Public Reference · Buyer Tools

CNC Machine Spec Benchmarks: How to Read a Specification Sheet

What this page is — and what it deliberately is not.

This is a reference for anyone comparing machining centres. It does three things: it publishes the specifications of the machines we sell along with the basis for each figure, it gives typical parameter ranges by machine class so you can sanity-check any spec sheet, and it sets out how to verify a number before you commit money.

It is not a league table declaring one brand better than another. Machines are built for different jobs, and a number that matters enormously for one buyer is irrelevant to the next. We show data and framing; the conclusion is yours.

It also contains no prices. Price depends on configuration, region, volume and timing, and a number printed here would be out of date before you read it. For anything commercial, talk to us — or to whoever you are buying from.

Close view of a machined aluminium component being measured on a CNC machining center table — A specification is a claim. A measured part is evidence. The gap between the two is where most buying decisions go wrong.

1. Published specifications — with the basis for each figure

Most vendor spec sheets present every number with the same confidence. In reality the numbers rest on very different foundations: some are verified against a signed technical agreement, some are typical production values, and some are design targets that depend on the final configuration. We think you should be able to tell which is which, so we label every row.

Model	Class	Key published figures	Basis
GA-FA320	5-axis vertical, direct-drive rotary table	Travel 800 × 550 × 600 mm · BT40 · 12,000 rpm · 11 kW · positioning 0.01 mm · repeatability 0.006 mm · Φ320 cradle table, 100 kg	Verified per signed technical agreement
GA-UHD500	High-speed 5-axis	Positioning 0.004 mm · repeatability 0.002 mm · 1.5 s tool change	Vendor-published typical target
GA-FMB3020D	Dual-beam gantry, twin spindle	Travel 2,700 × 1,900 × 1,250 mm · HSK A63 · 20,000 rpm · 20/24 kW · 35/42 N·m · 2 × 40 tools · tool change ≤ 2.5 s · positioning 0.035 / 0.025 / 0.025 mm	Subject to final technical agreement
GA-VT540	5-axis, 3C-focused	Repeatability ~0.006 mm · mirror-surface capability	Vendor-published typical target
GA-MV856	3-axis vertical machining centre	Table 1,000 × 550 mm, 500 kg · travel 800 × 550 × 600 mm · BT40 · 12,000 rpm · 7.5/15 kW · torque 35.8/95.5 N·m · rapid 48 m/min	Vendor-published typical target
GA-DV750	High-speed drill-tap centre	Table 650 × 500 mm, 200 kg · travel 700 × 500 × 300 mm · HSK E40 · 30,000 rpm · 8.5/12.75 kW · torque 8.1/12.15 N·m · rapid 36 m/min	Vendor-published typical target
GA-TMY6555	Turn-mill centre	Travel 230 × 550 × 550 mm · max swing 650 mm · turning length 525 mm · 15/18.5 kW · 66 mm bar bore · 8 in chuck · 12 tools	Vendor-published typical target

Read the "Basis" column before anything else. A verified figure is one we will stand behind contractually. A vendor-published typical target is what the machine is designed to achieve and what we expect in a normal configuration — but your tooling, fixturing, material and environment all move the result. Neither is a promise about your part; only a trial cut is.

2. Typical ranges by machine class

These are orientation figures, not specifications of any particular machine. They exist so that when a spec sheet shows you a number, you can tell whether it is ordinary, generous or surprising for that class. If a machine claims a figure far outside its class range, that is not automatically bad — but it is a reason to ask how it was measured.

Parameter	3-axis VMC	5-axis machining centre	Gantry / large format	Turn-mill
X travel	600–1,200 mm	500–1,200 mm	2,000–6,000 mm	200–400 mm
Spindle speed	8,000–15,000 rpm	12,000–20,000 rpm	15,000–24,000 rpm	4,000–6,000 rpm
Spindle power (cont.)	7–22 kW	11–30 kW	20–45 kW	11–30 kW
Rapid traverse	24–48 m/min	30–60 m/min	40–120 m/min	20–30 m/min
Positioning accuracy	0.008–0.02 mm	0.005–0.015 mm	0.02–0.05 mm over long travel	0.008–0.02 mm
Repeatability	0.004–0.01 mm	0.002–0.008 mm	0.01–0.025 mm	0.004–0.01 mm
Tool capacity	16–30	24–60	32–120	12–24
Chip-to-chip tool change	2–6 s	1.5–5 s	2–6 s	1–3 s

Note that accuracy figures worsen as travel grows — a 3-metre gantry will not hold the same number as a 600 mm vertical, and any spec sheet implying otherwise deserves a second question. This is physics, not quality.

