CNC turning · Binh Duong, Vietnam
CNC turning in Vietnam: bar and tube parts, turned to gauge — not just to print.
Saola Manufacturing turns bushings, caps, inserts, shafts and threaded fittings at its lead CNC plant in Binh Duong for buyers sourcing CNC machining in Vietnam, on conventional CNC lathes from bar and tube stock; zinc plating or chromate is applied by partner plants. We check thread fit with go/no-go gauges before a lot ships, not after a customer complains. We do not run Swiss-type (sliding-headstock) machines, and parts that need heavy off-axis milling go to CNC milling.
- CNC lathes
- 9
- Conventional CNC lathes at our lead plant
- Hours
- 48
- Quote returned from your drawing
- RMS
- 125
- Standard as-machined surface finish
- Grades
- 7
- Bar and tube materials running today
01 — What we actually run
Small, round, and made in volume.
Our turning work is bar and tube parts under roughly 40 mm in diameter, made thousands at a time. If a part needs heavy off-axis milling or pocketing, we route it to CNC milling instead of forcing it onto a lathe.
Typical parts
Bushings, spacers, caps, inserts, shafts, eccentric rings and threaded fittings. Jobs run on conventional CNC lathes from bar and tube stock; we do not run sliding-headstock (Swiss-type) machines. On a long, thin shaft, tell us the length-to-diameter ratio early — a part held from a chuck needs support to stay straight.
Features we cut routinely: straight and diamond knurling, ANPT and NPT threads gauged to ANSI/ASME B1.20.1, on-center drilling, grooves and chamfers. Cross holes and flats go to the CNC milling cell as a second operation.
Turned fittings that will touch drinking water? See which lead-free brass grades work for NSF 61 and NSF 372 water parts.
Moving a turned part from China? Compare Vietnam vs China CNC machining, then read how to vet a CNC machining supplier in Vietnam.
Wondering whether a part needs a Swiss-type lathe? See Swiss machining vs a CNC lathe. Turning aluminum bar? Read what to specify for aluminum CNC machining, and what drives CNC machining cost.
Turned parts by industry: bushings and shafts for machine tool and industrial equipment, and caps, plugs and inserts for gas and water distribution. Moving a turned part out of China? Read how US tariffs and country of origin apply to cast and machined parts.
02 — Process parameters
What we hold, and what we run it in.
One table, no adjectives. If a spec below is not enough for your drawing, tell us before tooling starts.
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
| Turned-feature tolerance | Confirmed against your drawing in the written quote |
| Thread standard | ANPT and NPT to ANSI/ASME B1.20.1, gauge-checked |
| Surface finish, as-machined | 125 RMS |
| Secondary feature | Straight and diamond knurling |
| Bar materials | Steel 52100, C1117, 12L14 · aluminum 2011-T3, 6061-T6 · silicon bronze |
| Tube material | ASTM A513 DOM steel tube, for parts that are hollow through their length |
| Finishes applied after turning | Electroplating, zinc plating, RoHS-compliant blue trivalent chromate, anodizing on aluminum, oil-dip rust protection, applied by partner plants |
| Machines at the lead CNC plant | 12 machining centers and 9 CNC lathes, with EDM, welding and polishing alongside |
| Volumes we are set up for | Recurring production parts, from a few thousand into the hundreds of thousands a year; not a prototype shop |
| Inspection records you receive | A first-article report against every toleranced dimension, then a dimensional record with each lot |
| Where each step is done | Turning, thread gauging and second-op milling at our lead CNC plant · finishing at a partner plant; the quote names the production site and origin |
03 — Take cost out of the drawing
Five changes that lower a turned-part quote.
None of these change what the part does. They change how long it sits in the machine and how much gets thrown away.
1. Specify a standard thread, not a custom pitch
ANPT or NPT to ANSI/ASME B1.20.1 uses gauges we already own. A custom thread form means a custom gauge set — an added cost that shows up in your unit price, not as a separate line.
2. Hold tight tolerance only where the part actually mates
Every dimension you call out at a tight tolerance adds inspection time. Leave non-functional diameters at commercial tolerance and we cut cycle time and scrap together. How a general note such as ISO 2768-mK sets that default is explained in the ISO 2768 and NADCA tolerance guide.
3. Design within a standard bar diameter
Bar turning is most efficient when the part fits inside a standard bar diameter. A part that needs a large-diameter flange on one end of a long, thin shaft wastes stock and forces a slower setup — split it into two parts if the assembly allows.
4. Standardize the knurl across a part family
Every knurl pitch change is a tool change. If your family has three similar parts, one shared knurl pitch keeps them running back to back instead of resetting the machine between them.
5. Pick bar stock over tube unless you need the bore
ASTM A513 DOM tube is the right call when the part is genuinely hollow through its length. If it only looks hollow on one end, a drilled bar is usually cheaper than qualifying a second raw-material stream.
04 — Where this is the wrong process
What turning does not do here.
Not for heavy prismatic features or five-axis work
A lathe cuts round features fast and cheap. It is the wrong tool for deep pockets, off-axis holes at odd compound angles, or anything that needs simultaneous five-axis motion — we do not offer that, on this process or any other.
On very small runs we are not competitive on a turned part; the setup and gauging time does not amortize. Say so on the drawing and we will tell you honestly instead of quoting a number that will not survive a second RFQ round.
05 — One supplier, one PO
A turned part rarely ships bare.
Most turned bushings and shafts leave the lathe and go to a partner plant for finishing, or get paired with a cast body from the same order.
Surface finishing
Zinc plating or RoHS trivalent chromate applied by a partner plant, same part number, same PO.
See the finish menuDie casting
A turned bushing or shaft pressed into a die-cast housing, delivered as one assembly.
See die castingCNC milling
When a turned part also needs an off-axis flat, hole or slot, it moves to a machining center at the same lead CNC plant.
See CNC milling
Who is this a good fit for?
Industrial buyers in the United States and Europe who order the same parts from drawings again and again, at annual volumes from a few thousand into the hundreds of thousands. Every quote names the production site and the country of origin, the first article is measured against every toleranced dimension, and each lot ships with a dimensional record. One-off prototypes are a better fit for a prototype shop.
Do your lathes have live tooling?
No. On the lathe we drill on center, groove, knurl and cut threads. Cross holes, flats and any off-axis milled feature move to a machining center at the same lead CNC plant as a second operation, on one PO.
What is your minimum order for a turned part?
It is set per part, depending on cycle time and material, and confirmed in the written quote. If your volume is too low for the setup and gauging cost to amortize, we will tell you that up front.
Can you match a thread spec from an existing supplier?
If it is ANPT or NPT to ANSI/ASME B1.20.1, yes — we gauge to that standard as a matter of course. For a proprietary thread form, send the print and we will tell you honestly whether it is worth tooling for your volume.
CNC turning and milling guides
Send a turned-part drawing. See what comes back.
STEP or PDF. You get a unit price at your volume, the lead time, and a short note on anything we would change to take cost out — within 48 hours.