What is CNC Milling?
CNC Milling involves using a cutting tool that is mounted on a rotating spindle to selectively remove material from a dedicated workpiece. The raw material is secured to a table, which moves or rotates on different planes that allow the tool to operate at many angles.
The CNC milling process can be used to produce not only shaping, but also slots, holes, notches and pockets. The cutting tool’s edges make several quick cuts to sculpt the raw material’s surface, which are constantly removed as the process continues.
How Does CNC Milling Work?
The first stage of the CNC Milling process starts by feeding the manufacturing instructions into a CAD system in either a 2D or 3D format. Once this has been completed, the designs are converted into a machine-readable format which is exported to the CNC machine. The machine will then relay the instructions to the different tools to recreate the design on the chosen material.
Before the process can begin, the machine would have to be fitted with the correct tools to do the job and the raw material needs to be fixed in place with a vice. Once these preparations are completed, the operator will launch the program using the machine interface.
When the CNC Milling process begins, the tools spin at thousands of RPM – enabling them to cut through materials with ease. The table will then rotate on several axis to shape the raw material according to the given specifications.
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Types of CNC Milling
The most widely used type of CNC milling machine. The full use of the X, Y, and Z directions makes a 3 Axis CNC mill useful for a wide variety of work.
This type of router allows the machine to rotate on a vertical axis, moving the workpiece to introduce more continuous machining.
These machines have three traditional axes as well as two additional rotary axes. A 5-axis CNC router is, therefore, able to machine 5 sides of a workpiece at in one machine without having to remove the workpiece and reset. The workpiece rotates, and the spindle head is able to also move around the piece. These are larger and more expensive.
Benefits Of CNC Milling
CNC milling, like other CNC machining methods, offers numerous advantages. Some of the most notable include its precision, its replicability, and its low labor costs.
However, milling does have a handful of drawbacks. One is the high upfront cost of the machinery, as product teams must either invest in expensive CNC milling machines up-front or outsource services to a trusted manufacturer. It also requires specialized training to perform successfully, complicating the process should teams choose to invest in their own machinery.
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CNC Machining Materials
Metals
Aluminum is a versatile material with properties that make it ideal for CNC machining. Aluminum has excellent machinability, welding and electroplating properties as well as good corrosion resistance. The metal is also characterized by a high strength-to-weight ratio and good temperature resistance. After machining, aluminum has a low risk of deformation or defects and is easy to polish and color.
Because of these properties, aluminum is a broadly used metal in many industries, including automotive, defense, aerospace, transportation, construction, packaging, electronics, consumer goods and more.
An alloy made up primarily of iron and carbon, steel is known for its high tensile strength and low costs. The combination of these characteristics has made it a ubiquitous material in the construction, infrastructure, automotive, maritime, tooling, manufacturing and defense industries, among others.
Stainless steel is the low carbon steel that offers many properties that are sought after for industrial applications. Stainless steel typically contains a minimum of 10% chromium by weight.
The material properties associated with stainless steel have made it a popular metal within a broad range of industries, including construction, automotive, aerospace and more. Within these industries, Stainless steel is versatile and is an effective choice for many applications.
Made up of at least 99.3% copper (Cu), copper alloys are characterized by excellent electrical and heat conductivity. These properties make copper alloys suitable for use in various areas, including construction and architecture, shipbuilding, automotive, machinery, appliances, defense and more.
Brass is a metal alloy made of a combination of copper and zinc. It demonstrates excellent electrical conductivity and good machinability. Known for its low friction properties and gold-like appearance, brass is commonly used in the architecture sector as well as to manufacture gears, locks, pipe fittings, musical instruments and more.
Plastics
ABS is a commonly used thermoplastic polymer with excellent impact, temperature and chemical resistance. It is also easy to machine and process and has a smooth surface finish. ABS can undergo various post-processing treatments, including coloring, surface metallization, welding, electroplating, bonding, hot pressing and more.
POM (Polyoxymethylene) is an engineering thermoplastic material that demonstrates excellent dimensional stability, stiffness and impact and temperature resistance. The material, also known as acetal or Delrin, can be produced two ways: as a homopolymer or as a copolymer. POM materials are commonly used in the fabrication of pipe components, gear bearings, household appliances, automotive parts, consumer electronics and more.
PC (polycarbonate) is a type of amorphous thermoplastic known for its high impact resistance and transparency. It also demonstrates good electrical insulation properties and moderate chemical resistance.
Available in a range of rod and plate formats, PC is commonly used in the automotive industry for the production of instrument panels, pumps, valves and more. It is also used in other sectors for the production of protective gear, medical devices, intermal mechanical parts and more.
PA, commonly known as Nylon, is a synthetic polymer with broad applications across many industries. The material is popular because of its good mechanical strength, stiffness, toughness, shock absorption and wear resistance.
Often seen as a universal plastic for producing mechanical structural parts, PA also boasts good electrical insulation and chemical resistance.
PMMA, also known as acrylic, is a transparent thermoplastic. One of the most widely used plastics in the world, PMMA demonstrates good chemical stability, mechanical properties and weather resistance. The material is also easy to process and to dye.
Because of its transparency, PMMA is often used as an alternative to glass and is popular in the interior design, construction and chemical industries. It is also regularly used in advertising to fabricate signage, lightboxes and billboards.
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