Rapid prototyping to manufacturing
Brightstar offers the right CNC machining prototype services to quickly bring your custom metal or plastic products from concept to production
Certified: ISO 9001 and IATF 16949 Certified fabrication factory
Precision: Exacting tolerances, high quality parts, tight tolerance ±0.005mm, Ra0.2
Cost-effective: Competitive pricing, fast turnaround, our rapid CNC
Ready to achieve manufacturing and prototypingexcellence? Request quote today to get started!
ISO 9001 CERTIFIED
CNC machines
CNC machined parts/ month
Plastic & metal materials
1.Material authenticity of CNC machining: In CNC machining, any material specified by the customer, such as aluminum, steel, alloy steel, plastic, etc., can be used to achieve material diversity. CNC machining starts with a piece of solid raw material, and removes material through cutting, milling or other mechanical processing methods to finally form the desired part. This method maintains the original characteristics of the material, because the processing process only removes excess material without changing the properties of the remaining material. Customers can choose materials with specific grades (i.e. specific models and specifications) with known mechanical properties and chemical composition, which keep the material natural, real, 100% of the raw material characteristics from before to after processing. Unlike CNC prototype machining, 3D printing and prototyping can only use specific materials, such as plastic filaments, powders (metal or plastic) or photosensitive resins, which must be able to melt or solidify to form each layer. Especially those grades of materials that are not specially designed for 3D printing, which means that 3D printing cannot use those materials with specific mechanical properties and chemical composition.
2. Low cost: For certain types of parts, CNC machining is a high-speed manufacturing process. A CNC machine equipped with a powerful spindle and good machine tooling can remove raw material quickly. If the part geometry is simple (for example, a solid base plate that requires holes, threads, steps, or slots), very little raw material is removed. In this case, the unit price of CNC machining will be much lower than 3D printing, because it takes many hours to print such a part.
3. High precision: CNC machines can process parts very accurately according to the design drawings, and the error range is usually within a few microns. On a good CNC milling machine or CNC lathe machine, the machine tolerance can reach ±0.005 mm. If we can remove 0.005 mm in the final cutting of the workpiece, it means that we can easily get parts with a tolerance within ±0.01 mm. In contrast, the 3D printing process prints parts layer by layer, with a minimum layer height of 0.05 mm, which means that the tolerance of the part cannot be less than 0.05 mm.
4. Better surface quality: CNC machining can provide a better surface finish, sometimes even eliminating the polishing step. When the CNC milling machine reaches 15,000 rpm and the lathe reaches 6,000 rpm, the surface roughness of CNC machined parts is less than Ra 0.8, which is good for surfaces that can be bead blasted, painted or anodized without manual grinding. Meanwhile, parts manufactured by selective laser sintering (SLS), selective laser melting (SLM) or direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) processes have a surface roughness much greater than Ra 3.2.
5.More flexible part size: Large CNC machining centers can have a 6m x 3m or larger table, which means that very large parts can be milled. As far as we know, the largest lathe can reach a diameter of 5 meters. At the other end, with a precise 5 axis CNC milling machine and a cutting tool with a diameter of 0.05mm, we can mill tiny geometries from a small piece of material of 1mm x 1mm x 1mm.
6. Complexity: CNC machines can process complex geometric prototypes and parts, including those that are difficult to achieve with traditional manual processing, and can process complex contours and 3D shapes, such as non-linear curves, free-form surfaces, etc. They can easily process complex internal features, such as oblique holes, irregularly shaped holes, and internal threads. Modern CNC machines can perform 5 axis or even more-axis processing, making it possible to process complex 3D shapes.
Understanding the material characteristics and processing requirements is crucial to CNC machine. In the field of metal CNC machining and plastic CNC machining, Brightstar's prototypes, custom metal parts and CNC plastic machining parts commonly used materials include various types of metal, plastics and composite materials. The following are some common CNC machining materials and Its characteristics:
Metal materials include steel vs aluminum, inox steel, copper, iron, aluminum alloy, copper alloy, tungsten etc.
Machinable plastics include delrin material（POM-H), ABS, nylon, polycarbonate (PC), polyoxymethylene (POM), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), etc., as well as polyethylene (PE), UHMW, polypropylene (PP), polyetherketone (PEEK), polyethylene terephthalate(PET), PBT, polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyetheretherketone (PEEK), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), Acrylic, PA (Nylon), PU, Teflon,PS, ... and other materials
Other special materials: such as carbon fiber reinforced materials, glass fiber reinforced materials, ceramics, etc.
