Combined Turning and Milling Technology: An Efficient Solution for the Manufacture of Precision Custom-Shaped Parts

Precision metalworking is evolving from single-process turning towards composite machining. The introduction of turning-milling composite machining technology enables the complete machining of complex, irregularly shaped precision parts in a single set-up, significantly enhancing flexible manufacturing capabilities for high-variety, low-volume orders.
Traditional machining methods face efficiency bottlenecks. Take a connector housing with side holes as an example: it requires multiple processes such as turning the outer shape, milling the end faces, drilling side holes and tapping threads. Each process necessitates re-clamping and re-positioning, which is not only time-consuming but also introduces positioning errors due to repeated clamping, thereby affecting the final precision. For industry clients with rapid product iteration and high demand for prototypes, the response speed of traditional methods struggles to meet these requirements

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Turn-mill composite machining equipment is equipped with a motorised turret and C-axis functionality, enabling milling, drilling and tapping operations to be performed simultaneously with turning, thereby achieving ‘all machining completed in a single clamping’. Taking a connector plug with four-way side holes as an example, the traditional process requires four operations and four set-ups; with the turning-milling composite process, only one set-up is required, and the positioning errors caused by multiple set-ups are eliminated, significantly improving positional accuracy.
During the technology implementation process, the company had to overcome several technical challenges. In terms of programming, intelligent programming templates based on macro parameterisation were developed to reduce programming time for similar parts; regarding tool management, a dedicated tool library for turning-milling composite machining was established, with tool geometry parameters and coating selections optimised for difficult-to-machine materials such as stainless steel and titanium alloys; in terms of quality control, in-machine measurement technology was introduced to automatically inspect critical dimensions during machining and compensate for tool wear in real time

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The application of this technology has yielded significant results. In the new energy vehicle sector, the development cycle for new high-voltage connector prototypes has been drastically shortened, helping clients seize market opportunities; in the medical device sector, the core component of a certain type of minimally invasive surgical instrument, produced via turning-milling composite machining, achieved a surface roughness of Ra 0.4, meeting mirror-finish requirements; in the industrial control sector, complex-shaped sensor housings were produced in a single operation, with a significant improvement in the pass rate for airtightness testing

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Leading companies within the industry have equipped themselves with turning-milling composite machining centres, which complement their existing CNC lathes to establish comprehensive machining capabilities covering simple turned parts, complex irregularly shaped components and precision shaft parts. By continuously advancing the intelligent upgrading of their equipment, they are consolidating their competitive advantage through technological leadership.