When a component goes into a flight-critical assembly, “close enough” is not a specification. The aerospace and defense supply chain demands something far more exacting: parts that hit tolerances measured in ten-thousandths of an inch, produced repeatably, batch after batch, with full traceability from raw material to finished component. That standard is not aspirational at Kremin Inc.; it is the baseline.
Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Frankenmuth, Michigan, Kremin Inc. has spent more than four decades building the people, processes, and equipment required to serve the most demanding supply chains in the world. Today, as a member of the Threadlock Precision manufacturing platform, Kremin brings even greater capacity and geographic reach to aerospace and defense OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers who need a machining partner they can count on.
This post looks specifically at Swiss turning, one of the most capable and least understood processes in precision machining, and explains why it is ideally suited to the types of components that define modern aerospace and defense programs.
What Is Swiss Turning and Why Does It Matter for Aerospace?
Swiss-style CNC lathes were originally developed for the watchmaking industry in Switzerland, where the demand for tiny, incredibly precise components with complex features was, and still is, relentless. The defining feature of a Swiss lathe is the guide bushing, a precision sleeve that supports the workpiece immediately at the cutting zone. This dramatically reduces deflection, which means small-diameter, long parts can be machined to tolerances that would be impossible on a conventional lathe.
For aerospace and defense applications, this matters enormously. Think about the categories of parts these industries require: actuator pins, valve stems, fuel system fittings, fastener components, sensor housings, and guidance system hardware. Many of these parts share common characteristics: they are long relative to their diameter, they have complex geometry (threads, undercuts, milled flats, cross holes), and they must perform reliably under extreme thermal, mechanical, and pressure loads. Swiss turning was built for exactly this class of component.
At Kremin Inc., we operate eleven Swiss CNC lathes across five machine models, including Citizen and Star platforms, the gold standard in the Swiss turning industry. Our machines are capable of simultaneous turning, milling, drilling, and threading, which means complex multi-feature parts can be completed in a single setup. Fewer setups mean fewer opportunities for error, tighter feature-to-feature relationships, and faster cycle times.
AS9100D Certification: The Entry Fee for Serious Aerospace Work
Not every machine shop can walk into an aerospace supply chain. The AS9100D quality management standard exists specifically to define the minimum requirements for organizations supplying aviation, space, and defense components. It builds on ISO 9001:2015 and adds aerospace-specific requirements around risk management, first article inspection, configuration management, counterfeit parts prevention, and product traceability.
Kremin Inc. is AS9100D and ISO 9001:2015 certified. That certification is not a trophy on the wall; it reflects a live, audited quality management system that governs how we quote, plan, produce, inspect, and ship every part. Our internal quality team maintains calibrated inspection equipment, including CMMs (coordinate measuring machines), optical comparators, vision systems, and surface roughness testers. Every production job is backed by documented first article inspection reports, material certifications, and in-process inspection records.
For aerospace buyers, that means you are not just getting a machined part—you are getting a fully documented, traceable component with the quality evidence needed to satisfy your own internal quality and supply chain requirements.
Parts We Routinely Produce for Aerospace and Defense Programs
The breadth of components we machine for this sector reflects the versatility of our Swiss and CNC turning capabilities. Common aerospace and defense part families include:
- Actuation hardware: precision pins, clevises, and linkage components machined from titanium, 17-4 PH stainless steel, and Inconel to tight cylindricity and positional tolerances.
- Fluid system components: hydraulic and pneumatic fittings, valve bodies, and manifold components requiring thread integrity, surface finish, and pressure-tight geometry.
- Fasteners and threaded inserts: high-strength aerospace fasteners and locking inserts in materials ranging from A286 stainless to titanium alloy.
- Sensor and instrumentation housings: miniature enclosures and mounting hardware for flight-critical electronics, requiring dimensional stability across wide temperature ranges.
- Structural sub-components: brackets, standoffs, and precision spacers, where location accuracy and material certification are paramount.
Whether the end customer is an airframe manufacturer, a propulsion system integrator, a defense prime, or a Tier 1 supplier managing a complex component tree, Kremin has the processes, certifications, and experience to deliver.
From Prototypes Through Production: A Partner, Not Just a Vendor
One of the most common frustrations aerospace and defense buyers have with machine shops is the disconnect between the shop that wins the prototype work and the shop that can actually scale into production. At Kremin, the same team, the same equipment, and the same quality system handles your part from the first prototype through high-volume production runs. There is no handoff to a different cell, a different facility, or a different quality system. The process that produced your approved first article is the process that runs your production order.
We also understand the supply chain pressures that aerospace and defense programs operate under. Delivery performance matters as much as dimensional conformance; a perfect part that shows up late can shut down an assembly line or delay a program milestone. Our scheduling and capacity planning processes are built around on-time delivery, and our team is responsive when programs shift and priorities change.
The Threadlock Precision Advantage
Kremin Inc. is now part of Threadlock Precision, a precision machining platform that also includes J&F Machine in Cypress, California, and R&S Machining in St. Louis, Missouri. Together, the three facilities offer combined capacity, complementary capabilities, and geographic distribution that a standalone shop cannot match. For aerospace and defense OEMs managing complex, multi-site supply chains, Threadlock Precision represents a single-source relationship with the depth and redundancy that demanding programs require.
If you are sourcing precision-machined components for an aerospace or defense program and you are looking for a certified, experienced, and responsive manufacturing partner, we would welcome the conversation. Contact Kremin Inc. to request a quote or discuss your program requirements.