QuotedPartCost guides · Updated 2026-10-30
How much does Swiss machining cost per part?
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Swiss machining can be expensive at low volume because its setup and programming are substantial, then become attractive when the bar-fed cycle repeats. This example uses a 2.5-inch pin with two cross holes, a $110/hour Swiss center, and a 120-minute setup. Quantities 100, 1,000, and 10,000 expose the threshold rather than hiding it in a generic unit price.
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What Swiss is buying you
The workholding is slender enough to benefit from guide-bushing support and includes two cross holes that can use live tooling. The pricing model's Swiss process template assigns a higher setup time and a dedicated work-center rate, then prices each repeat cycle from the geometry and 303 machinability input.
Swiss is not automatically cheaper because the part is small. The route has to recover setup, bar loading, tooling, and programming over enough pieces.
- Confirm guide-bushing and bar diameter requirements.
- Check whether cross holes are actually live-tool operations.
- Include cutoff and remnant handling in the route review.
Why quantity changes the answer
At 100 pieces, the 120-minute setup is still meaningful per part. At 10,000 pieces, it is nearly invisible beside the repeated cycle and material. The table shows the lot quote so a buyer can compare a real order total, not just a headline unit price.
A conventional lathe may win for a prototype or short run even if its cycle is slower. A shop should compare both routes with the same material, features, inspection, and secondary operations.
- Use a break-even quantity instead of a blanket rule.
- Compare bar cost and cutoff waste.
- Ask whether the buyer can release a blanket order.
Tolerances and secondary work
The example assumes a ±0.0005 inch diameter tolerance and no plating, heat treat, or secondary milling. Real medical or precision parts may need deburr standards, passivation, inspection records, or a second operation. Those requirements can remove the apparent Swiss advantage.
Keep those operations as dated, priced lines. If the outside vendor charges a lot minimum, apply it to the lot instead of spreading a guessed amount across each part.
- Confirm datum and inspection strategy.
- Name the finish and its lot minimum.
- Measure the first run and replace illustrative cycle time.
Use the result as an estimator's starting point
For this swiss machining cost per part at 100, 1,000, and 10,000 example, an estimator can challenge every swiss turning input. Replace this fictional geometry with the customer's STEP file or drawing, then replace the catalog stock price, work-center rate, setup minutes, and markup with the shop's current swiss lathe values.
Keep the lot setup visible when you send this quote for swiss machining cost per part at 100, 1,000, and 10,000. Confirm stock form, material condition, tolerances, inspection, deburr, and outside-process timing before promising a ship date. If one of those inputs changes, rerun the calculation and show the buyer what moved.
- Show both unit and lot totals.
- Label illustrative values clearly.
- Have the estimator review access, tooling, and first-piece risk.
Engine output for a small Swiss-turned pin
- • Material: Stainless 303; the US catalog input is $6.24/lb and machinability 0.40 relative to 6061-T6.
- • Process: Swiss turning; the pricing model includes CAM programming, Swiss turn, Live tooling, 2 features, OD grind, Deburr, Inspect and calculates the quantities shown.
- • Geometry: 2.5 × 0.5 × 0.5 in; Fictional slender pin with two cross holes; Swiss live tooling is included in the route comparison.
- • Markup: 30% catalog default. Taxes, freight, customer-specific rates, and unlisted outside services are excluded.
- • Every dollar and minute in the table is a reproducible example from the stated inputs, not a market average or supplier promise.
| Quantity | Setup min (lot) | Run min (part) | Material / part | Machine + labor / part | Outside / part | Quoted / part | Lot quote | Lead days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 207.8 | 2.3 | $1.14 | $3.71 | $0.00 | $10.91 | $1091.00 | 12 |
| 1000 | 207.8 | 2.3 | $0.88 | $2.54 | $0.00 | $4.91 | $4910.00 | 15 |
| 10000 | 207.8 | 2.3 | $0.88 | $2.13 | $0.00 | $3.97 | $39700.00 | 25 |
Sources and limits
Claims are dated where they can change. Product calculations are examples from the stated inputs, not a promise about a customer's quote. Competitor wording is attributed to the source shown.
- The stock price input is taken from the US catalog, which records an Online Metals check on 2026-10-21. — source (checked 2026-10-21)
Questions
Is this a guaranteed 303 stainless steel quote?
No. It is a transparent estimating example. Replace the example inputs with the customer's drawing, stock quote, current shop rates, and inspection or finish requirements.
Why does quantity change the unit price?
Setup and programming are lot costs. The pricing calculation spreads those costs across the stated quantity and keeps the per-part run time and material inputs visible.
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