Wexmar offers custom bushing machining for equipment builders that need sleeves, flanged bushings, thrust washers and bearing liners made to their own drawings. We are a direct CNC shop in Canastota, New York, producing CNC machined bushings in bronze, steel, stainless and engineered plastics, from prototypes to repeat production.
What bushings do and who buys them
A bushing lines a bore to provide a replaceable wear surface, locate a shaft or pin, or reduce the clearance between two parts. Plain bearing bushings support rotating or oscillating shafts. Locating and drill bushings guide tools. Spacer sleeves set axial position. Our buyers are industrial OEMs in pumps, fluid power, power transmission and material handling, plus fixture builders, medical hardware suppliers and defense programs replacing worn or obsolete components.
Custom bushing machining process
Bushings are turned parts, and we choose the machine by size and quantity. Parts up to 32 mm diameter run on our four Maier MLK-32 Swiss-type machines with FMB bar feeders, which drill, bore, turn and part off in one cycle. Swiss machining keeps the ID and OD concentric because both are cut in the same chucking, and the machines can run lights-out for larger lots.
Larger bushings run on our Mazak and Doosan CNC lathes, including Nexus QT200, Nexus 250 and Nexus 450-II machines. Live tooling and Y-axis let us add oil holes, grease grooves, cross holes, flats and anti-rotation slots without a second setup. Twin-spindle work on the Multiplex 6300Y finishes the back face and chamfers in the same cycle. Bushings from tube or cored bar stock save material on thin-wall and large-bore parts. See Swiss machining and CNC turning for equipment details.
Materials
- Bronze: SAE 660 (C93200) bearing bronze, C95400 aluminum bronze and C86300 manganese bronze for high-load service.
- Steel: 12L14, 1018, 4140 and 52100 for hardened wear bushings.
- Stainless: 303, 316, 440C, 17-4 PH and Nitronic 50 for corrosion or galling resistance.
- Plastics: Delrin (acetal), nylon, PTFE, PEEK and UHMW for self-lubricating or non-conductive bushings.
- Others: brass, copper and high-nickel alloys on request.
Critical features and how we hold them
- Bore fit: bores are bored or reamed to size for running or sliding fits such as H7 or ANSI RC classes. We account for bore close-in after press fitting when the drawing specifies an installed ID.
- OD press fit: interference fits are held to tenths when needed, with centerless grinding available for steel and bronze ODs.
- Concentricity: ID and OD are finished in one setup whenever possible so wall thickness stays uniform.
- Flange squareness: the flange face is cut in the same chucking as the bore to hold perpendicularity.
- Grooves and oil holes: internal grease grooves and radial holes are located to the print with live tooling.
Typical tolerances and finishes
| Feature | Typical tolerance | Tighter on request |
|---|---|---|
| Bore ID | ±0.0005 in | ±0.0002 in |
| OD (press fit) | ±0.0005 in | ±0.0002 in (ground) |
| ID to OD concentricity | 0.001 in | 0.0005 in |
| Overall length | ±0.005 in | ±0.001 in |
| Flange face perpendicularity | 0.001 in | 0.0005 in |
| Bore surface finish | 32 Ra | 16 Ra |
Values are typical for metal bushings. Thin walls and plastics move more with temperature and clamping, so we review those callouts with you before we quote.
Secondary operations
Heat treat for hardened steel bushings, plating, black oxide, passivation and impregnation are handled through qualified outside processors. Where a hardened bushing needs a precision OD, we grind after heat treat on our centerless grinder. We can also supply bushings finish-reamed after installation in a mating housing we machine.
Quantity patterns
Bushings are often wear items, so orders tend to repeat. Common patterns are replacement lots of 10 to 100, production runs of several hundred to several thousand on Swiss machines, and scheduled releases against a blanket purchase order. We hold setups and programs so repeat orders go straight to production.
Inspection
Bores are checked with calibrated bore gages and plug gages, ODs with micrometers, and concentricity with indicators. Our Brown & Sharpe CMMs and Mitsubishi optical comparator verify groove location and profiles. AS9102-format first articles, material certs and lot traceability are available. See inspection and quality.
Getting a quote
Send your drawing with material, quantity and whether the ID is specified before or after installation. You can upload a drawing for an instant estimate as a PDF or STEP file, and an estimator will confirm the price. You can also call (315) 400-2654. Related parts: custom pins.