As labor costs continue to rise globally, manufacturers are also looking to innovate to reduce their production costs. And in the past few years, CNC machining has flourished due to advancements in machines and related technologies. Due to its efficient, convenient and precise production capabilities, it quickly and overwhelmingly surpassed traditional machining methods and is becoming more and more popular in the manufacture of metal and plastic parts. Today, CNC machining has become an integral part of modern manufacturing.
Of course, the above content is to look at CNC machining from the manufacturer’s point of view. Since it almost perfectly meets the needs of manufacturers, manufacturers on the market today basically use this processing method.
As a buyer, your concerns may not be the same as the manufacturer’s needs, so you may want to know: As someone who needs to buy metal parts, what are the benefits of CNC machining?
In summary, you can obtain a large number of precision parts in a short time, and the product quality of these parts is also very stable.
Advantages of CNC
higher production efficiency
CNC is a machining method that uses coded commands to control the operation of a machine. These commands are converted into codes and run on computer systems, which in turn control the machines to produce products of various shapes and sizes.
The first CNC machines were created in the 1940s by US Air Force mechanics. Early CNC machines used punched paper technology as a driver and slowly evolved into today’s digital software.
Today, CNC machines are mainly used for continuous use, i.e. 24/7. In most factories, CNC machines work around the clock, stopping only for necessary maintenance or repairs, whether it’s weekends or holidays. But at the same time, compared to traditional machining methods, CNC requires less downtime for maintenance. Therefore, CNC can ensure the maximum efficiency of production, which is undoubtedly very beneficial for OEMs who are pressed for time.
In addition, CNC machines are currently able to run 24 hours a day with short maintenance time, but in the future, the efficiency of CNC machining may be further improved.
The emergence of the Internet of Things technology enables CNC machine tools to load sensors and grasp the current wear amount of the machine according to the feedback of the sensors, which will further reduce the possibility of CNC machining failures and reduce the number of fixed shutdowns for maintenance; in addition to CNC machine tools, also There are picking, placing, packing and other simple operations, which can further reduce human resources, reduce production costs and improve production efficiency by integrating with other robots.
Stable and unified quality
In the traditional method, since many operations are done manually by machinists, the repeatability and accuracy of the operations cannot be guaranteed, and the quality of the final product will also fluctuate within a certain range.
Unlike CNC machining, as a machine, it provides excellent accuracy and a high degree of repeatability. Using CNC machining, even if you produce hundreds of thousands of parts, you can be pleasantly surprised to find that the quality of these parts is precise and consistent. To do this, simply load the design into CNC machining software, create a perfect prototype, and the program can read the file to run it and produce the part again. This makes it possible to ignore changes in external factors, ensuring that every part CNC machined will perfectly match the prototype.
Therefore, CNC machining is the best choice for mass production.
In addition, prototyping and 3D printing are gradually becoming part of CNC machining, which makes the production of parts more convenient. Using CNC to manufacture prototypes and parts, the final product will almost every match the prototype perfectly.
The accuracy is better
Also because of the accuracy brought by the machine, CNC machining has a unique advantage in the manufacture of high-precision parts. Digital templates and autonomous processing by machines almost eliminate errors caused by manual operations, and the accuracy of the final product is mostly within 0.1%.
In addition, buyers in many industries prefer to choose CNC machined parts due to the accuracy that CNC machined parts bring. For example: manufacturing, transportation, agriculture, electronics, aviation, aerospace, automotive and other industries. Does your project belong to these industries? If yes, we highly recommend that you choose CNC machining for your project.
flexibility
In traditional machining, some operations need to be done using different machines, such as milling, drilling, turning, etc. But CNC machining can do all of this on a single CNC machine.
That’s not all its power.
CNC machining allows manufacturers to produce complex products in size, shape or texture, and even create nearly every component imaginable. And these special shape/size/texture components, if placed in traditional processing methods, will be very difficult or even impossible to achieve.
At the same time, some advanced CNC machines include very comprehensive accessories and other features, such as touch screens and automated tool changers, which can help manufacturers further simplify and speed up the production process.
Disadvantages of CNC
The price is relatively high
Compared to traditional machining methods, CNC machining is not the cheapest option.
Typically, conventional machining is used for low-volume projects, while CNC machining is used for high-volume projects. And, if your project is just a small operation that requires a simple metal shape, CNC machining won’t give you an exciting cost advantage.
Production Limits
In traditional machining, machinists can handle most of the production process. In CNC machining, there are only a few parts that a machinist can manipulate. This may cause some errors to occur.
Also, since CNC machines typically move the workpiece along 3 to 5 axes (X, Y, and Z), the size of the housing and the distance the tool travels will limit the size of the part to some extent. Want to know about size restrictions? You can ask the manufacturer about their device capabilities.
It may have a bad impact on the industry
In today’s manufacturing industry, some machinists believe that CNC machining will make traditional manual skills obsolete. However, most experts do not agree that manual skills will become obsolete.
In addition, although CNC machining has created higher value for various enterprises in many industries, it also makes traditional machining gradually decline, and eventually causes some people to lose their jobs. However, there are also some people who hold a different attitude. They believe that the ultimate destination of traditional processing is small enterprises and certain professional projects with complex manufacturing processes and manual operations.
Is CNC machining right for you?
Although CNC machining is very popular with buyers, each company has different needs. Before choosing whether to use CNC machining, you’d better consider the actual project. And the following are 5 cutting jobs that are often done by CNC machining for your reference:
- milling
- drilling
- grind
- Sculpture
- turn
We have already introduced the reasons why CNC machining is so popular, and I hope the above content can help you.
