OVERVIEW
Precision Turning
Swiss-type sliding head machines guide the bar stock right up to the cutting tool, which keeps thin or long components from flexing during the cut. That's what lets us hold tight tolerances on small, complex parts — the kind of work that makes up most of our diamond and medical industry orders.
- Bar Capacity: up to 25.4 mm
- Axis Configuration : 3 to 9-axis
- Machines on Floor : 7
What Is Swiss-Type Turning
Standard lathes hold a bar of material at one end and let the rest extend out toward the tool — fine for shorter, sturdier parts, but a problem once you're working with something thin, long, or delicate, since the unsupported length flexes under the cutting force and throws the tolerance off. Swiss-type sliding head machines solve this by feeding the bar through a guide bushing positioned right next to the cutting tool, so the material is supported at the exact point it's being cut. That's why this style of machine is the standard choice for small, complex components across the diamond and medical industries — parts where a few microns of flex isn't something you can absorb.
Our Swiss-Type Machines
We run five Swiss-type machines on our floor, covering a range of bar capacities and axis configurations so a job isn't forced onto a machine that's either overkill or under-equipped for it.
- Tsugami BO203 (x2) — 3-axis, live tool — 20mm bar capacity
- Tsugami BO205 — 5-axis — 20mm bar capacity
- Citizen A20 (x2) — 5-axis — 20mm bar capacity
- Tornos DT-26HP — 25.4mm bar capacity
- Citizen L-20 Type 12 — 9-axis — 20mm bar capacity
Where These Machines Are Used
Most of the work that comes off these machines goes into diamond processing equipment and medical component production — two industries where a part either meets spec exactly or gets rejected, with no middle ground. The higher-axis machines in our lineup, like the Citizen L-20 Type 12 (9-axis) and Tsugami BO205 (5-axis), let us complete more operations in a single setup, which matters for complex geometries that would otherwise need multiple machines and multiple handling steps — each one a chance for tolerance to drift.
Why It Matters for Your Order
A Swiss-type machine only delivers on its promise if the tolerance holds from the first piece to the last. Every part that comes off these machines is checked against your spec using our in-house measuring equipment before it ships — so what you receive matches what was quoted, batch after batch.
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