5‑Axis CNC Machined Aluminum Cylindrical Mounting Housing for Robotic Automation Equipment

Project Snapshot

• Customer: European industrial robotic system integrator
• Industry: Robotic & Automation Equipment
• Part: Custom 5‑Axis CNC Machined Aluminum Cylindrical Mounting Housing
• Material: Aluminum Alloy 6061‑T6
• Order scope: Prototype (12 pcs) + Medium batch (320 pcs)
• Key tolerance: Positional tolerance ±0.01 mm for flange mounting holes
• Surface finish: Sandblasting + Clear natural anodizing
• Lead time: 6 working‑days for prototype; 14 working‑days for mass batch

Customer Challenge

The customer is a European integrator developing modular robotic motion units. They encountered two major difficulties with previous suppliers:

1. Complex dual‑flange hollow cylinder with side large cut‑out windows. Multiple clamping by 3‑axis milling caused poor positional accuracy; mounting hole position deviation leads to assembly jamming.
2. Require lightweight but sufficient structural stiffness. Thin‑wall structure risk deformation during machining. Former supplier had high prototype rejection rate.
3. Need quick prototype validation, then stable medium‑batch supply with full dimension inspection reports for every batch.

Our Solution

1. Adopted 5‑axis CNC one‑setup machining, completed flanges, side cut‑outs and threaded holes in single clamping, eliminated cumulative clamping error and guaranteed hole positional accuracy.
2. Optimized machining parameters: low‑speed finish cutting plus special fixture support to control thin‑wall deformation. Our engineering team provided free DFM feedback, slightly adjusted internal corner radii without changing customer assembly interface.
3. Unified process parameters after prototype approval. Each batch implements first‑article inspection, in‑process sampling and final full‑key‑dimension inspection. Provided CMM inspection reports for each shipment.
4. Completed sandblasting and clear anodizing in‑house to achieve uniform surface texture and anti‑corrosion performance.

Project Results

• Zero assembly jam issue, all flange hole positional tolerances fully met customer drawing requirements.
• Thin‑wall deformation well‑controlled, rejection rate below 1.2% for batch production.
• Prototype and batch orders delivered within agreed lead‑time.
• Customer expanded cooperation: placed repeat orders for follow‑up robot module structural components.

Customer Quote: “Chenrong’s 5‑axis machining capability solved our tricky housing tolerance problem. DFM suggestions were practical, inspection documents are complete, and delivery keeps stable. We will keep sourcing custom precision structural parts from them.”

Key Technologies Applied

• 5‑Axis CNC Milling one‑setup processing
• Anti‑deformation fixture for thin‑wall aluminum parts
• Sandblasting & clear anodizing surface treatment
• CMM coordinate measuring inspection