What Means CNC Machining?
CNC stands for Computer numerical control (CNC) machining.
CNC Machining is a manufacturing technique for removing material. It uses sharp cutting tools, available in a variety of shapes and sizes, which are precisely controlled by a computer. CNC stands for Computer Numerical Control.
CNC Machining generally including of different processes of CNC Milling, CNC Turning, CNC Drilling, CNC Lathe，EDM, Wire-electrode Cutting, and Surface Treatment. Read More…..
3Q Machining provides a variety of precision CNC machining services including milling, turning, EDM (electrical discharge machining) and wire EDM, and surface grinding. With our precision 3-, 4- and 5-axis CNC machining centers, combined with other advanced capabilities and our experienced team, we can handle all technical aspects of creating your prototypes and parts, so your team can focus on bringing your product to market. If you need a precision machining company for plastic and metal CNC machining parts, 3Q Machining is the best place to go. Contact us today to get your manufacturing solution and details.
Different types of CNC machine:
CNC machines include CNC mills, CNC turning machines (or lathes), CNC routers, and Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) machines.
CNC mills have rotating cutting tools that are moved to different areas of the workpiece to make cuts and can be used to make many different pats. CNC lathes work the other way, rotating the workpiece against a stationary cutting tool, and are used to make cylindrical parts.
CNC routers are similar to CNC mills, but have less power and cannot cut the hardest materials. They can, however, be faster than CNC mills.
EDM uses electrical discharges (sparks) instead of a sharp cutting tool to cut material. No physical contact is made between the tool and the workpiece.
CNC machines are often defined by their number of axes. More axes mean they can move their tool and/or workpiece in a greater number of ways, giving greater cutting flexibility and the ability to make more complex parts in a shorter time.
CNC Turning
Our CNC lathes enable high speed and high-quality turning of both plastics and metals,available for one-off prototypes.
CNC lathes allow us to get high-speed turning of both plastics and metals from bar or block material. The turning process allows the production of complex external and internal geometries, including generating all kinds of threads. For any round shaped components, for example, shafts, worms, spheres, CNC turning is a more efficient method compared with CNC milling. 3Q’s turning capability can make prototypes all the way through mass production parts.
CNC Milling
CNC milling is used to apply a machined surface finish on plastic or metal or for creating complex 3D shapes.
Compared with CNC turning, CNC milling, especially 5 axis milling can be used to create complex 3D shapes or to apply a machined surface or features to parts made both plastics and metals. The advantage of multi-axis milling machines makes CNC milling process versatile, as well as accurate and repeatable, for creating many different types of part features of complex geometries. Example include holes, curves, slots, angled shapes etc.
CNC Machining Tolerance
Tolerances are greatly affected by part geometry and type of material. Also referred to as dimensional accuracy, machining tolerances is the amount of deviation in a specific dimension of a part caused by the manufacturing process
Our project managers will consult with you on every part of your project and will seek to provide the highest degree of precision possible.
CNC Machining Materials & Finishes
You are considering manufacturing your parts with CNC machining, it is important to know what kind of materials and finishes can be applied to your CNC machined parts. 3Q Machining, located in China, is not just a CNC manufacturer factory; we can also apply all types of finishes to CNC prototype parts and production parts thanks to our surface finishing partners. Need custom CNC parts with a high-quality appearance? 3Q Machining is here to help.
CNC Machining Raw Materials
Plastic: ABS, PC, ABS+PC, PP, PS, POM, PMMA (Acrylic), PAGF30, PCGF30, Teflon, DHPE, HDPE, PPS, PEEK. Learn More about our Plastic Machining
Metal: Aluminum, Steel, Stainless Steel (17-4, Inconel 625 & 718), Magnesium, Titanium, Zinc, Brass, Bronze, Copper. Learn More about our Metal Machining
These are the most common materials for CNC prototyping and production parts. Besides that, we can work with any type of machinable plastic and metal we can purchase from the stock market. Review More Materials & Finishes Options
What’s more: We are able to create a custom plastic block or bar for the material such as PA GF50, PPS GF50. To discover further plastic materials we can do, please contact our team.
