Specialty CNC Machining

Processes and results for prototypes, fixtures, and production. Built for complex, multi-axis, angled, tapped, long, knife-cut, and marked work — not a basic hobby or sign router shop.

Materials are typically metals, plastics, wood, OSB and engineered subfloor sheathing, drywall, foam (including polyiso foam insulation), TPO roofing membrane, and composites. Flexible materials are cut with knife or wheel processes.

Precision milling

  • Precision milling of metal and plastic parts
  • Pockets, profiles, and detailed features
  • Drilled and tapped holes on part faces and edges
  • 3-axis 3D contour milling of aluminum parts
  • Deep milled bores, plus drilled and tapped holes, all in one setup
3-axis 3D contour milling of a round aluminum part on a CNC mill, with coolant lines and aluminum chips
Aluminum block in a CNC mill vise with a deep milled bore and drilled and tapped holes, all machined in one setup
Precision-milled aluminum part with drilled and tapped holes
Milling an aluminum part with holes on the edge
Milling pockets and profiles in an aluminum plate

Multi-axis work

  • Angled holes and features (4-axis milling and drilling)
  • Indexed hole patterns around a part (for example, holes at 120° spacing)
  • Double compound-mitered dome struts: angle milling, angle-drilled holes and part marking in a clamping jig, all in one setup
  • 4-axis mill-turning
  • Large-format simultaneous 5-axis coming online
Ends of wooden dome-house struts with double compound miters, angle-drilled holes and marked part labels B, C2 and F2
Angle head milling a wooden dome strut held in a clamping jig on the CNC router, with numbered strut parts 16 and 17
Finished dome-house struts with compound-mitered, labeled ends on a wire rack beside lumber stacks
Angled drilling on a CNC-machined timber part
Angled drilling demo: screws set at many angles in one piece
CNC circular saw cutting aluminum at angles, rotating between cuts.

Rigid tapping

  • Rigid tapping of holes in steel and aluminum parts
  • Drilling and tapping steel and aluminum electrical panels and backplates
Spiral tap rigid-tapping a hole in an aluminum angle held in a vise, with chips

Sheet & panel cutting

  • Sheet and panel cutting up to 5×10 ft
  • Part numbers and layout lines marked on each part as it is cut
  • Sawing and grooving
Sheet parts cut and marker-labeled in one setup

Building panels: drywall & sheathing

  • Drywall panels marked with part labels and cut to shape — e.g., hundreds of triangular panels for a dome house
  • Engineered OSB subfloor sheathing (AdvanTech) marked with part labels and nest-cut
Engineered OSB subfloor sheet on a CNC router, marked with red part labels and outlines and nest-cut into triangles, with cutouts in the offcut
Drywall sheet on a CNC router bed, marked with part labels and cut into triangles
Stacks of triangular drywall panels for a dome house, each marked with part labels and cut to shape

Foam & insulation

  • Foil-faced polyiso foam insulation board marked with part labels and cut to shape, including curved segments
Foil-faced polyiso foam insulation sheets on a CNC router bed, marked with part labels and cut into triangles and curved pieces
CNC router cutting curved segments from a foil-faced polyiso foam insulation sheet
Boxes of curved polyiso foam insulation pieces, numbered by hand, next to a stack of full sheets

Long parts

Long LVL plank clamped along the bed of a large CNC router, with the tool changer beside it
  • Long parts up to 18 ft (e.g. beams, LVLs, long extrusions)
  • Laser engraving and marking along the full length
Long LVL beam machined to a tapered, peaked profile, carried on tractor forks

Knife & wheel cutting

  • Tangential oscillating knife cutting (foam, gasket, rubber, flexible sheet)
  • Marking and cutting 0.06 in. TPO membrane with a custom wheel cutter designed and built in-house
Custom wheel cutter, designed and built in-house, cutting the edge of 0.06 in. TPO roofing membrane
Marker pen drawing part outlines on dark TPO membrane beside the cutting head
Finished white and black TPO membrane pieces, marked with part labels and cut with rounded corners
Close-up of the clean wheel-cut edge of a TPO membrane piece

Welding & assembly

  • TIG and MIG welding of steel and aluminum
  • TIG for detailed, clean welds on machined parts and assemblies
  • CNC-machined joints and weld prep for tight fit-up before welding
Stack of nested welded aluminum hexagon frames on a shop bench
CNC-machined aluminum Z-channel corner clamped for fit-up before welding
Welding CNC-machined aluminum Z channels into an assembly

Marking & engraving

  • Cutting, laser engraving, and marking on the same machine in one setup
  • Laser engraving located to CNC-cut features within about 0.004"
  • Laser engraving on parts up to 18 ft long
  • Laser engraving on the tops and sides of parts, in wood, MDF, and more
  • Multi-color marker marking and labeling
  • Laser engraving and marker marking on the same part in the same setup, with no second handling
  • Laser-engraved saw cut lines on red oak box parts, machined and marked on the same machine
CNC router head with a laser module and marker pen over lumber marked F2L, blue laser glow at the bottom
Stack of aluminum channel parts CNC-engraved with sequence numbers 1 through 10
Red oak board on the CNC router with laser-engraved saw cut lines between machined box pockets and drilled holes, laser head glowing blue in the background
Laser-engraved logo on a wood part
ProAutoTech gear and transistor emblem laser-engraved on an MDF sample
Laser engraving along the side of a long wood part

3D printing

  • Multi-color 3D printing: up to 16 colors on a single part
  • 3D printed prototypes and fixtures
  • From 3D model to printed part in-house
  • Large overhangs printed with tree supports
CAD 3D model of a star-shaped knob with a round shaft
The same star-shaped knob 3D printed in tan filament on the printer bed
3D printed part made at Production Automation Technology
Another angle of the same gray 3D print, with tree supports holding up a large overhang