Applications
Micro Machined Parts by Application
Six application groups send most micro machining RFQs. Each one has its own materials, its own critical feature and its own paperwork. Find yours, check the typical values, then send the drawing. Every figure here is typical, not a guarantee.
Overview: Parts, Materials and Process Route
How micro parts usually split by application. The process names are explained on the micro machining processes page.
| Application | Typical parts | Common materials | Usual route | Critical feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical device micro parts | Cannulas, jaw inserts, endoscope tips, bone screws, guide pins | 316L, Ti-6Al-4V ELI, 17-4PH, PEEK | Swiss-type turning, 5-axis micro milling | Burr-free edges, bore concentricity, lot traceability |
| Dental components | Abutment screws, implant analogs, abutment blanks, attachments | Ti Grade 4, Ti-6Al-4V ELI, CoCr | Swiss-type turning with live tools | Internal hex or lobe drive, M1.4 to M2 threads, seat angle |
| Connector pins and contacts | Pins, slotted sockets, crimp contacts, pogo plungers | C36000 brass, C17300 BeCu, C51000 phosphor bronze, C14500 | Swiss-type turning, then plating | Pin diameter, slot width, plating thickness |
| Watch and instrument parts | Screws, pinions, staffs, crowns, case tubes, small gears | 316L, 904L, CuZn39Pb3 brass, carbon pinion steel, Ti Grade 5 | Swiss-type turning, gear hobbing, polishing | Pivot diameter, thread fit, cosmetic finish |
| Optics and photonics mounts | Lens cells, fiber ferrule holders, retaining rings, small kinematic parts | 6061-T6, 303 and 416 stainless, Invar 36, Ti Grade 5 | Swiss-type turning, 5-axis micro milling | Bore to OD concentricity, seat squareness, thread for retaining ring |
| MEMS and semiconductor test fixtures | Probe and pogo holders, test socket bodies, die carriers, alignment nests | PEEK, PEI (Ultem), PAI (Torlon), ESD-grade plastics, machinable glass ceramic | Micro milling, micro drilling | Hole pattern position, hole diameter in plastic, flatness |
Medical Device Micro Parts
Minimally invasive instruments, endoscopes and orthopedic systems need parts that are small, clean and traceable. Typical parts are cannula tips with side windows, jaw inserts for graspers, micro screws, guide pins and housings for sensors. 316L stainless and Ti-6Al-4V ELI are the default materials, with 17-4PH or 465 stainless where an instrument part must be hardened.
The feature that fails parts most often is not a dimension but an edge. A burr of a few micrometres inside a cannula window can tear tissue or shed particles. Put the edge condition on the drawing (for example "edges burr free at 20x, break 0.02 mm max") and agree how it is inspected. Long slender parts go on a Swiss-type lathe; parts with windows or flats on several faces add live tooling or a 5-axis mill. The guide to micro components for minimally invasive devices goes into detail.
Dental Components
Abutment screws, implant analogs and attachments are a classic Swiss-type job: a turned body with a thread from about M1.4 to M2, a conical or flat seat, and an internal hex or lobe drive broached or milled on the same machine. Titanium Grade 4 and Ti-6Al-4V ELI dominate.
The seat angle and the drive geometry decide whether the part fits the implant system, so they carry the tightest callouts. Thread gauging at this size is done with fine thread gauges or optical measurement; agree which before production. Colour anodizing of titanium is often used to identify sizes and adds no meaningful thickness.
Connector Pins and Contacts
Machined contacts are used where stamped ones cannot reach the accuracy, current or mating cycles: high-reliability circular connectors, test probes and pogo pins. Free-cutting brass C36000 is the cheapest to turn; beryllium copper C17300 or phosphor bronze C51000 is used where the contact must spring; tellurium copper C14500 where conductivity matters.
Slotted sockets are turned, slotted, then closed to a set diameter, and BeCu is age hardened after machining so the fingers hold their force. Plating is part of the part: gold over a nickel underplate is the usual mating finish, tin or silver for crimp ends. The plating spec belongs on the drawing so it is in the quote. See micro connector pins and sockets and BeCu against phosphor bronze.
Watch and Instrument Parts
Screws, pinions, staffs, crowns, case tubes and small gears for watches and precision instruments. Brass plates and bridges, hardened carbon pinion steel, 316L or 904L for case parts and titanium for light cases. Pivot diameters are held to a few micrometres and are usually finished by rolling or burnishing after turning, which also hardens and polishes the surface.
Cosmetic parts need a written standard: which surfaces are visible, what finish they get and at what magnification they are inspected. Without it, two shops quote two different jobs. More in the watch components guide.