If you need to know more about material properties or want to know more about processable materials, please contact us
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Anodizing | Anodizing is an electrolytic process used primarily for the treatment of aluminum and aluminum alloys. In this process, the metal is placed in an electrolyte as an anode, and an electric current is passed through the metal surface to form an oxide film. |
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Sand Blasting | Sandblasting is the process of using abrasive particles ejected at high pressure and at high speed to remove the oxide layer, rust or old coating on the surface, making the rough surface smooth and improving the adhesion of subsequent coatings. |
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Powder Coating | Powder Coating is an electrostatic spraying technology that charges the powder coating and adsorbs it on the surface of the object. After high-temperature baking, the powder melts and fixes on the object. |
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Painting | Painting is the process of spraying liquid paint evenly on the surface of an object in a mist form through a spray gun to form a smooth coating. One or more layers of paint are applied to the surface to provide protection, decoration or special functional coatings. |
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Electroplating | Electroplating is a process that uses the principle of electrolysis to plate a thin layer of other metals or alloys on the metal surface, such as nickel, chromium (chroming), zinc (Galvanizing), silver, rose gold, etc. |
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Silk printing | Silk printing, Silk screen printing, full name screen printing, screen printing is a printing technique that uses a mesh-like screen to transfer ink to the surface of various materials. |
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Knurling | Knurling is a manufacturing process,typically conducted on a lathe, whereby a patterm of straight,angled or crossed lines is rolled into product surface. |
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Gilding | Gilding is an ancient decorative technique that involves applying a thin layer of metal, usually gold or silver foil, to the surface of various materials to give them a unique beauty and a regal appearance. |
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Grinding | Grinding is a common surface treatment process. Its purpose is to remove irregularities, burrs, rust or other defects on the surface of the material by physical or chemical means to make the surface smoother, flatter and cleaner. |
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Polishing | Polishing is a processing method that uses abrasive particles or other polishing media and flexible polishing tools to remove fine scratches and flaws on the surface of the workpiece. |
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Wire Drawing | The main purpose of wire drawing is to form lines on the surface of the metal workpiece by physical grinding, reflecting the texture of the metal material and playing a decorative effect.Wire drawing is widely used. |
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Passivation | Passivation is a process that uses strong oxidants or electrochemical methods to cause an oxidation reaction on the metal surface, remove iron ions on the surface, form a dense passivation film, and thus improve the corrosion resistance of parts. |
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Heat Treatment | Heat treatment process is to heat the workpiece to an appropriate temperature in a certain medium, keep it at this temperature for a certain period of time, and then cool it at different speeds in different media to control. |
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Chemical conversion coating | A chemical conversion coating is a layer of film formed on a metal surface by a chemical reaction. This layer is usually a stable compound formed by the reaction of the metal with a specific chemical treatment solution. |
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Bluing | Bluing is a chemical oxidation treatment process for metal surfaces. Its purpose is to improve the rust resistance of metals (especially steel) and give the metal surface a blue protective film. Bluing treatment is usually carried out at a higher temperature, about 550°C. |
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Blackening | Blackening is also a chemical oxidation treatment process for metal surfaces. Blackening is carried out at a lower temperature, usually between 130°C and 150°C, to form a black oxide film. |
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laser engraving | Laser engraving is a process that uses a high-energy laser beam to precisely cut, mark or engrave the surface of a material. This technology can be performed on a variety of materials, including but not limited to metal. |
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Vapor Polishing | Vapor polishing is a surface treatment process used to improve the transparency and gloss of plastic parts. This technology uses a chemical vapor phase, usually a pressurized air flow. |
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texture | texture, It mainly uses chemical solutions to create various patterns on the surface of different metal products. It can not only enhance the appearance and texture of the product, but also improve the functional properties of the product. |
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Plastic coating | Plastic coating is to wrap a layer of soft rubber on the surface of hard Workpiece to make them feel textured. The core is to use the unique properties of silicone to evenly wrap silicone rubber on the surface of other materials. |
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Dyeing | Dyeing is a process of immersing product pieces in a dye solution that has been matched to the customer's desired color, thereby changing the color of the product. This treatment can enhance the product's appearance, durability, and provide certain protective effects. |
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CHROMATE oxidation | CHROMATE oxidation is indeed a chemical conversion coating treatment technology. The main components of the chromate conversion coating are compounds of trivalent chromium and hexavalent chromium, as well as chromate salts of the base metal. |
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Bead blasting | Bead blasting is a surface treatment process, a type of sandblasting. It uses high pressure to propel small beads (usually spherical particles made of glass, ceramic or metal) against the surface of a material to clean or change its surface texture. |
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water transfer printing | Water transfer technology is a printing technology that uses water pressure to transfer the transfer paper/plastic film with colored patterns to the surface of products of various shapes through the force of water. |
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Brushing | Brushing technology is the use of abrasive brushes or pads to create a textured surface, thereby improving the visual appeal and functionality of the material. Brushing can produce straight lines or specific patterns of textures. |
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Vacuum Metalizing | Vacuum Metalizing is a physical vapor deposition (PVD) technology that forms a metal film by evaporating and depositing metal onto a non-metallic substrate in a vacuum environment. |
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Hand Finishing | At Brightstar, we have a group of skilled workers who perform a series of post-processing by hand. This process involves the meticulous modification and perfection of parts or products to ensure that they meet the design specifications and functional requirements. |
Brightstar provides CNC fabrication prototype services including but not limited to milling, turning, drilling, tapping, grinding and wire cutting in a wide range of materials including metal stainless fabrication, aluminum alloys, titanium, plastics, and composites, offering precision and quality to meet the diverse needs of industries such as aerospace, automotive, medical, and consumer electronics.
Brightstar's CNC machining capabilities include high-precision machining, complex shape manufacturing, multi-axis machining, etc.
The machining price of CNC parts is influenced by material costs, complexity, processing time, and quantity. For an exact quote on CNC machining, contact a service provider for a detailed estimate based on your specific requirements.
Brightstar's machine tool travel sizes range from small machines to large machines in our precision machine shop. Please consult Brightstar's technicians for specific sizes.
Surface finish depends on the processing method and material, and can usually reach Ra0.2 to Ra3.2 microns.
