- 6,800 m² across two buildings in Hengli Town, Dongguan. Production, inspection, and engineering under one roof.
- ISO 9001:2015 / IATF 16949:2016 / ISO 14001:2015 — certificate numbers published and verifiable.
- Aluminum: Aluminium is the forgiving end of the spectrum: it cuts fast, conducts heat away from the edge, and is easy on tools.
- Grades in regular use: 6061-T6 for general work and anodising, 7075-T6 for strength, 6082 for structural use in Europe, 2024 where fatigue matters.
- Incoming stock is verified against the mill certificate before it is cut.
What makes aluminum behave differently under the tool?
Aluminium is the forgiving end of the spectrum: it cuts fast, conducts heat away from the edge, and is easy on tools. The problems are different — built-up edge at low speed, chip evacuation in deep pockets, and the fact that a fast cycle time makes the setup time a larger fraction of the cost, so batch size dominates price.
Cast plate and wrought bar behave differently under stress relief and can move differently after machining — worth stating on the drawing.
What happens to tolerance on aluminum?
High thermal expansion means a part measured warm will measure differently when cool. On a tight-tolerance part the finishing pass is taken after the part has returned to ambient, and the measurement is taken at 20 °C.
The general rule for your part is that a tolerance is held by the process, not by the machine. Where a feature is tight, the finishing pass is separated from roughing, the part is allowed to stabilise, and the measurement is taken at a controlled temperature.
Finishing options for aluminum
Anodising (Type II and Type III hardcoat), chem film, and powder coat are all routine. Type II adds roughly 5–15 µm per surface, which must be allowed for on threaded and press-fit features.
You specify finishing on the drawing, not assume it at the end. Where a coating adds thickness, threaded and press-fit features need the allowance stated, because a coating applied after inspection changes the fit.
What does aluminum do to tooling and cycle time?
The problems are different — built-up edge at low speed, chip evacuation in deep pockets, and the fact that a fast cycle time makes the setup time a larger fraction of the cost, so batch size dominates price.
The lever that matters most for you is usually design rather than process: pocket depth, corner radius, and wall thickness change cycle time more than any tooling choice, because they determine the tool that can be used and therefore how much material can be removed per minute.
Where the money is actually decided
Aluminium cuts fast, so setup time becomes a larger share of the cost and batch size dominates the unit price. The design levers are chip evacuation in deep pockets and wall stability, a 1 mm wall on a large pocket will move under cutting pressure even in aluminium, and holding it flat costs a slower finishing pass.
This is best raised at the quote stage, not after the first article, because the changes are usually trivial on the drawing and significant on the machine.
Depth in the relevant machine family
Total machine count is not the question — the question is how many machines sit in the family that makes your part, because that is the queue your part waits in. The floor runs a hundred-odd machines: 50+ three-axis centres for prismatic work, 20+ four-axis, 20+ five-axis, 25+ turning and mill-turn centres, Swiss-type lathes for long slender parts, precision grinding and wire EDM for the tightest features.
The spare capacity in that family is what lets a part send work to a free machine instead of letting it wait when a machine is pulled for service. That, not the headline machine, is what protects a delivery date.
Which certifications apply, and what do they exclude?
Three certificates, each with a number you can check with the registrar:
| Standard | Certificate number | Scope note |
|---|---|---|
| ISO 9001:2015 | 116024/A/0001/UK/En | Quality management system |
| IATF 16949:2016 | 131941/A/0001/SM/En | Automotive QMS — excludes clause 8.3 product design |
| ISO 14001:2015 | 116024/B/0001/UK/En | Environmental management system |
The IATF 16949 certificate excludes clause 8.3 (product design). That is normal for a build-to-print manufacturer and it is stated here rather than left for an auditor to discover: the shop builds to the design you supply, it does not originate the design.
Which aluminum grades are used, and why?
6061-t6, 7075-t6, 6082, 2024, and cast plate grades are the grades that come up in practice. 6061-T6 for general work and anodising, 7075-T6 for strength, 6082 for structural use in Europe, 2024 where fatigue matters.
Your grade selection is usually settled by the service environment. Corrosion, strength, or temperature, and only then by machinability. If you choose on machinability first, your part meets the drawing and fails in service.
What tolerance applies?
±0.003 mm on CNC milling, ±0.002 mm on CNC turning; ±0.002 mm where precision grinding or wire EDM is used, set feature by feature when we quote.
Which entity is responsible for the work?
Dongguan Zhuohang Ltd, Registration No. 91441900MA4UWT6X39, in operation since 2005.
