Swiss CNC machine shops run tight tolerances on small, complex parts. The bar stock you feed into the machine directly affects how those parts turn out. Bad stock means chatter, tool wear, and scrap rates that hurt your bottom line every shift.
Precision-ground bar stock solves that problem before the bar ever enters your machine. We’ve supplied Swiss shops and screw machine operations from our Palos Hills, IL, facility since 1970, and ground bar stock is always the starting point for consistent results.
How Precision Ground Bar Stock Gives Swiss CNC Shops a Real Production Advantage
Swiss screw machines work through a support point that keeps the bar stable during turning and is positioned very close to the cutting tool. When the bar diameter is inconsistent or the bar carries any bow, that support cannot do its job, and your tolerances suffer immediately.
Centerless grinding brings every bar to a consistent outside diameter with tight roundness and a clean surface finish along its full length. That consistency is what your machine needs, and that is what we deliver from our facility in Palos Hills, IL.
The Grades Swiss Machine Shops Depend On
Swiss shops produce drive shafts, axles, bolts, armatures, bushings, couplings, fasteners, and pump shafts. Each part starts as bar stock, and grade selection matters for every one of them. We stock 303, 304/304L, 316, 410, 416, 420, 17-4 PH, A286, and more on the stainless side to cover the full range of Swiss machine applications.
For carbon and alloy steel, we carry 12L14, 1144, 1144 Stressproof, 4130, 4140/4142, and additional grades across our inventory. Aluminum options include 2011-T3, 2024, 6061, and 7075 for shops running lighter components. Our full stainless lineup also includes 430, 440, 455, 13-8 PH, 15-5 PH, Duplex, Nitronic 60, and Monel 400.
Why Straightness Matters as Much as Surface Finish
A bar can have a clean surface and still carry enough bow to cause problems at the support point during turning. Straightness and surface finish are two separate requirements, and your production depends on both being correct before the bar enters your machine.
We run bars through precision straightening to eliminate bow before they ship. A straight bar feeds cleanly, stays supported correctly during the cut, and keeps your tool positioned where your program expects it. That straightness directly protects your dimensional consistency across a full production run.
What Centerless Grinding Delivers for Your Setup
Centerless grinding brings every bar to a consistent outside diameter with tight roundness and a clean surface finish from one end to the other. For Swiss shops, that end-to-end consistency makes cycle times predictable and setups repeatable across your full production volume.
We also offer OD grinding for outside diameter finishing, bar grinding and polishing for tight dimensional tolerance and precision roundness, and ground and polished round bar for applications where both geometry and surface condition must meet rigid requirements on every bar.
Pump Shaft Quality Bars for Critical Swiss Machine Components
Many parts produced on Swiss machines go into pumps, bearings, and fluid power assemblies. For those applications, we supply pump shaft quality bars ground to a super high degree of straightness to prevent vibration during high-speed machining. Diameter tolerance under 1 inch OD is +0 / -0.002 inch.
Minimum tensile strength is 100 KSI, and minimum yield strength is 75 KSI. Available grades are 316, 410, 420, and 17-4 PH, with inventory from 1/2 inch to 5 inches. When your finished part goes into a precision assembly, these specifications protect your quality at every stage.
TGP Steel When Straightness Requirements Are Most Demanding
Turned, ground, and polished steel, known as TGP, takes straightness further than standard ground bar. It combines turning, grinding, and polishing into a single product that delivers the highest level of dimensional straightness and accuracy we offer. TGP also responds well to heat treating for shops that need to adjust mechanical properties after machining.
TGP is suited to high-speed motor shafts, pump shafts, crankshafts, camshafts, and axle shafts. If your Swiss shop produces components for those applications, TGP bar stock is the right specification to start with and will support your quality requirements through the full production cycle.
Supporting Services Available With Your Bar Stock Order
We offer bar stock cutting to your exact specifications, bar chamfering for smoother indexing and easier loading, precision straightening, and custom packaging so bars arrive in the same condition they left our facility. Every service is designed to reduce the prep work your shop does before production starts.
For shops running thin-wall tubing, we grind thin-wall tubing using specialized machining methods built for those tolerance requirements. Combining bar stock supply with these services means fewer handoffs, less prep time on your floor, and material that is ready to run when it arrives.
Supplying Midwest Swiss Machine Shops Since 1970
We’re located at 8150 W 111th St, Palos Hills, IL, within easy reach of the manufacturing corridor covering Chicago, Orland Park, Oak Lawn, and Tinley Park. We’ve supplied some of the largest screw machine shops in the Midwest since 1970 and understand what Swiss shop operations need from a bar stock supplier.
Our team is available Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM. Call us at (800) 818-0822 or locally at (708) 880-7277. When you get in touch, give us your grade, diameter range, length requirements, and any additional services needed, and we’ll get your order moving.
FAQs
What grades work best for Swiss CNC machining?
We stock 303, 12L14, and 1144 for strong machinability results. For high-strength parts, 17-4 PH is a reliable option. Our team can help match the grade to your specific part requirements.
How is precision-ground bar stock different from standard bar for Swiss machines?
A standard bar can carry a diameter variation and bow. Precision-ground bar delivers consistent diameter, roundness, and clean surface finish that your machine support point requires to perform correctly.
Do you offer cutting and chamfering alongside bar stock supply?
Yes. We offer bar stock cutting to exact customer specifications and bar chamfering for smoother indexing. Both services are available alongside your bar stock order from our Palos Hills facility.
What tolerance do you hold on pump shaft quality bars under 1 inch OD?
We hold +0 / -0.002 inch diameter tolerance with 100 KSI minimum tensile strength and 75 KSI minimum yield strength on pump shaft quality bars under 1 inch OD.
