Automatic Screw Machining / CNC | Associated Fastening Products, Inc.

Automatic screw machining is a manufacturing process that employs the use of an automatic lathe to create small, high-precision turned parts. The process is highly versatile and reliable, producing pieces from different materials and finishes with greater consistency than other mass-production methods.

The following article provides an overview of automatic screw machining, including outlining how the process works, types of equipment available, typical parts produced, key benefits, and industrial applications.

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Steps Of The Screw Machining Process

While the screw machining process varies slightly depending on the part and production specifications, operations generally follow the steps outlined below:

The workpiece (typically a rod or bar stock) locks into the machine and spins.

The spindles holding the tooling move across the workpiece, shaping it into the desired shape and size.

The workpiece passes through every spindle position until it achieves the specified dimensions.

The cut-off tool cuts off the formed part from the rest of the stock.

Finishing equipment (e.g., deburring equipment) removes excess debris & material to smooth out surfaces and sharpen edges.

Types Of Automatic Screw Machining Equipment

Screw machining equipment consists of five key components: the base, the headstock, one to eight spindles, front and rear slides, and the turret. Different variations of this machine design are available to suit various production applications.

Turret lathes

Turret lathes consist of rotating turrets equipped with tooling. When one tool has completed its function, the turret slides until the next tool is indexed and can be applied to the rotating workpiece.

Swiss lathes

Swiss lathes utilize a sliding headstock and guide bushing. The workpiece is secured to the headstock with a collet and rotated. The cutting tools move in and out across the workpiece as the headstock moves forward and backward, resulting in the workpiece being cut to the desired length and diameter.

Increasing the amount of spindles results in higher accuracy and efficiency, which allows for faster production of greater quantities of parts. Additionally, using CNC lathes over automatic lathes further increases precision and speed. Automatic lathes are mechanically automated by a series of disc cams, while CNC lathes use programmable computer systems to keep production fast and efficient.

Typical Parts Produced

Automatic Screw Machining/CNC Services. The screw machining process accommodates a variety of materials, finishes, and part designs. At Associated Fastening Products, we offer screw machining capabilities for the following materials and finishes. Using them, we manufacture a broad selection of fasteners, such as anchors, bolts, nuts, rivets, and screws.

Materials:

Alloys
Aluminum
Brass
Carbon Steel
Copper
Nylon
Plastic
Stainless Steel

Finishes:

Coating
Heat Treating
Painting
Plating

View Our Automatic Screw Machining Infographic

Benefits Of The Automatic Screw Machining Process

Compared to other manufacturing methods, automatic screw machining offers a number of advantages, including:

Automation

×Automatic screw machines can run with little operator oversight. They generally only require assistance during setup and changeover.

Precision

×The use of a guide bushing and collet provides greater precision for turned parts than other types of lathes.

Efficiency

×Swiss lathes can turn at rates greater than 10,000 RPM. Additionally, multiple spindles allow for increased efficiency of production.

Uniformity

×Screw machining operations produce parts that are consistent from one piece to another and from batch to batch.

Size Capacity

×Turning is ideal for creating small parts that would otherwise be difficult to produce, as well as for larger parts that require attention to detail.

Industrial Applications Of The Automatic Screw Machining Process

Parts and products produced through automatic screw machining find application in many industries, including, but not limited to, the following:

Agriculture

Our fasteners are vital to the integrity of crop handling and field irrigation systems. These machines require strong fasteners to hold together under high stress.

Automotive

Engine bolts, plated U-bolts for suspension systems, and low friction square threaded jackscrews for power transmission are just a few of the essential and specialized automotive fasteners that we’re equipped to produce.

Firearms

Our fasteners find their way into firearms used by military personnel and law enforcement.

Military & Defense

We manufacture durable and reliable fasteners that ensure critical systems maintain their integrity in some of the harshest operating conditions.

OEM

We provide OEM customers with a wide variety of fasteners, including standard and metric fasteners, brass fittings, O-rings, custom screw machine tooling, and thousands of other options.

Transportation

Blind rivets and huck fasteners for trucks and trailers reduce forces from vibrations experienced on the road.

View Our Past Projects:

Custom Machined Full
Body Woodscrew

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Automatic Screw Machining Capabilities

Additional Services

Special Packaging
Warehousing
Shipping
Reverse Engineering

Axis

Multi

Diameter

.062 to 8 in

Documentation / Certifications

Certificate of Conformance (C of C)
Material Certifications
Plating Certifications
Heat Treating Certifications
First Articles
PPAP
DFAR
USA Manufactured
SPC
RoHS

Equipment

Brown & Sharpe
Acme
Davenport
Swiss
CNC Vertical
CNC Horizontal

Finish

Plating
Coating
Heat Treating
Painting
Bagging

Inspection

Quality Assurance
Shipping Manager
Go / No-Go Gauges
Ring Gauges
Plug Gauges
Optical Comparator

Lead Time

Short Lead Times
Hot Rush Orders Available
Pre-Expedited Orders
On Time Deliveries
Stock and Release
Drop Shipments

Machining Process

Turning
Milling
Swiss

Materials

Carbon Steel
Alloy
Brass
Aluminum
Stainless Steel
Copper
Plastic
Nylon

Production Volume

Prototypes to Production Manufacturing
1 to 1,000,000’s

Programs

Stocking
Kanban
Just In Time (JIT)

Quality

Mil-I-4528
ISO 9001:2008 Certified
Statistical Process Control (SPC)

Quality Assurance

ISO 9001:2008 Registered
QS 14000 Compliant
Lot Traceable
Statistical Process Control (SPC)
100% Inspection available
Detailed Quality Records

Secondary Operations

Assembly
Powder Coating
Welding
Riveting
Bagging/Kitting
Tapping
Plating
Heat Treating
Deburring
Stress Relief
Swage
Reaming
Counterboring
Spot Facing
Fabricating

Testing

Hardness

Tolerance

Varies by Machining Process

Additional Information

File Formats

AutoCAD (DWG, DWZ)
Bit Mapped Graphics (BMP)
Catia (CATDrawing, CATPart)
Delcam (DGK, DMT)
Drawing Exchange Format (DXF)
Graphics Interchange Format (GIF)
Initial Graphics Exchange Specification (IGES, ANSI)
Inventor (IDW, IPT)
IronCAD (ICD, ICS)
Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPG, JPEG)
MasterCam (MDX, MC8, MC9, SET
Portable Document Format (PDF)
Pro-E or Pro/Engineer (DRW, PRT, XPR)
3D ACIS Model File
SolidWorks (SLDPRT, SLDDRW, SLDDRT)

Industry Focus

OEM
Automotive
Transportation

Industry Standards

ANSI
ASTM
DIN
ISO
Industrial Fastener Institute (IFI)
Mid-West Fastener Association (MWFA)

Intended Applications

Fasteners