Custom CNC parts
CNC Machined Bushings & Sleeves
Bore-first turned components for controlled clearance, wear and alignment.
Direct answer
Custom bushings and sleeves are normally turned from bar or tube, then finished around the functional bore. Material choice is driven by shaft pairing, lubrication, load, corrosion and whether the bushing is sacrificial; fit and wall thickness must be evaluated together because thin rings can move after parting.
Typical applications
- Plain bearing and pivot bushings
- Seal and bearing sleeves
- Hydraulic and pneumatic spacers
- Electrical and thermal isolation sleeves
Recommended manufacturing route
- 01
Select solid bar or tube based on bore size, wall and batch quantity.
- 02
Rough and finish the functional bore before controlling the outside diameter.
- 03
Part off with allowance for face finishing and distortion control.
- 04
Inspect bore, wall, length and fit in a temperature-stable condition.
Controls to put on the drawing
| Control | Quote guidance |
|---|---|
| Fit class | State the mating shaft size and intended clearance or interference, not only the bushing diameter. |
| Wall thickness | Thin walls can relax after parting; avoid unsupported tight cylindricity unless function needs it. |
| Lubrication | Define grooves, holes and permitted edge breaks without creating dirt traps. |
| Press installation | Provide housing material, bore and installation method so interference is reviewed as a system. |
Recommended materials
Phosphor Bronze C510
Wear and bearing behavior for loaded sliding interfaces.
Brass C360 (Free-Machining)
Fast machining for moderate-duty bushings and instrument sleeves.
POM (Delrin / Acetal)
Low friction and low mass for dry or lightly loaded mechanisms.
Stainless Steel 304
Corrosion-resistant sleeves where galling is addressed by the mating pair.
Related processes
CNC Turning
Live-tooling lathes for shafts, pins, bushings and threaded fittings up to Ø406 mm.
Swiss-Type Machining
Sliding-headstock lathes for small, slender, high-precision turned parts from Ø1 mm.
Surface Grinding
Abrasive finishing for flatness, parallelism and tight thickness control on hardened parts.
Production Machining
Dedicated fixturing, in-process CMM and SPC documentation for repeatable volume runs.
Compatible finishes
Inspection scope to define in the RFQ
- Air gauge, bore gauge or CMM measurement appropriate to the tolerance
- Wall-thickness and concentricity verification
- Functional go/no-go or mating-part fit check when supplied
Related engineering guides
CNC Machined Bushings & Sleeves buyer questions
01Should I specify the bushing bore or the required running clearance?
Provide both the controlled bore and the mating-shaft information. Clearance depends on tolerance stack, temperature, lubrication and material expansion, so the nominal bore alone does not define function.
02Can very thin bushings be held round after parting?
They can be produced, but free-state roundness becomes sensitive to wall ratio, residual stress, clamping and measurement force. Agree the inspection condition before quoting.
03Can lubrication grooves and holes be included?
Yes. Supply groove geometry, edge-break requirements and the angular relationship of cross holes. Small intersections need an explicit burr-control requirement.
04Which material is best for a custom bushing?
There is no universal choice. Bronze suits many loaded sliding contacts, POM reduces friction and mass, brass machines efficiently, and stainless resists corrosion. Load, speed, shaft material, lubricant and environment decide.
Other custom CNC part families
CNC Machined Enclosures & Housings
One-piece housings with controlled datums, sealed interfaces and assembly-ready finishes.
CNC Machined Brackets & Mounts
Structural parts that keep interfaces aligned without carrying unnecessary mass.
CNC Machined Manifolds
Cross-drilled flow paths, clean intersections and sealing geometry controlled as one part.
CNC Machined Shafts & Pins
Turned geometry with bearing fits, threads and runout controlled from a common datum axis.
Have a part in mind?
Upload CAD or drawings. Eligible CNC work gets an instant estimate; other processes move to engineer review. NDA-protected from the first byte.
Start an RFQ