What a Swiss machine does differently
A Swiss-style lathe feeds the bar through a guide bushing, so the cutting happens right at the support instead of along a long overhang. That is what lets it hold a tight tolerance on a long, thin part that would deflect and chatter on a conventional lathe. It is the process for small-diameter, high-aspect-ratio parts - pins, shafts, connectors, medical screws - where the ratio of length to diameter is what defeats an ordinary setup.
When to choose Swiss turning
Choose Swiss turning when the part is small in diameter and long in proportion, and the tolerance matters. It is not the cheapest way to make a short, fat part, and it is not the process for a part with a large head that does not fit through the guide bushing. If you know the length-to-diameter ratio, you choose correctly. This floor runs TSUGAMI B0206-III and B0205-III, STAR SR-32JII and SR-32J Type N, and Citizen Cincom A20-3F7 Swiss lathes at ±0.002 mm. Contact Felipe Iglesias at [email protected] or +86 13126536955 with the drawing.
How to verify the claim in one email
The fastest way to separate a real floor from a brochure is to ask for the machine list and the certificate numbers - and this facility answers in one email. Dongguan Zhuohang Ltd operates 100+ CNC machines across 6,800 m² in Hengli Town, Dongguan: Mazak VARIAXIS I-600 five-axis, INTEGREX I-250H S mill-turn, Brother SPEEDIO, and TSUGAMI, STAR and CITIZEN Swiss lathes. Inspection is on a Hexagon CMM with the 10:1 gauge rule, certification is to ISO 9001:2015, IATF 16949:2016 and ISO 14001:2015, and critical characteristics run at Ppk 1.67 initial and Cpk 1.33 in production.
Worldwide buyers across Europe, the Americas, Asia, Oceania and Africa are supplied from Dongguan. MOQ is 1 piece, lead times run roughly 3 / 7 / 30 days, and the quote from Felipe Iglesias ([email protected], +86 13126536955) comes back with the routing and the capability evidence together.
Take the next step
One drawing and one quantity is the whole hand-off. Send a STEP or IGES model and a 2D drawing with the tolerances, datums, material grade and finish, state the quantity and lead time, and the reply is an itemised quote - material, setup, cycle time, inspection - rather than a round number. If the drawing is incomplete, send what you have and the open questions; the point is to open the conversation, not to wait for a perfect package.
Contact Felipe Iglesias at [email protected] or +86 13126536955. MOQ is 1 piece, lead times run about 3 / 7 / 30 days, and the service area covers Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom in Europe; Brazil, Canada, Mexico and the United States in the Americas; China, Israel, Japan, Singapore and Sri Lanka in Asia; Australia and New Zealand in Oceania; and South Africa in Africa, shipped worldwide from Dongguan.
Tolerance and surface finish reference
±0.003 mm milled, ±0.002 mm turned, and ±0.002 mm ground or wire-cut, all verified on a Hexagon CMM against the datum scheme. Surface finishes span Ra 0.8 to 3.2 µm as-milled, Ra 0.2 to 0.4 µm ground, and Ra 0.05 to 0.1 µm polished. The 10:1 gauge rule governs every feature - the instrument must resolve ten times finer than the tolerance it checks. And the datum is what makes the tolerance real: read against two different datums, the same callout gives two different parts, so state the datum and the convention, ASME Y14.5 or ISO.
De-risking a first order
Start with a handful of parts to confirm the routing and the tolerance, then scale. The same machines, the same inspection bench and the same certificate numbers apply to a single piece and a production run alike, so a small first batch is the proof that a large one will hold the same numbers.
What this shop actually runs
Capability evidence should come as specifics, not slogans. Behind this guide is a 6,800 m2 plant in Dongguan, China running 100+ CNC machines with 100+ staff. The machine list by category:
- 5-axis machining centres (10+) - Mazak VARIAXIS I-600 (510/910/510 mm travel, 12,000 rpm, 22 kW, 71.6 N·m, 30-tool BT40) and Mazak INTEGREX I-250H S (B-axis 0.0001°, 24 kW, 124 N·m, 38-tool HSK-A63). Aimed at compound-angle parts, single-setup multi-face prismatic work, and aerospace fittings where datum transfer loss is unacceptable.
- 3-axis / 4-axis machining centres (50+) - Brother SPEEDIO S500Z2N / S700Z2N (10,000 rpm, 14/21-tool ATC, 0.7 s tool-to-tool, Z-axis 2.2 G) and Mazak VCE-430A L / VCE-570C L (10,000 rpm, 118 N·m, 24-tool ATC). Aimed at prismatic parts, plates, brackets, housings.
