Precision Lapping Service

What is Precision Lapping?

Precision lapping is a special finishing process that makes surfaces really, really flat and smooth. We use fine abrasives to rub away tiny bits of material until the surface is perfect. This is much more exact than normal grinding!

Why Choose Our Precision Lapping Service?

At Istar Machining, we offer lapping services that can help with many different jobs. Here are some key benefits of working with us:

• Super Flat Surfaces: We can make parts flat to within 0.0001 inches per inch
• Very Smooth Finish: Our process creates surfaces as smooth as 0.1-2 microinches
• Works on Many Materials: We can lap metals, ceramics, and composites
• Quality Certified: Our work meets AS9100D and ISO 9001:2015 standards

Our Precision Lapping Equipment

We use advanced lapping machines with careful controls to get the best results. Our equipment includes:

• Double-side lapping machines for working on both sides at once
• Diamond and boron carbide abrasives for working on hard materials
• Aluminum oxide compounds for glass and less hard materials
• Special fixtures to hold odd-shaped parts during lapping

Materials We Can Process

Our precision lapping service works great on many different materials:

Industries We Serve

Istar Machining helps many different industries with our lapping services:

Aerospace Industry

We make super precise parts for aerospace companies. Our lapping creates the flat, smooth surfaces needed for:

• Fuel nozzles
• Turbine blades
• Hydrodynamic bearings

Our aerospace machined components meet the strict rules for aircraft parts, with certified quality control.

Medical Industry

Our lapping service is perfect for medical tools and devices where being clean and exact is really important:

• Implants that need to be safe in the body
• Surgical tools that must be perfect
• PTFE parts that need to be smooth

For other medical needs, check out our medical machined components.

Semiconductor Industry

The computer chip industry needs ultra-flat parts:

• Wafer substrates without any tiny cracks
• Optical flats that are perfectly smooth
• Parts that are clean with no dirt

Automotive Industry

Car parts need to be exact and strong:

• Fuel injector nozzles
• Transmission bearings
• Engine parts that need perfect seals

Visit our automotive precision machining page to learn about our other car part services.

Our 4-Step Precision Lapping Process

At Istar Machining, we follow a careful 4-step process:

1. Material Analysis & Fixture Design: We check your material and make special holders for your parts
2. Automated Abrasive Slurry Application: We use the right type of abrasive mix (Diamond, Alumina, or Silica)
3. Dual-Platen Pressure Control: Our machines apply just the right pressure to remove material evenly
4. Post-Process Checking: We use special tools to measure and make sure your parts meet all specifications

Why Choose Istar Machining Over Standard Grinding?

Precision lapping has many advantages over regular grinding:

• No tiny cracks in ceramics and glass
• Super flat surfaces (less than 0.5 micrometers across 12 inches)
• Works on over 300 different materials, including really hard ones like Inconel and silicon carbide
• Makes parts last longer by creating better surfaces
• Helps parts fit together better with tighter seals

Precision Lapping for Special Jobs

Our team can handle many special lapping jobs:

Batch Processing

We can lap 500+ hardened steel shims in one batch, all with the same exact thickness (within 0.005mm).

Stress-Free Machining

Our lapping process won’t cause tiny cracks in brittle materials like glass for LiDAR systems.

Custom Parts

We can make fixtures to hold odd-shaped parts like titanium bone tools for surgeons.

Rush Jobs

For urgent repairs, we offer same-day turnaround with quality reports to get your equipment running again fast.

Technical Details of Our Lapping Service

For those who need the exact numbers, here are the technical details of our precision lapping service:

• Flatness: Better than 0.0001 inches per inch
• Surface Finish: As smooth as 0.1-2 microinches (Ra)
• Materials: We can work with metals, ceramics, composites, and many other materials
• Double-Side Processing: We can lap both sides of a part at once for perfect parallel surfaces
• Batch Consistency: All parts in a batch will be within ±1 micrometer of each other

Customer Success Stories

Many customers have seen great results from our lapping services:

• An aerospace company needed turbine blades with super flat surfaces for better fuel efficiency. Our lapping service delivered parts that helped their engines use less fuel.
• A medical device maker needed implants with mirror-like finishes to prevent bacteria growth. Our lapping provided the smooth surfaces they needed for safety.
• A semiconductor manufacturer needed silicon wafers without any tiny cracks. Our stress-free lapping process delivered perfect wafers for their chip production.