r/CNCmachining

I am currently working for a new start up location in TN while our support is in Pittsburgh. We are the 12th location for this company so we have been following tooling protocol form Pittsburgh themselves.
Recently we have been looking for a tool supplier/brands that are a little more local (current tools are an 8.5 hr drive from PA to us in TN). Therefore emergency packages overnight are expensive, time consuming if they even have them in stock..
Mitsubishi met all of our expectations and then some, however, their pricing is on the high side (we got 400 minutes and roughly 3,000 holes with a 9.3mm solid carbide drill).
Currently CGS is in our shop quoting for us. Our purchasing team from upper management is telling us that CGS tooling is the ‘Temu of tooling’ while everything I can find online looks to be reputable, dependable and materially efficient.
Has anyone used CGS tooling before? Should we stay away from them and bite the pricing bullet with Mitsubishi? Any other brands that you recommend (Solid Carbide preferred) would be helpful as well!

Applications: We drill, tap and mill flat plate for construction equipment. The material is typically A36 with some pickled options. Thickness is 30mm down to 12mm plates. Thanks in advance!

Hey guys,

I work in the CNC machining and custom parts sourcing space, and I’m currently looking to partner with CNC component manufacturers here in China.

I’ve been stuck on a few questions and would love to hear everyone’s real-world thoughts:

First off, is an in-person factory visit even necessary these days?
We can do video calls, check samples, review documents and photos online already. Is spending time and money to fly out and tour the factory really worth it?

Secondly, if I do go visit, what’s the typical process like?
And what are the key areas and details I absolutely need to inspect carefully while I’m there?

Also, are there any other hidden points or things most people overlook when vetting Chinese CNC factories in person?

Really appreciate any shared experience, tips, or honest opinions from anyone who’s done this before. Thanks a ton!

Maybe a stupid but just curious. There are probably machines who can do this but if it's cheaper using robotic arms, is this a viable solution?

What’s up guys,

I’m a CNC machinist and got tired of constantly digging through notes, forums, or guessing on setups—especially on jobs that shouldn’t take that long to figure out.

So I built something called SetupAI.

It’s basically like having a master machinist in your pocket. You can ask it stuff like:

• “What speeds/feeds should I run on 4140 with a 1/2” carbide endmill?”
• “Best way to fixture this weird part?”
• “Why am I getting chatter on this cut?”
• “Safe tool stickout for this setup?”

It also helps with:

• Setup planning from prints
• Tooling suggestions
• Troubleshooting
• Machine maintenance questions

I’m not trying to sell anything hard here—I genuinely just want feedback from people actually in the trade.

If you had something like this on the shop floor…
what would you want it to do better than anything else?

I’ll drop the link if anyone wants to check it out.

https://setup-ai-go-1.replit.app/

Pushed a few updates to PureCutCNC this week — version 0.0.3 is out.


STL model operations are now in a first usable state — you can import a 3D model and get rough and finish toolpaths out of it. Still early but it works.


Recursive V-Carve got some attention too — smoother Z transitions through letters and fewer unnecessary retractions. Carving text should feel a bit cleaner now.


Added rest machining for edge routes, so you can follow up a first pass with a smaller tool on what's left.


GrblHAL is now a supported post-processor export target.


There were also a handful of UI improvements and fixes along the way — nothing dramatic, just things that were a bit rough around the edges getting tidied up.


Lots still to do, but making steady progress. Feedback always welcome.

https://purecutcnc.github.io

https://reddit.com/link/1t43o2g/video/xx2ap2xkl8zg1/player

Hi, everyone, it's Winnie here. I'm a BD manager from a direct factory.
We manufacture custom mechanical parts mainly for north America and Europe. We have dedicated in this industry for over 20 years with ISO certifications for 14001,9001,13485.
We provide CNC machining, injection molding, vacuum casting, sheet metal, surface treatment, 3D printing and etc.
We have solid experience working with product companies from instrumentation, aquaculture, medical, factory automation, automotive industries and etc., and also cooperate with design companies.
If you're looking for direct factory supporting low MOQ and one-stop service, welcome DM me.

https://preview.redd.it/zn3h00k4q9yg1.jpg?width=7893&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4db49c08ef6672a82d8b4da848882ea6aa1ece22