Custom Brass CNC Turn-Mill Parts for Lighting Products

This custom brass CNC machined part was produced to customer drawings for a lighting product supplied to Switzerland. The component is approximately 15 × 15 × 4 mm, with a production quantity of around 8,000 pieces.

Its shape looks simple from the front: a circular outside profile, flat machined faces and a center bore. Rotate the part, however, and several cross holes appear around the circumference. These off-axis features change what would otherwise be a straightforward turning job.

We used CNC turn-mill machining to combine the rotational and cross-machined features in a compact production route. Critical dimensions are controlled to approximately ±0.05 mm according to the drawing.

Project Details

It Starts on the Turning Axis

The outside diameter, two faces and center bore all share the same axis, so CNC turning is the natural starting point.

The holes around the circumference are different. They require the cutting tool to approach from the side of the component rather than along the turning axis.

For a few prototypes, completing the turning first and moving the parts to a separate milling or drilling setup would be possible.

For 8,000 pieces, we look at the process differently.

Every additional transfer means another loading and locating operation repeated thousands of times. A turn-mill process allows the round geometry and cross features to be produced in a more continuous machining sequence.

The Cross Holes Are Small, but Their Position Matters

The holes around the outside diameter are one of the defining features of this part.

Hole diameter is only one part of the requirement. Their location relative to the center bore and other turned geometry also needs to follow the customer drawing.

This is where turning and milling in a coordinated process becomes useful.

Keeping more of the machining within a consistent setup reduces the need to locate the same 15 mm component again simply to recover references already established during turning.

On a small production part, that is a practical advantage.

±0.05 mm Where the Drawing Requires It

Critical dimensions are controlled to approximately ±0.05 mm.

That does not mean every dimension on the component needs the same tolerance.

The drawing identifies the features that influence fit, position or assembly. Those dimensions receive the appropriate machining and inspection attention during production.

On a part only about 15 mm across, this may include the center bore, outside diameter, cross-hole location or another feature specified by the customer.

The objective is straightforward: make the part to the drawing and keep it consistent through the batch.

Moving One Part Is Easy. Moving 8,000 Is a Process Decision.

Handling is easy to overlook when evaluating a small machined component.

Moving one part from a lathe to another fixture takes very little time. Repeating the same operation 8,000 times changes the calculation.

That is one reason we keep the production route short:

CNC Turn-Mill Machining → Deburring → Inspection → Packing

Reducing unnecessary transfers can save repeated locating and handling while making the process easier to reproduce from batch to batch.

This is not about using a more complicated machine simply because it is available. It is about choosing a machining route that fits both the geometry and the quantity.

Cross Drilling Leaves Edges to Finish

The side holes introduce another practical detail: burrs.

As the cutting tool breaks through the brass wall, small burrs can remain around the hole edges or intersecting surfaces. On a component this small, they can be significant relative to the surrounding geometry.

Deburring needs to remove unwanted material without unnecessarily rounding the holes or affecting nearby features.

The broad machined faces also need reasonable protection during handling and inspection to avoid scratches after machining.

These details are simple, but they matter when the requirement is 8,000 finished parts ready for assembly, rather than a handful of machining samples.

Brass Is the Material; the Drawing Sets the Job

Brass is well suited to turning and milling, but the material alone does not determine how this component should be made.

The drawing does.

It defines the bore, outside geometry, cross features, tolerances and relationships between them. If a specific brass grade is required, that specification also becomes part of the manufacturing requirement.

This is how we approach custom brass CNC machining: understand the finished geometry first, then select a process that makes sense for the part and production quantity.

Made-to-Drawing Brass Parts for Lighting Products

Lighting products often contain small metal components that are designed specifically around the assembly rather than selected from a standard catalogue.

Some need only CNC turning. Others combine a round body with cross holes, slots, flats or threads and require another machining direction.

YS Precision manufactures custom brass CNC parts from customer 2D drawings and 3D models using processes such as:

• CNC turning
• CNC turn-mill machining
• CNC lathe machining
• CNC milling
• Cross drilling
• Drilling and tapping
• Internal and external threading
• Grooving

For components like this one, the process is selected from the actual feature layout rather than forcing the drawing into a fixed machining route.

From a Small Drawing to 8,000 Finished Parts

This lighting component is not unusually complex.

It is a small brass part with a center bore, turned faces and several cross-machined features around the body. The customer needed approximately 8,000 pieces, with critical dimensions around ±0.05 mm, for a lighting product supplied to Switzerland.

What makes the project interesting is how those requirements come together.

Turning handles the circular geometry efficiently. Cross machining completes the off-axis features. A suitable CNC turn-mill process keeps those operations connected without adding unnecessary handling between them.

If you are sourcing similar custom brass CNC machined parts for lighting products, send us the drawing, material grade, quantity and critical specifications. We can review the geometry and determine a practical machining route before quotation.