Optics and Photonics Mounts
Lens cells, fiber ferrule holders, retaining rings and small kinematic parts hold glass in position, so the critical callouts are concentricity of the bore to the outside diameter and squareness of the lens seat to the axis. Turning both in one clamping on a Swiss-type or a lathe with a sub-spindle keeps them related.
Material follows the thermal design. Aluminum 6061-T6 is light and easy to blacken; 303 or 416 stainless is stiffer; titanium has a CTE closer to many glasses; Invar 36 barely moves with temperature but is slow to machine. Black anodize or a chemical blackening cuts stray light.
MEMS and Semiconductor Test Fixtures
Probe holders, test socket bodies, die carriers and alignment nests are mostly plastic: PEEK, PEI, PAI and ESD-grade variants, sometimes machinable glass ceramic where heat or insulation demands it. The typical part is a plate with hundreds of holes from about 0.2 mm diameter at a fine pitch, where the position of every hole relative to a datum matters more than any single size.
Plastics move. Shops anneal the blank, rough, rest the part and finish in a temperature-stable room, and still quote a looser class than in metal. Name the probe or pin that must fit each hole so the shop can check with the real part. The tolerance reference lists typical hole sizes and depths.
Materials Behind These Applications
Designations for the grades named above. Ask for a mill certificate that names the standard on the drawing. Background: Invar, beryllium copper.
| Material | Designation | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 316L stainless | UNS S31603, EN 1.4404 | Implant grade bar to ASTM F138. Passivation to ASTM A967 or F86. |
| Ti-6Al-4V ELI | UNS R56401, ASTM F136 | Implant and dental grade. Lower interstitials than standard Grade 5. |
| Ti Grade 4 | UNS R50700, ASTM F67 | Commercially pure, common for dental implant bodies. |
| Beryllium copper | C17300 (leaded), C17200 | Spring contacts. Machined, then age hardened. Dust from grinding is a health hazard; shops need controls. |
| Phosphor bronze | C51000, EN CuSn5 | Contacts and springs where BeCu is not wanted. |
| Free-cutting brass | C36000, EN CW614N (CuZn39Pb3) | Fastest to Swiss-turn. Lead content limits apply under RoHS exemptions. |
| Invar 36 | UNS K93600, EN 1.3912 | CTE about 1.2 ppm/K, for mounts that must not move with temperature. Gummy to cut. |
| PEEK and PAI | Unfilled, glass or carbon filled | Fixtures and insulators. Hold looser tolerances than metal; anneal before finish cuts. |
What to Add to the RFQ
A drawing alone gets a price for the machining. These documents get a price for the part you actually need, and they let us match shops that already work that way.
| Application | Include |
|---|---|
| Medical and dental | Mill certificate to EN 10204 3.1 with heat number, first article inspection, cleaning and passivation spec, lot traceability, packaging that keeps parts apart. |
| Connectors | Base material and temper, plating spec with thickness at a defined measuring point, solderability or contact-resistance test if required, reel or bulk packaging. |
| Watch parts | Cosmetic standard with named A-surfaces, finish (polished, satin, PVD), hardness for pinion steel, magnification used for inspection. |
| Optics | Datum scheme for concentricity, black anodize or blackening spec, cleanliness and outgassing limits if the part goes into vacuum. |
| MEMS fixtures | Material grade and ESD requirement, hole position tolerance from a named datum, probe or pin type that must fit. |
Applications FAQ
Typical values for every feature type: tolerances and materials.
Which application drives the tightest tolerances?
Usually optics and watch parts, where pivot diameters and bore concentricity are held to a few micrometres on selected features. Medical parts are more often driven by edge condition and traceability than by the smallest number on the drawing. Typical values for each feature type are on the tolerance reference page.
Do I need a shop with a medical quality system for an implant part?
For production parts that go into a regulated device, most buyers require it. State the requirement in the RFQ. We match only shops that say they meet it, and you should ask the shop for its certificate before the order. For prototypes and instrument parts many buyers accept a shop without one.
Can connector contacts be plated by the machining shop?
Some shops plate in house, most use a plating subcontractor they manage. Either way, put the plating spec and thickness on the drawing so the quote includes it. Gold over nickel is the common contact finish; the nickel underplate stops copper diffusing into the gold.
Why are plastic fixture holes quoted looser than metal?
PEEK, PEI and PAI expand more with temperature than metals, absorb some moisture and relax after machining. A hole that measures right on the machine can move several micrometres a day later. Shops anneal blanks and finish in stages, and still quote a class looser than for aluminum or stainless.
Send the drawing for your application
Name the application, material and critical feature in the RFQ. We match it with up to 3 shops that run that kind of part and reply within 24 business hours.
Send an RFQ