Optimizing for High-Volume Machining

Jack Lie CNC machining expert

Specialize in CNC Milling, CNC Turning, 3D Printing, Urethane Casting, and Sheet Metal Fabrication Services.


At Runsom, our CNC machining service is different from traditional manufacturing process. Our professional process is automatic form CAD analysis to tools planning and digital inspections. This automation increase our production efficiency. You can take advantage of this speed to plan to high volume production or simply prototypes.

CNC machining can also create jigs, tools fixtures and other low-volume parts with corresponding flexibility and affordability in production process. In this article, we will focus on our high volume machining capability, including pricing, leading time, finishing operations.

High Volume Emerges

At Runsom, we have nearly 100 CNC machines, this massive machining capacity can produce mill or turn parts as fast as 1 day for rapid prototyping, in addition, we also can produce low volume, end-use parts at low machining cost with no extra time.

CNC machining cannot provide same economical scale as molding or casting in high volume quantity. However, as production volume increase, the cost per parts will reduce. CNC machining also delicate warehousing and inventory issues with flexible supply chain on demand. In most case, our CNC machining service allow customers to apply a single source supplier form concept validation to prototype production.

Plastics Machining

Under the volume of 1000, machining plastics will be cheaper than injection molding. In addition, machining can produce a complex part that is difficult to molding. Such as uneven wall thickness parts, or wall thick less than 3.8 mm, these parts are used for fixtures or wear plates.

As the parts size increase, there is no doubt that, CNC machining take the overall speed advantages than injection molding at medium volume production. Furthermore, machining process also eliminate the risk of sink, warp and knit line in molded parts, and machined parts never need draft as injection-molded parts.

In some case, engineers will consider 3D printing technology for their production, but in fact, machined parts have several advantages than 3D printed parts. As which are cut from solid billet, they hare greater physical integrity than printed part with layers. In addition, they have much more smooth finishes than printed parts.

Plastic MaterialsMaximum Part Size
ABS175mm×380mm×45mm
Acetal175mm×380mm×45mm
PEEK175mm×380mm×45mm
PEI175mm×380mm×45mm

Metal Machining

At low to medium volume production, machining for end-use parts have significant advantages than die casting. Same as injection molding for plastics, machining technology is more fast and less cost than casting at appropriate volume production. CNC machining can start parts turning or milling process immediately, while die casting need hardened steel tooling production at a slow and costly process.

Most metal materials can be machined and die-cast, but die casting will leave a rough surface as iron cookware. This surface need to be smoothed by machining technology, but this is a time-consume post operation process. Die cast metal can be porous, brittle and elongation, it cannot product as solid parts as machining from billet stock. For these reasons, CNC machining are still preferable to casting even casting has a low cost advantage.

Plastic MaterialsMaximum Part Size
Aluminum 6061175mm×380mm×75mm
Aluminum 7075175mm×380mm×75mm
Steel 1018175mm×380mm×45mm
Steel 4140175mm×380mm×45mm

Metal Finishes Option

Once metal parts have been machined, we will finish the production process with various finishing options depends on metal materials. Anodizing and chromate plating are the most common finishing options and effective ways to protect machined metal parts from corrosion. These process can also enhance the metal parts overall appearance.

All our anodizing process are RoHS compliant, which means all materials we apply are environmental without any harmful elements, such as: mercury, lead, cadmium, hexavalent chromium. Chromate plating is different form anodizing, no metal materials are added to create protective layers. It is a convention coating process with the character of metal surface changing. Both these two options have excellent corrosion protection.

Threading Options in Machining

Runsom provides professional CNC machining service to add threaded features on milled or turned parts. Threads are specified within out interactive quotes, we offer different threads option in standard. On machined parts, threaded holes must be molded at proper diameter, and its options are different for milling and turning. For your special threading design, we recommend communication with our engineering team to optimize this design.

Consulting on Design

Finally, it should be noticed that, for critical features on your projects, we need 2D drawings to guarantee the dimension details. To start your next CNC machining project today, upload your 3D CAD model for interactive quotes with our professional engineering team.