Sliding Headstock Turned Parts
Guide-bushing turning · Ø1–20 mm bar · L/D to 10:1 · ±0.005 mm
CHX Metal produces sliding headstock turned parts on 70 Tsugami Swiss-type lathes: bar Ø1-20 mm, length-to-diameter ratios up to 10:1, held at ±0.005 mm with the back end finished in the same cycle by sub-spindle and live tooling. Monthly capacity is 5 million pieces; quotes return in 24 hours.
Sliding headstock — the term British and European drawings use for Swiss-type turning — describes the machine architecture, not the parts: the headstock slides the bar through a guide bushing while the tools stay put. If your part list includes anything slender, small-diameter or tolerance-critical, the choice between sliding headstock and conventional turning is the first cost and quality decision on the drawing.
When the sliding headstock wins
| Specification | Capability |
|---|---|
| Length-to-diameter above ~3:1 | Guide bushing keeps deflection near zero; conventional turning tapers |
| Diameters Ø1-20 mm | Native bar range of the Tsugami cell |
| One-cycle completion | Sub-spindle picks off; drilling, milling and threading run live-tool |
| Concentricity-critical features | Cut within a millimetre of the bushing; runout stays single-digit microns |
| High-volume small parts | Bar-feed automation runs lights-out shifts |
Below roughly 3:1 and above Ø20 mm, a conventional lathe is usually cheaper — the guide bushing buys stability, not bragging rights. A shop that routes every part through the Swiss cell because it can is adding cost, not precision. We quote the process the drawing needs.
What the guide bushing demands from your drawing
- Stock must be drawn bar or ground stock — hot-rolled bar wanders in the bushing and the tolerance dies there.
- The first operation cuts the bushing-end features; datum choices should respect that sequence.
- Bar pull-off leaves a small remnant mark at the parting face; if that face is cosmetic, say so and we plan a facing pass.
- Parts that need deep cross-holes far from the bushing may still need a secondary op — the DFM review flags it before quoting.
Tolerance, surface finish and measurement
±0.005 mm is the standard band on critical diameters, with in-process SPC instead of a single end-of-run inspection. As-turned surface finish on the Swiss cell typically lands well below Ra 1.6 µm without finishing; plated or anodized parts have their pre-finish dimensions set deliberately, because a 5 µm deposit consumes 40% of the band.
Measurement happens at recorded temperature. Stainless and aluminium parts measured warm read differently from the same parts at 20 °C, and a tolerance without a measurement temperature is not a specification.
Materials and the volumes that make sense
Brass C36000, free-machining 303, 304/316L stainless, 6061/7075 aluminium, titanium Gr5, copper and engineering plastics all run in the cell. Economic order sizes start where setup amortises — typically from a few hundred pieces for simple geometries — but there is no MOQ gate: prototypes and releases run the same process, and unit price steps down with volume.
For buyers consolidating a fastener-plus-pin bill of materials, running mixed parts across the cell in one campaign cuts changeovers out of the lead time — ask about it in the DFM note.
Sliding headstock versus multi-spindle: how we choose
Both are high-volume turning answers. The sliding headstock wins on tolerance and slenderness; multi-spindle and high-volume lathe lines win on raw piece cost for chunkier parts. Our floor runs both, so the routing decision is made by the drawing — not by which machine happens to be free.
Related guides and capabilities
Swiss-type CNC turning · Swiss screw machining · CNC turned parts manufacturer · Multi-spindle CNC turning · CNC lathe mass production · CNC machining capabilities
Request a quote
Send drawing (STEP / PDF / DXF) with material, tolerance and annual volume to mc@chxmetal.com. DFM feedback and a price within 24 hours, NDA on request.
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Frequently asked questions
What does “sliding headstock” mean on a lathe?
The headstock carries the bar through a stationary guide bushing toward fixed tools, so the cut happens next to the support. It is the architecture behind Swiss-type turning, and it is why slender parts stay straight and concentric.
What diameters and lengths can you turn?
Bar Ø1–20 mm on the sliding-headstock cell, with lengths limited by the bar feeder. Larger diameters to Ø300 mm run on conventional CNC lathes.
Can you finish the back end of the part in the same cycle?
Yes — the Tsugami cell runs sub-spindles and live tooling, so threads, cross-holes and flats are completed on-machine instead of in a secondary operation.
What tolerance do you hold on sliding headstock parts?
±0.005 mm on critical diameters with in-process SPC, measured at recorded temperature. Tighter features are quoted case by case.
Is there a minimum order quantity?
One piece. The same cell runs prototypes and volume releases; unit price steps down with quantity as setup amortises.