When an engineer who had been a customer for precision grinding in the past reached out from his new role at an industrial optics company, it wasn’t just a friendly check-in— he had a critical challenge on his hands. The company had just landed a contract to produce a ruggedized sensor node for environmental monitoring drones. The cylindrical aluminum housings they designed required both ID and OD grinding to ensure exact alignment for sealed cable assemblies and internal electronics. The tolerances were tight, and the surface finish had to be flawless.
Precision Grinding Aluminium Housing with Tight Concentricity Requirements
The part in question was a cylindrical aluminum housing, approximately 6″ in length and 2.25″ in outer diameter. After rough machining and heat treatment, the housing required:
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- ID grinding over the full 6″ length, held to a tolerance of ±.0003″
- OD grinding concentric to the ID within .0005″
- Careful handling of thin-wall geometry, prone to flex under thermal or mechanical stress
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They had already worked with two other vendors—one struggled to control distortion after heat treatment, and the other couldn’t maintain consistent finish quality from batch to batch.
Duval’s process began with a deep dive into part geometry and material behavior. Our engineers designed a custom fixturing solution that stabilized the part during grinding without introducing internal stress. We also ran thermal compensation checks throughout the job, adjusting for even slight variances in part and ambient temperature to maintain exact measurements.
Where Precision Meets Partnership
We delivered a first article within four business days. After a collaborative review with the customer, we moved to full production, delivering the first lot of 200 pieces on schedule—each with full inspection data and a Certificate of Conformance. With grinding complete and alignment assured, their team advanced confidently to the next stage of assembly.
Why Engineers Keep Duval Precision Grinding in Their Toolkit
This wasn’t just a returning customer. It was a reminder of why engineers continue to rely on Duval—not only for precision grinding, but for the problem-solving partnership that comes with it. When tolerances are tight and performance matters, our customers know we’ll get the job done right.
Whether you’re developing next-generation technology or troubleshooting a manufacturing challenge, Duval Precision Grinding is ready to help. Our team specializes in tight-tolerance precision grinding for complex geometries and critical applications—backed by responsive service, transparent communication, and proven results.
Consistency is just what we do.
Contact us to discuss your project and learn why engineers choose Duval Precision Grinding—time after time, part after part.