Lights-Out CNC Machining
Lights-out CNC machining in Mississauga. Both in-house machines — a 2025 Matsuura MX-520 simultaneous 5-axis centre and a Fanuc Robodrill α-T14iAL — are palletized and run unattended overnight on approved production parts. Our facility is climate-controlled at 20°C ±1°, which is what a lights-out run actually needs to hold tolerance from the first part through the last.
What lights-out actually means
Lights-out is not "left running." Lights-out is palletized, probed, monitored, and toleranced for unattended operation. The difference is every part that comes off the pallet the next morning.
A lights-out run at VisionForge has four non-negotiable pieces:
- Palletized setup. Multiple blanks staged on a pallet-changer, with the first part proven and signed off before the operator leaves.
- In-process probing. Tool-length and part-datum checks between pieces so a broken tool or a shifted blank stops the run instead of producing scrap.
- Thermal stability. A climate-controlled facility at 20°C ±1°. Without it, the measured-good first part and the actually-good tenth part don't match.
- Tool-life budget. Tool changes planned against cycle count, not guessed against shift end.
Parts that qualify for lights-out get the full stack. Parts that don't, don't run overnight.
Which parts qualify for lights-out
Not every part is a lights-out candidate. We evaluate at quote and tell you at quote.
Typical lights-out candidates:
- Prismatic aluminum in 6061-T6 or 7075-T6 on the Robodrill — stable chip behaviour, known tool life
- 17-4 PH stainless (H900, H1025) on either machine for mid-run production releases
- Ti-6Al-4V production parts on the MX-520, with conservative feeds and short tool-life budgets
- Approved repeat production parts where the program has been proven on a prior run
Typical not-yet-candidates:
- First-article runs on a new program — see prototype machining
- Materials with unpredictable chip behaviour on that specific geometry
- Parts where a broken tool would damage the fixture or the spindle
- Anything where the inspection-to-cycle ratio makes unattended operation pointless
If a job can run lights-out on one machine and not the other, we route it accordingly.
Why climate control at 20°C ±1° matters
Lights-out dies in a shop that doesn't control temperature. Thermal drift is the number-one reason unattended runs fail — a part that measured good at 7 pm fails inspection at 7 am because the shop cooled 6°C overnight and the spindle, the fixture, and the part all moved.
Our facility is held at 20°C ±1°. The MX-520 also has active thermal compensation for residual spindle growth. The practical result:
- The first part off the pallet and the last part off the pallet measure the same
- In-process probing readings are comparable across a 12-hour run
- FAI samples pulled the next morning are valid on parts that ran at 2 am
If a competitor is quoting lights-out from an uncontrolled facility, ask how they handle thermal drift. If the answer is "we don't," the tolerance band on their quote is aspirational.
Pallet changer capacity
Matsuura MX-520. Pallet-changer sized for production-scale unattended runs. Fixtures designed for multi-part nests on a single pallet, or single high-value parts across multiple pallets for full-night cycles on Ti-6Al-4V, Inconel 625/718, Invar 36, and 17-4 PH.
Fanuc Robodrill α-T14iAL. Palletized for stacked prismatic work. Common use is a plate of 8–40 small aluminum or stainless parts per pallet, cycled through on overnight production releases.
Both machines have a tool library sized for the mixed-material production we do — aluminum, stainless, tool steel, titanium, plastic. We don't swap tooling between a day shift and an overnight run unless the job demands it. See equipment for machine-level detail.
In-process probing and tool-life management
Probing is what separates a lights-out run from a crossed-fingers run.
- Part-datum probing at the start of every pallet, every pallet change
- Tool-length verification at the start of every cycle, and after every tool change
- Tool-life counter set to pull a tool before the first sign of wear affects dimension, not after
- Broken-tool detection through spindle-load and tool-length spot checks
When a probe flags an out-of-range condition, the machine alarms and stops the pallet rather than producing scrap. The operator arriving in the morning finds a stopped machine and a recoverable work-in-process — not a pallet full of bad parts and a wasted shift. See inspection for the downstream measurement chain.
Cost impact: how lights-out changes the quote
Lights-out lowers per-piece cost on the right kind of work. We build it into the quote where it applies:
- Setup amortisation doesn't change — that's a fixed cost
- Cycle cost drops because overnight spindle time is cheaper than daytime spindle time
- Lead time tightens on mid-run and large releases because the machine isn't idle overnight
- Scrap risk is managed through probing, not priced-in as a contingency
The savings aren't universal. Small runs don't benefit — the setup cost dominates. Very tight-tolerance one-offs don't qualify regardless of shift. Where lights-out does move the number, we'll show it to you against a day-shift-only quote so you can see the delta.
How to request a lights-out-ready RFQ
Tell us at RFQ stage:
- Annual usage and release size. Lights-out math only kicks in above a certain quantity — see low-volume production.
- Material. Approved lights-out materials come off the quote faster.
- Tolerance band. Tight bands require more in-process verification — we'll size that into the cycle.
- Any prior program history. If the part has run at VisionForge before, we start from the proven program.
We'll flag at quote which portions of the run are lights-out eligible and which aren't, and how that splits the pricing.
Request a lights-out quote.
Response within 24 hours on most RFQs. Get a Quote
FAQ
What does "lights-out" actually mean at VisionForge?
Palletized, probed, monitored, unattended. Multiple blanks on a pallet-changer, with in-process probing between parts and a tool-life budget that pulls tools before wear affects dimension. Our facility is climate-controlled at 20°C ±1° so thermal drift doesn't invalidate the first-to-last comparison.
Which machines run lights-out?
Both. The 2025 Matsuura MX-520 simultaneous 5-axis machining centre runs unattended on titanium, Inconel, Invar, 17-4 PH, and other higher-value production work. The Fanuc Robodrill α-T14iAL runs unattended on aluminum, stainless, and tool steel. Routing is set at quote based on part geometry and material.
What kinds of parts qualify for lights-out?
Proven repeat production parts in approved materials, where tool life is known, chip behaviour is predictable, and a broken tool will stop the run rather than damage fixture or spindle. First articles and one-offs are run attended. We tell you at quote which portion of a release is lights-out eligible.
Why does climate control matter for lights-out?
Thermal drift is the main failure mode for unattended runs. A part that measures good at the end of a day shift can fail inspection the next morning if the shop cooled overnight. Our facility is held at 20°C ±1°, and the MX-520 also has active thermal compensation. In-process probing is only meaningful when the reference is thermally stable.
How does lights-out change the per-piece price?
It lowers cycle cost on qualifying parts because overnight spindle time is cheaper than daytime spindle time. Setup cost is unaffected. We'll show you a side-by-side with a day-shift-only quote where the delta is material so you can see what lights-out buys you.
Is lights-out riskier than attended operation?
Not when the part qualifies and the process is set up for it. In-process probing, tool-life counters, and broken-tool detection stop the run on an out-of-range condition rather than producing scrap. Scrap risk is managed through probing — not priced into the quote as a contingency.
Can you run lights-out on the first release of a new production program?
No. First-article runs and first releases of a new program run attended, so we can validate the process and tool life. Once the program has a clean first release, subsequent releases can qualify for lights-out if the other criteria are met.
Where are you located?
1578 Finfar Ct, Unit #2, Mississauga, Ontario. GTA pickup is welcome. We ship across Canada and into the US routinely.