Lathe or Mill-Turn: 6 Questions That Decide If You Save Money or Lose It

Q1: My drawing is 90% turned with four radial holes at odd angles. Still use a lathe?

A: Only if you enjoy overpaying.
Standard lathes ship parts to milling shops for holes → You pay for transport, delays, and double setup errors.
With our B-axis mill-turn, Holes are drilled while the part rotates. Save $4.20/pc on 8k parts by eliminating second ops.

Q2: Ø0.01 mm bores keep going oval despite "tight tolerance" claims. How to fix?

A: Thermal shift + reclamping.
Milling after turning distorts cooling. Our solution:

• Cryogenic cooling + in-machine probing

• <0.003 mm roundness on Inconel 718 at constant 20°C.

Q3: Why do some shops deliver in 9–12 days vs. the standard 7 weeks?

A: They eliminate internal logistics.
Traditional flow: Turning → QC → Milling → Cleaning → Final QC (8+ handoffs)
Mill-turn cell: Roughing → Finishing → Deburring → Inspection in one clamp. Titanium hip stems cut from 52 to 11 days.

Q4: Material costs up 38%. How to reduce metal without redesign?

A: Stop defaulting to the round bar.
Case: 220 mm flange with deep pockets

• Lathe method: Ø280 mm bar → 73% chip waste

• Our method: Near-net forging + 5-axis milling → 24% waste
Saved €68,000 on a 200-piece 4140 ring batch for wind energy.

Q5: Seal grooves at Ra 1.2 cause leaks. Suppliers blame "complex geometry". Truth?

A: Blaming is easier than fixing.
Our proven methods:

• Turning: 35° diamond insert + constant surface speed

• Milling: 6 mm ball mill (0.05 mm step-over)
Achieve Ra 0.25 reliably. Zero leak failures since 2023.

Q6: In 2025, can one supplier handle urgent orders and drawing changes?

A: It’s our core business model.

Why Simituo Delivers:

1. Direct access: Same engineer (me) via WeChat/WhatsApp 24/7

2. Capacity: 20+ mill-turn machines (Ø30–900 mm), 24/6 operation

3. Zero material delay: 40+ material grades in stock

4. Speed:

– 4-hour DFM feedback

– 24-hour firm quote

– 7–10 day prototypes

Stop gambling with multiple vendors.
Send drawings to www.simituo.com
Faster than your coffee cools.