Swiss Turning

Swiss Turning produces small, high-precision, slender turned parts from bar stock using a sliding headstock and guide bushing for excellent accuracy and throughput.

Overview

Swiss Turning (Swiss machining, sliding headstock) uses a guide bushing and sliding bar stock to machine very small or slender parts with excellent support right at the cutting zone. This configuration minimizes deflection, enabling tight tolerances, fine surface finishes, and reliable production of long length‑to‑diameter ratios. Machines are usually bar-fed and can run unattended, making them effective for high-volume precision components.

Use Swiss Turning when you need small-diameter, often complex turned parts with multiple operations completed in one cycle—features like threads, cross-holes, flats, and minor milling. It excels in medical, electronics, aerospace, and fluid-control components where consistency across large batches matters. Tradeoffs: higher setup and programming effort, limited maximum diameter, and less efficient for large, simple parts. Complex live-tool features are possible but drive cycle time and tooling cost, so it’s most economical when the part is fundamentally rotational and matches standard bar sizes.

Common Materials

  • Stainless Steel 316
  • Stainless Steel 17-4
  • Aluminum 6061
  • Brass C360
  • Titanium Grade 5
  • Inconel 718

Tolerances

±0.0005" to ±0.001"

Applications

  • Bone screws and orthopedic implants
  • Electronics connector pins and contacts
  • Hydraulic and pneumatic valve components
  • Nozzles, orifices, and precision bushings
  • Watch and instrument shafts
  • Medical and dental fasteners

When to Choose Swiss Turning

Choose Swiss Turning for small-diameter, high-precision parts, especially long and slender geometries that would deflect on standard lathes. It fits medium to very high production volumes where bar-fed automation and lights-out running reduce cost per part. It’s best when the design is primarily rotational with fine details, tight positional requirements, and consistent quality across large batches.

vs 2-Axis CNC Turning

Pick Swiss Turning when the part is small, slender, or has a high length-to-diameter ratio that risks chatter or deflection on a standard 2-axis lathe. Swiss machines also make sense when you need to run from bar with minimal secondary ops on high-volume production.

vs Manual Lathe

Choose Swiss Turning when you need hundreds to millions of identical parts with tight tolerances and repeatability that a manual lathe cannot maintain economically. It eliminates manual handling and measurement time, delivering lower cost and higher consistency for production runs.

vs Mill-turn (Live Tooling)

Favor Swiss Turning when part diameter is small and most features are turned, with only light milling or cross work. Swiss machines generally offer faster cycle times and better support for tiny or long parts, while still handling simple milled flats, cross-holes, and end features.

vs Multi-spindle Turning

Select Swiss Turning for very tight tolerances, complex small parts, or frequent design changes where flexibility and precision outweigh pure maximum throughput. Multi-spindle machines can outpace Swiss in very high-volume, simpler geometries, but Swiss offers easier changeovers and better control on intricate features.

Design Considerations

  • Size parts to standard bar diameters and specify acceptable bar tolerances to simplify material sourcing and reduce waste
  • Keep the design fundamentally rotational and use simple cross features; extensive milling or heavy material removal quickly increases cycle time
  • Avoid extremely deep radial slots or wide flats relative to diameter, which require special tooling and can compromise part rigidity
  • Call out realistic tolerances—reserve ±0.0005" for critical fits and allow looser limits elsewhere to control cost and scrap rates
  • Limit unsupported lengths and extreme length-to-diameter ratios where possible, or discuss guide-bushing and tooling strategies with the shop
  • Fully define threads, chamfers, and deburr requirements in the drawing or model so programmers can minimize secondary operations and automate finishing