tolerance and lead time stated on it. If an NDA needs signing first, say so and we will do that before you send anything.
Ready to Start Your Project?
Send drawings in STEP, IGES or DWG. You get a priced quote within 48 hours in the normal case, with tolerance and lead time stated. Revisions quoted without starting over.