Large Part Machining Reference
The tables we kept having to retype in emails. Typical ranges rather than promises, written so an engineer and a shop can look at the same page and mean the same thing.
9 classes
Machine classes
The 9 machine classes large parts are actually machined on, with typical envelopes, table loads and what each one is for.
9 grades
Materials
How 9 common heavy grades cut, how much each one moves while you machine it, and the tolerance a shop typically holds.
67 terms
Glossary
The vocabulary of heavy machining, from machining allowance to workholding, defined in plain language with no marketing.
How to read these pages
Every number here is a typical range observed across the machine classes and materials used for this work. None of it is a capacity we hold, because we do not own machines.
- Typical, not promisedThe shop that quotes you confirms what its own machine and its own process can hold on your geometry.
- Ranges, not single valuesA class covers machines from several builders across several decades. The spread is real and it is useful.
- Written for both sidesBuyers use these pages to specify. Shops use them to explain. That is deliberate.
- Corrections welcomeIf a figure does not match what you see on your floor, email and we will look at it.
Got the numbers you needed?
Send the envelope and the finished weight and we match the part with shops that can take it. Reply within 24 business hours.