3. Positioning: who builds what

Where a maker sits in the market matters more than any single number, because it tells you what the machine was optimised for. This is our reading of the field; other buyers may weigh the factors differently.

Maker	Origin	Positioning	Control self-sufficiency	Lead time	Best for
Gree	China	Appliance-derived 5-axis challenger	High on motion chain (spindle, linear motor, direct-drive tables); controller partnered	~1 month	Turnkey 5-axis cells, EV and robotics
Haas	USA	Volume workhorse	Low–mid	Fast (US)	Reliable general machining
DMG MORI	Germany/Japan	Premium global	Uses external systems	3–6 months	Certified ultra-precision
Haitian Precision	China	Large machining centres, value	Mid	2–3 months	Big parts on a budget
KEDE	China	Pure-play five-axis	High — own GNC control system	2–3 months	Five-axis purism, aerospace

An honest note on controllers. Gree's strength is the motion-execution chain — spindle, linear motors, direct-drive rotary tables and the surrounding servo logic — much of it transferred from decades of compressor and motor engineering. On the CNC controller itself, the arrangement is a partnered one rather than fully in-house. Some measurement and transmission base parts, including ultra-high-precision bearings and gratings, remain partly imported. We would rather tell you that here than have you discover it in year three.

When a Gree machine is the wrong fit — said plainly. We would rather lose a sale than win the wrong one. Gree is a poor choice if: you require a fully in-house CNC controller with no partnered component (a maker such as KEDE builds its own GNC, and that is the straighter path for you); your parts exceed the largest gantry travel in our range and you need a single machine rather than a cell; or your compliance regime requires a Western-premium certification chain traceable to a specific standard we do not carry. In each case the honest move is to look at the other makers in the table above, not at us. This benchmark exists so you can tell the difference before money moves.

4. Five questions that turn a number into a fact

Any supplier — including us — should answer these in writing. If one of them is met with "don't worry about that", it becomes the most important question on your list.

Which standard was the accuracy measured to? ISO 230-2, VDI/DGQ 3441 and JIS B 6201 are not interchangeable, and a supplier who knows the difference is a supplier who actually measures.
Was the machine cold or warm, empty or cutting? Machines grow as they heat up. A figure taken cold and unloaded describes a state your machine will be in for about fifteen minutes a day.
Where on the table was it measured? One measurement at table centre tells you almost nothing about the far corner of a metre-long travel.
What is the torque at the speed I actually cut at? Peak power is a marketing number. Continuous torque between roughly 200 and 1,500 rpm is what removes steel.
Is thermal compensation fitted, and what ambient temperature does it assume? At ±0.005 mm and tighter, thermal growth is your dominant source of error — bigger than the machine's fundamental accuracy.

5. Credibility of what is on this page

Claim	Source	Rating
GA-FA320 figures (travel, speeds, accuracy, table)	Signed technical agreement	High
GA-FMB3020D / MV856 / DV750 / TMY6555 figures	Vendor specification, subject to final agreement	Medium configuration-dependent
GA-UHD500 and GA-VT540 accuracy figures	Vendor-published	Medium not independently verified here
Typical ranges by machine class	General industry practice	Orientation not machine-specific
Competitor positioning and lead times	Public filings, disclosures, industry practice	High consistent across sources
Claims of fully in-house CNC control for Gree	Gree marketing	Low contradicted by the partnered-control arrangement and imported bearings/gratings

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between positioning accuracy and repeatability?

Positioning accuracy describes how close the machine gets to the coordinate it was told to reach. Repeatability describes how consistently it returns to the same point again and again. For production work, repeatability predicts your scrap rate far better than positioning accuracy does, because a machine that is consistently off by a known amount can be compensated, while a machine that lands somewhere different every time cannot.

Why do two machines with the same stated accuracy perform differently?

Because the number depends on how it was measured. Accuracy measured unloaded on a cold machine at one point on the table is a different claim from accuracy measured under cutting load after the spindle has been running for four hours at the far corner of the table. Always ask which standard was used, whether the machine was warm, and where on the table the measurement was taken.

Is a higher spindle speed always better?

No. High spindle speed helps with aluminium and small tools, but cutting steel, stainless or titanium happens at low speed where torque is what removes metal. A 30,000 rpm spindle with low torque at 800 rpm will struggle on steel that a 12,000 rpm high-torque spindle handles comfortably. Match the torque curve to your material, not the headline rpm.

How should I verify a specification before I commit?

Pay for a trial part. Send your drawing, agree a price for the machined component, and run it over a full working shift on the machine you intend to buy. Measure the results yourself with your own equipment. A twenty-minute demonstration shows what a machine can do once; eight hours shows what it will do consistently.