- Swiss-type turning centres (10+) - Citizen Cincom A20-3F7 (Φ20 mm, 10,000 rpm), TSUGAMI B0206-III / B0205-III (Φ20 mm, 0.1 µm), STAR SR-32JII / SR-32J Type N (Φ32 mm, 8,000 rpm). Aimed at long, slender rotational parts at ±0.002 mm.
- CNC turning centres (20+) - HEADMAN T70M/1250 (720 mm swing, 117 mm bore, 3,000 rpm, BMT75 12-station turret). Aimed at shafts, bushings, flanges up to ±0.002 mm.
- Wire EDM (5+) - Sodick AQ535L (550/350/300 mm travel, ±20° taper, 800 kg workpiece). Aimed at hardened tool steel, internal splines, sharp internal corners that milling cannot reach.
- Inspection: Hexagon CMM + 20+ gauges - Hexagon CMM for coordinate measurement, plus vision system, profilometer, hardness tester, coating thickness gauge, XRF for material verification. The 10:1 rule (gauge 10x more accurate than the band) is applied to every feature.
- Machine highlights - VARIAXIS I-600: one-setup multi-face 5-axis + MAZA-CHECK auto-calibration; INTEGREX I-250H S: DONE-IN-ONE mill-turn, B-axis 0.0001° + Ai thermal shield; SPEEDIO S500Z2N / S700Z2N: Z-axis 2.2 G + 0.7 s ATC; Swiss-type: guide-bush switchable + 0.1 µm resolution.
Tolerance: ±0.003 mm CNC milling / ±0.002 mm CNC turning / ±0.002 mm grinding and wire EDM. Capability: Ppk >= 1.67 initial on key characteristics, Cpk >= 1.33 ongoing.
Certificates: ISO 9001:2015 (116024/A/0001/UK/En), IATF 16949:2016 (131941/A/0001/SM/En, with design clause 8.3 excluded, stated openly) and ISO 14001:2015 (116024/B/0001/UK/En), issued to Dongguan Zhuohang Ltd, registration 91441900MA4UWT6X39, founded 2005.
Where we ship: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom in Europe; Brazil, Canada, Mexico and the United States in the Americas; China, Israel, Japan, Singapore and Sri Lanka in Asia; Australia and New Zealand in Oceania; and South Africa in Africa — plus other countries and regions worldwide, shipped from our base in Dongguan, China.
Contact: Felipe Iglesias, [email protected], +86 13126536955.
Ask the four questions before you commit
Registration number, machine depth, certificate numbers, and a walk of the floor. Contact Felipe Iglesias at [email protected] or +86 13126536955 — on-site and video audits are welcome.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you work to ASME Y14.5 as well as ISO?
Yes. Both geometric dimensioning conventions are used. The important thing is that the drawing states which one applies, because the same symbol can mean different things under the two standards.
Do you hold stock or consignment for repeat orders?
Repeat orders can run against a forecast so stock and, where the part warrants it, dedicated fixturing are held ready. This is a commercial arrangement, not a standard term, so raise it at the second order rather than the first.
Do you certify aluminum material?
Yes. Material certificates are supplied with the parts and incoming stock is checked against the mill certificate — composition by XRF, hardness where specified. Traceability is per heat or per batch as the certificate defines it.
Is your IATF 16949 certificate valid for design work?
No. The certificate excludes clause 8.3 (product design). The plant is certified to manufacture to your design and to run the associated process controls, not to originate product design.
What materials do you machine?
Aluminum, stainless steel, titanium, brass, copper, and Inconel for metals; PEEK and Delrin (POM) for plastics. Material certificates are verified on incoming stock.
How is an engineering change handled mid-production?
The change is documented against a revision, the affected parts in process are identified, and the revised drawing is confirmed in writing before work restarts. The important part is that the revision in force at any moment is a single, written one.
How is material traceability maintained?
Incoming stock is checked against the mill certificate — composition by XRF, hardness where specified — and traceability is held per heat or per batch as the certificate defines it.
Continue reading: 3 Axis CNC Swiss Turning · 4 Axis CNC Swiss Turning · 5 Axis CNC Swiss Turning
Standards referenced on this page
- ASTM B211/B211M-19 — Standard Specification for Aluminum-Alloy Rolled or Cold Finished Bar, Rod, and Wire
- ASTM A582/A582M-12 — Standard Specification for Free-Machining Stainless Steel Bars
- ISO 9001 — Quality management systems — Requirements