Above: The X-Series profi le machining center from C.R. Onsrud can saw workpieces, as well as mill, drill and tap them.
August, 2025- When current and prospective customers tell a machine tool builder that if the company could manufacture a machine that will saw material in addition to milling, drilling and tapping it, they would buy it, a savvy builder knows what to do.
“When you hear that, it opens up your mind and you are forced to ask yourself, what if we did make a machine like this, what is the market potential and why are these companies saying they’d buy one from us?” says Thomas Tuck, senior manager of regional sales and marketing initiatives for C.R. Onsrud Inc., Troutman, North Carolina.
Due to market demand, C.R. Onsrud designed and introduced the 5- axis EX-Series, a heavy-duty profile machining center for aluminum extrusion processing, he says. The machine handles large, thick-wall and complex profile extrusions made primarily from aluminum but also some ferrous metals, composites and other materials. A few years later, the company introduced the X-Series version.
C.R. Onsrud usually sells an X-Series and EX-Series machines with 5- axis capability, but Tuck says they are available as 3-axis or 3- axisplus machines using a right-angle head. The latter two versions may be a better solution for a fabricator that almost always buys material to the finished length or infrequently needs to machine multiple faces.
“Tailoring the machine to what their goals and visions are is what we do at C.R. Onsrud,” he says. That includes examining part drawings, understanding a customer’s product and noting any facility limitations.
COMBINING OPERATIONS
“Traditionally, a lot of fabricators used multiple operations to cut extrusions to size and then complete various operations, such as machining pockets and drilling and tapping holes,” Tuck notes. “What is unique about the X- and EX-Series is we are able to take multiple processes and combine them into one machine to reduce the number of operations and steps involved, thus increasing productivity and reducing labor.”
The main distinguishing feature of the EX-Series is that the machine can efficiently cut thick-wall extrusions and be tooled with a saw blade up to 550 mm in diameter, compared with up to 400 mm for the X-Series, he says.
“Both machines are equally as heavy-duty in terms of workload. Thicker, heavier extrusions may require more horsepower to machine through them at a higher speed.”
The X-Series machine comes standard with an 18-hp spindle (with a 33-hp spindle as an option) and achieves a speed of up to 24,000 rpm. The EX-Series machine comes standard with a 33-hp spindle and achieves a speed of up to 22,000 rpm.
Tuck notes that an aluminum extrusion can have a wall up to about ½-in. thick, but 1/8- to ¼-in. are more common. “Machining thin or thicker material can be fairly straightforward. Sawing is where it becomes a big difference in terms of torque requirements to get the saw teeth through the component.”
In addition to cutting workpieces to desired lengths, a saw blade can be used for notching, mitering and cutting multiple sides of a workpiece. Both series come standard with an automatic tool changer that can hold 12 tools. Larger capacity tool changers are available as an option.
The saw blade is kept in a holding station when not in use and is automatically grabbed by the machine’s spindle when needed, he explains. e amount of sawing that is required depends on the end use industry and application, with some automotive applications, for instance, using the saw 80 to 90 percent of the time. “ Then there is the opposite side of the spectrum where the saw is mainly used to cut the material to size, and there are more traditional machining operations taking place.”
LIMITLESS POSSIBILITIES
The X- and EX-Series machines are modular in design, and there is no limit to the extrusion length that can be processed, Tuck says. “Whether you need to machine a 12-ft . extrusion or an 80-ft .-long component, we can build the machine in various sections so the length can accommodate the material length required.”
He adds that C.R. Onsrud can build a “double- length” machine to perform pendulum processing in two work zones. For example, while one zone is in use to process one length of extrusion, an operator unloads finished parts and reloads the machine with raw material in zone two, allowing for an increase in productivity by reducing the time between cutting cycles.
Nonetheless, the company’s website shows the dimensions for five common sizes for each series, Tuck says, with 291X being a very popular size with the capability to process a component up to 291 in. in length and 16 in. by 16 in. in width and height “ That definitely allows for more common extrusion lengths of raw material.”
The machines can be ordered with a variety of options, with servo positioning of the clamps being the most popular, according to Tuck. Compared to manual positioning, servo positioning boosts productivity when a fabricator needs to process a variety of extrusion lengths and shapes with diff erent machining operations. “ This gives them a lot of flexibility, so they do not have to manually move clamps to position, depending on the mix of components they are processing.”
As more fabricators automate their operations to remain competitive and help overcome a shortage of skilled labor, Tuck says acquiring an X- or EX-Series machine can be part of that process. “In a lot of ways, this is a big step for many companies to automate by combining multiple manual processes into one machine.”
C.R. Onsrud’s extrusion processing machines can be tended by a robot so production can continue between shifts and during breaks or even a second shift, depending on production volumes, he adds.
Customers can access software and training, application support, preventive maintenance support and help in different facets of a business based on the customers’ goals. “In some cases, that might be just providing the machine because they have capabilities and knowledge in other areas. In other cases, we are happy to provide more of a hand-holding experience, with full assistance where needed.”
A saw blade can be used to create intricate notches, miter cuts and straight cuts on multiple sides of a workpiece. The saw can also be used as a cutoff tool.
Tuck claims that C.R. Onsrud is one of a few companies that build this type of machine in the U.S. He says the availability of a high-quality, American-made product and long-term support are appealing to customers, who will “have accessibility to our full technical support team and receive quick turnaround for any spare parts or tooling that may be needed.”
C.R. Onsrud Inc., 704/508-7000, cronsrud.com.
