0.01mm Tolerance Miniature Aluminum Sensor Bracket by Micro Milling for Precision Automation Assemblies

Small parts are machined with small tools, and small tools fail quickly if the process is not controlled. Our route is built around tool life and thermal stability rather than maximum removal rate.

• Tooling: solid carbide end mills from 0.5 mm to 2 mm, with corner radius tools preferred over sharp corners to avoid chipping at the tip.
• Spindle and step down: spindle speed up to 20,000 rpm with an axial depth of cut of 0.05 to 0.1 mm and constant climb milling, so the chip carries the heat away and the tool does not rub.
• Stock and set up: parts are cut from plate or bar with a machining allowance, then held on a dedicated sub plate or in soft jaws machined to the part outline, so clamping pressure is distributed and the part cannot be crushed.
• Multiple parts per cycle: small parts are nested 10 to 40 per plate with a shared datum, so every piece in the batch is machined under identical conditions, which is what makes the batch consistent.
• Deburring in process: edges are broken with a chamfer tool in the same program where possible, then finished by brush deburring or vibratory tumbling. Hand deburring is deliberately avoided because it is the least repeatable step in the whole route.
• Handling: parts are moved on trays, never loose in a box, and packed individually where a fine rib would otherwise be damaged in transit.

The declared tolerance for this part family is plus or minus 0.01 mm on hole position and slot width, with flatness of 0.01 mm and edge burr held below 0.05 mm. On a part this size, those numbers are only achievable if the measurement is as carefully planned as the machining.

• CMM with 0.5 mm styli, since a standard stylus cannot reach between fine ribs without touching the walls
• Optical measurement and 20x to 50x magnification for burr inspection and fine slot width
• Pin gauges for every small hole, because a CMM touch on a 1 mm hole is not a size measurement
• In-process probing on the nest plate to confirm the datum before the finishing pass on a 40-piece batch
• First article report with a ballooned drawing, including burr and edge condition notes
• Metrology room at 20 degrees Celsius, parts allowed to stabilise before measurement, since a small part changes size quickly with hand heat

Miniature parts are usually designed late in a project and revised often. Our quoting and production flow is set up for that.

• One-piece minimum, no tooling charge; prototype and pilot quantities are ordinary work for us
• Drawings in STEP, IGES, X_T, DWG, DXF or PDF, or a sample part for measuring and modelling
• Materials: 6061-T6, 7075-T6, 5083, 2024 aluminum, plus 304 and 316L stainless steel, brass and copper for small contacts and shields
• Surface options: clear anodizing, black anodizing, hard anodizing, bead blasting, laser marking, and selective masking where only one face should be coated
• Assembly of small parts in house: pressed pins, dowels, inserts and O-rings, with fit checked before packing
• Design feedback within 24 hours, including where a 0.05 mm fillet will save a tool breakage and where a hole is too close to an edge to hold position

Small parts move fast because they are nested and run in batches, but the schedule is still quoted from the process route rather than from optimism.

• Prototype and sample quantities: 3 to 5 working days
• Batch of 50 to 500 pieces: 7 to 12 working days including deburring and finishing
• Recurring releases: reserved capacity and a fixed lead time, with the same nest plate and program reused
• A named project engineer per order, weekly status mail with work-in-progress photographs
• Written notice at least 5 working days before the ship date if anything is at risk
• Shipping by express, air or sea, door to door, with individual bags and foam partitioned cartons for small parts