Five-Axis CNC Milled Stainless Steel Frame Base
Five-axis milled 316L stainless frame bases for robot joints, vision modules and lightweight gantries, with compound-angle lightening windows, 1.5 mm walls and mounting faces flat to 0.03 mm. The frame is machined from a solid block in one five-axis set-up, so window walls and mounting faces share a datum.
- Compound-Angle Windows
- Wall Held to 1.5 mm
- Faces Flat to 0.03 mm
- One Five-Axis Set-Up
*Send the mass target and the load path. Removing 60% of the blank is routine, but the wall that carries the load has to stay in the model, and only you know which one that is.
Five-Axis Frame Base Overview
A frame base exists to be stiff and light at the same time, which is a five-axis problem rather than a three-axis one. Windows that run at compound angles remove weight from the corners where it does nothing, but they cannot be cut with a three-axis approach without leaving a stepped wall or a sharp internal corner.
The blank is probed and set on a trunnion, then roughing and finishing run with the tool tilted so the flute engages the wall at a constant angle. That keeps the 1.5 mm wall from chattering, and it lets the window edges meet the mounting face in a radius instead of a burr that would have to be removed by hand.
316L Stainless Block
316L is specified for frames that see washdown or corrosive mist, and its work-hardening behaviour is manageable on a five-axis machine where the cut is continuous. It is heavy, which is why so much of the blank is removed.
7075-T6 Aluminium for Weight
7075-T6 is the alternative when the frame has to be light rather than corrosion resistant. At a third of the density it removes the same stiffness problem with far less machining time, but it needs anodizing and does not tolerate chlorides.
The material choice is a weight-and-environment trade. A stainless frame is chosen for washdown or magnetic reasons, an aluminium frame for inertia; both are machined the same five-axis way.
Five-Axis Frame Base Specifications
Five-axis machining data for stainless frame bases, with the wall, window and flatness values that decide stiffness after lightening.
| Specification | Machining Data | Specification | Machining Data |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product | Lightweight Frame Base for Robot and Vision Modules | Machining Process | 5-Axis Simultaneous CNC Milling |
| Material | 316L Stainless Steel Block | Profile Tolerance | ±0.03 mm on Window Edges |
| Envelope | 60 × 60 × 40 mm to 260 × 200 × 120 mm | Wall Thickness | 1.5 – 3 mm, Held ±0.1 mm |
| Window Geometry | Compound Angles 15° – 75°, Radiused Internal Corners | Mounting Face Flatness | 0.03 mm Across 150 mm |
| Mounting Holes | M3 to M8, Counterbored or Tapped, Both Sides | Hole Position | ±0.02 mm From Datum |
| Maximum Part Weight Removed | Up to 62% of the blank | Surface Finish | Ra 1.6 µm Faces, Ra 3.2 µm Window Walls |
| Access | Five-Axis Reach to All Faces Without Re-Clamping | Passivation | ASTM A967 Citric After Machining |
| Customization | Window Pattern, Angle Set, Boss Position, Marking | Lead Time | 10 – 12 Days (Prototype), 16 – 20 Days (Batch) |
| Inspection | CMM Scan vs Model, Wall Ultrasonic Check, Flatness | Packing | Foam Cradle, Bagged, Crated |
Key Features of Our Five-Axis Frame Bases
Lightened where the load does not run, left solid where it does.
Compound-Angle Windows
Windows are cut with the tool tilted on two axes, so the wall meets the face at a constant thickness and the frame loses weight without a stress-raising sharp corner.
1.5 mm Walls Without Chatter
Thin walls are finished with a constant engagement strategy and a support rib left in until the last pass, which keeps the wall from springing away from the cutter.
All Faces in One Set-Up
Mounting faces, dowel bores and window walls are cut without re-clamping, so the frame does not pick up the 0.02 to 0.05 mm shift that a second set-up introduces.
Scanned Against the Model
The finished frame is scanned on a CMM and compared with the CAD model, so wall thickness and window position are reported rather than assumed.
Have a frame that needs to lose half its weight?
Surface Finishes for Stainless Frame Bases
Heavy stock removal leaves a machined surface that needs passivation before it will resist corrosion, so the finish step is part of the process.
| Finish | Main Purpose | Finish | Main Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passivation | Restores corrosion resistance on 316L after heavy stock removal | Electropolishing | Bright window walls on visible frames |
| Glass Bead Blasting | Even matte face that hides the five-axis tool path | Vibratory Finishing | Rounds window edges before passivation |
| Laser Marking | Module ID and axis datum marks on the frame | Masked Passivation | Keeps dowel bores bare for press fits |
*Electropolishing removes 5 to 10 µm and slightly opens dowel bores. Frames with press-fit dowels are masked at the bore or the bore is finished after polishing.
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Five-Axis Machining Process for Frame Bases
Compound-angle windows are cut with the tool tilted, so the frame loses weight without gaining a single sharp internal corner.
01. Load Path and Mass Review
Check the model for walls below 1.5 mm, sharp internal corners and windows that cut the load path, and agree a mass target before any material is removed.
02. Blank Prep and Probing
Square the block, face the datum, then probe it on the trunnion so the five-axis program is referenced to the real blank rather than to a nominal size.
03. Rough and Finish Windows
Rough the windows with a stepped tool path, then finish with the tool tilted so the wall is cut at constant engagement and the floor blends into the face with a radius.
04. Faces, Bores and Passivation
Face the mounting surfaces, bore and tap the holes in the same set-up, then passivate the frame to restore the oxide layer on the machined walls.
05. Scan, Weigh and Pack
Scan the frame against the model, record the finished mass, check flatness on the mounting face, then pack in a foam cradle so the thin walls are not loaded in transit.
Send the frame model with the mass target and the mounting interface, and we will come back with a lightening pattern and a machining plan.
Five-Axis Frame Base FAQs
Between 45% and 62% on a typical robot or vision frame, depending on how much of the outer skin has to stay for mounting. Going beyond that usually means the walls are too thin to hold a thread or a dowel.
Because the window walls run at compound angles. A three-axis machine can only cut them with a stepped wall or a re-clamp, and both show up as a thickness variation that reduces stiffness exactly where the frame is loaded.
Yes, with a support rib left in place until the final pass and a constant-engagement finishing path. After machining, the wall is checked by ultrasonic thickness at six points per window.
0.03 mm across 150 mm, measured after passivation rather than before, because stress release during machining can move the face by a few hundredths.
Yes, if you send the interface drawing. Dowel bores and bolt patterns are cut from that datum in the same set-up as the windows, so the frame lands on the interface without shimming.
Ten to twelve days for a prototype including programming, five-axis machining, passivation and CMM scanning. Repeat batches run sixteen to twenty days depending on wall thickness and inspection scope.
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