Wexmar provides custom bracket machining for OEMs that need mounting brackets, sensor brackets, motor mounts, clevis brackets and support arms machined from solid stock. Our Canastota, New York shop produces CNC machined brackets on Mazak horizontal machining centers, holding hole positions and mounting faces that formed or welded brackets often cannot.
What brackets do and who buys them
A bracket locates and supports one component relative to another: a sensor to a frame, a motor to a base, a cylinder to a pivot, or a panel to a chassis. When the bracket sets alignment, such as a bearing or shaft location, an encoder position or an optical path, it is usually machined from solid rather than bent from sheet. Buyers include industrial machinery and automation builders, pump and fluid power OEMs, instrumentation and electrical companies, medical hardware suppliers, aerospace hardware programs and defense build-to-print contracts.
How we machine CNC brackets
Brackets are prismatic parts, and we machine them on our six Mazak horizontal machining centers: two FH4800s, a PFH4800, a Nexus 4000-II and two Nexus 5000-II machines. Each has a pallet changer and a 4th-axis rotary table. Fixturing several brackets on a tombstone lets us machine the top, sides and ends in one or two setups, so hole patterns on different faces stay in position relative to a common datum. That is the main advantage over a vertical mill, where each face is a separate clamping.
These are 3- and 4-axis machines. Brackets with compound angles are handled with angle plates or custom fixtures, and we will tell you at quote stage if a feature needs an extra operation. Round features such as pivot bosses or clevis pins are turned on our CNC lathes or Swiss machines. See horizontal CNC milling for more.
Bracket materials
- Aluminum: 6061-T6 for most brackets, 7075-T6 for higher strength, 5052 and MIC-6 plate for flatness.
- Steel: 1018, A36, 4140 pre-hard for load-bearing mounts.
- Stainless: 303, 304, 316 and 17-4 PH for washdown and outdoor service.
- Others: titanium for weight-critical parts, brass, and engineered plastics such as acetal and PEEK.
Critical bracket features and how we hold them
- Hole position: holes on multiple faces are machined from one datum in a single horizontal setup and verified on CMM.
- Mounting face flatness: we rough, release clamping, then finish to limit spring-back in thin sections.
- Perpendicularity between legs: both faces cut in the same setup by indexing the 4th axis.
- Slots and pockets: milled to width with controlled corner radii for clearance and adjustability.
- Threads: tapped or thread milled to UN 2B or metric 6H, with helical inserts on request.
Typical tolerances and finishes
| Feature | Typical tolerance | Tighter on request |
|---|---|---|
| Linear dimensions | ±0.005 in | ±0.001 in |
| Hole true position | 0.005 in | 0.001 in |
| Reamed hole diameter | ±0.0005 in | ±0.0003 in |
| Mounting face flatness | 0.002 in | 0.0005 in |
| Perpendicularity between faces | 0.002 in | 0.001 in |
| Milled surface finish | 63 Ra | 32 Ra |
These are typical values for brackets of moderate size and wall thickness. Very thin sections move after release and may need an adjusted process, which we note in the quote.
Secondary operations
Anodizing, chem film, powder coat, paint, zinc plating, black oxide and passivation are done through qualified outside processors. Welded or formed sheet metal brackets are not made in-house; if your design mixes machined and fabricated features, we can arrange the fabrication through outside processors and machine the critical surfaces after. Insert installation, deburring and part marking are done in-house.
Quantity patterns
Bracket programs range from 1 to 10 prototypes during design to production lots of 100 to 1,000. Tombstone fixtures let us load many brackets per pallet, which lowers per-piece cost at production volumes, and our second shift keeps pallets running.
Inspection
Hole positions, flatness and perpendicularity are measured on our Brown & Sharpe CMMs. Reamed holes are checked with pin gages and threads with go/no-go plugs. AS9102-format first article inspection, CMM reports and material certifications are available. See inspection and quality.
Getting a quote
Send a drawing and STEP model with material, finish and quantity. You can upload a drawing for an instant estimate, and an estimator will confirm price and lead time. Or call (315) 400-2654. Related: plates and base plates.