Last quarter we took on a batch of 500 aluminum 6061-T6 mounting brackets for an aerospace subcontractor out of Wichita. The parts called for ±0.002″ tolerances on the bolt hole pattern and a couple of tight-fit bores, so we ran them on our Haas VF-2 with a custom fixture to hold six parts per cycle.
Cycle time came out to about 8 minutes per part once we dialed in the feeds and speeds. We used a 3-flute carbide end mill at 10,000 RPM with flood coolant the whole way through. Biggest challenge was keeping tool wear consistent across the full run — we ended up swapping inserts every 80 parts to stay inside tolerance.
Final inspection was done with a Mitutoyo CMM. All 500 parts passed first article. Customer was happy, and we’ve already got a follow-on order in the queue for Q2. If you’ve got a similar aluminum job, give us a call — we’re booking 4–6 weeks out right now.