NS CNC machines operate in research institutions across North America, Europe, and Asia. Fabricated parts include NMR microcoils, microfluidic chips, solenoids, resonators, and micro-scale sensors. The work appears in peer-reviewed journals.
Our machines have operated for years in university laboratories worldwide, supporting research across biology, chemistry, electronics, and physics. High precision, reliable motion, spindle runout under 1 micron — the foundation scientists depend on to fabricate custom components, develop new methods, and publish original work.
The Simpson group at the University of Toronto and Professor Ronnie Willaert's laboratory at VUB Brussels fabricate microfluidic chips on NS CNC machines. Channel milling measured in micrometers requires sustained positional accuracy across long programs, a rigid machine base, minimal spindle runout, and very high spindle speed.
In cross-section, a milled channel shows vertical walls, a flat floor, and clean top edges — the result of high spindle speed, runout under 1 micron, and a rigid base. Channel width and depth are both in the micrometer range.
The chips in the photos below were fabricated on NS CNC machines in research laboratories; the publications section lists the journals where this work appears.
Professor Andre Simpson’s laboratory at the University of Toronto has been using several NS CNC milling machines — 4- and 5-axis, with spindles and laser — to fabricate NMR coils, resonators, and microfluidic components for published research.
The coils, resonators, and microfluidic components shown here were milled on these machines and documented in the group's published research.
A 16-turn spiral coil with a 1.5 mm outer diameter was milled from Copper-coated Teflon.
Both the turns/wires and the spacing between them are 0.02 mm wide.
A 3-turn microcoil with a 1 mm inner diameter was milled from Copper-coated Teflon. Both the turns/wires and the spacing between them are 50 µm wide.
Shown is a Slotted Tube Resonator milled from a copper pipe with an 1.270 mm outer diameter and an 0.813 mm inner diameter. Each strip is 7 mm long and is spaced 0.8 mm apart. The slotted tube resonator was soldered onto a specially designed circuit board that was milled from Copper-coated Teflon.
Two 1 mm X 9 mm microstrips (with a built-in 2 mm wide, 7 mm long, and 1.58 mm deep sample chamber behind the microstrip) are shown.
Parts of two 1 mm X 5 mm double-sided microstrips were milled from an FR1 PCB Board and soldered together. Acrylic inserts containing microfluidic channels (that will contain the sample) were milled from an acrylic rod and used to introduce the sample between each strip. One is designed to keep larger mass-limited samples between the two microstrips (top) while the other contains only microfluidic channels and is intended for liquid samples (bottom). All components were machined on a Mira-6.
The Solenoid was made from a 6.4 mm Diameter Copper coated Acrylic Rod, made on Mira 6.
The front of a 3 mm long and 0.15 mm wide microstrip (made from copper-coated Teflon) is shown. The microstrip contains a built-in 1 mm wide, 3 mm long, and 1.58 mm deep sample chamber on the opposing side (shown in next photo).
5 axis NS CNC laser machine Mira 7L to do high precision engraving on metal.
Letter height 0.1 mm.
Professor Andre Simpson next to his latest 4 axis NS CNC ELARA mill with a granite base. December 2022.
Professor Ronnie Willaert (Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium) specializes in yeast research (Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida albicans, and C. glabrata) and single-molecule biophysics.
His work covers optical nanomotion detection and biofabrication, including microfluidic-chip and micropattern development. He develops micro- and nanobiotechnological techniques to study bone and yeast cells in microgravity aboard the International Space Station, in research projects funded by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Belgian Science Policy Office (Belspo).
Currently, he is using the CNC Elara (NS CNC) as a fast-prototyping method to optimize a microfluidic chip that will be used for the ESA project “FLUMIAS Yeast Nanomotion”, where yeast cellular nanomotion will be used to assess the effect of antifungals on the viability of yeast cells in space conditions (ISS).
Research Group Structural Biology Brussels (SBB)
Alliance Research Group VUB-UGent “NanoMicrobiology” (NAMI)
International Joint Research Group VUB-EPFL (Switzerland) “BioNanotechnology & NanoMedicine” (NANO)
Machining demonstrations across NS CNC machines — milling, turning, and finished parts on camera.
Tell us what you need to fabricate — material, geometry, tolerances. We’ll tell you which machine fits, how we’d run it, and what it costs.
The 4- and 5-axis benchtop mills and lathes running in the laboratories on this page, each on its own page.