CNC Surface Treatments
As-Machined: The most popular and cost efficient way for inner functional components. Fine and even tool path is also good for aspect parts.
Bead Blasted: The part is left with a matt appearance. Range of 120 to 320 beads allows us to create different roughness to the surface.
Anodized: Type II creates a corrosion-resistant finish. Parts can be anodized in different colors—clear, black, red, and blue are most common—and is usually associated with low silicone element series of aluminum. Type III is thicker and creates a wear-resistant layer in addition to the corrosion resistance seen with Type II.
Powder Coat: This is a process where powdered paint is sprayed onto a part which is then baked in an oven. This creates a strong, wear- and corrosion-resistant layer that is more durable than standard painting methods. A wide variety of colors are available to create the desired aesthetic.
How CNC machining works
CNC machining starts with a computer, on which designers prepare a part using CAD (Computer-aided Design) software. This digital part is then converted into a format that can be recognized by a CNC machine.
Instructions are sent to the CNC machine in the form of “G-Code” after which the machine can start cutting.
Most CNC machines have a “worktable” and work holding device to keep a block of material — known as the “workpiece” — in place. The worktable may or may not move, depending on the style of the machine.
When machining starts, the cutting tool makes contact with the workpiece, cutting away layers of material. The tool and/or workpiece is moved and/or rapidly rotated according to the G-Code instructions so that cuts are made in exactly the right places until the part is finished.
How much cnc machining cost?
Before you start a project with your custom design parts (aluminum, steel, brass, titanium, or plastic material) by cnc machining services with 3Q MACHINING, you need to know how much does cnc machining cost for your project based on the order quantity and product design drawing.
We will take a look into the cost details of CNC machining aluminum (including product drawing design cost, cnc machinery cost, cnc technique engineer and operator labor cost, and different raw material costs), cnc machining is more accessible than you may think.
How much does cnc machining cost
Applications of CNC Machining
Design and Rapid Prototyping
Regardless of the manufacturing process used to create the end-use part, CNC machining is widely used by designers as a means of creating early and late-stage prototypes with short turnarounds times. CNC prototyping allow designers to rapidly iterate ideas without tooling costs or waiting times. It is one of the best ways to create concept model and function prototype to verify the design. Compared with other rapid prototyping methods, rapid CNC machining allows us to get tight tolerance prototypes in real materials fast.
CNC Prototyping is the preferred option to bring new design life among the other rapid prototyping methods, unless the products are designed for 3D printing or other methods only.
Molding Making
CNC machining and EDM are the main methods to fabricate metal tooling for injection molding, high pressure die casting, blow molding, roller molding, stamping, blending and so on.
High speed CNC machines allow us to make high precision copper patterns, mold cavities, mold base, lifter and other mold components in very short term. Moreover, with 5 axis milling machines, we can mill the deep pocket features in hours which take days to make by EDM in the past. That’s how we can speed up the mold making process significantly. Check out how rapid tooling works.
Automotive
In the automotive industry, CNC machining is the most popular way to create concept cars as well as the function testing components, such as lighting, engine, transmission & steering system. It is also widely used to produce high volume automotive parts and post-machining the die casting parts, investment casting parts.
It is especially useful for custom automotive parts, which may be required for repairs or for limited-edition luxury vehicles, since it is too costly to make few parts by molding process.
Aerospace
CNC machining has for several years been an integral part of aerospace manufacturing. That’s partly down to the extremely high precision of CNC machines, making the process suitable for safety-critical parts that will be used on aircraft.
Machinable aerospace parts include prototype engine components, fuel panels, landing gear components and engine mounts.
Medical
The machinability of many grades of titanium and stainless steel makes CNC machining a widely used process in healthcare, with the process regularly used to create implants, medical devices and surgical tools such as scalpels.
Tight tolerances and fast turnarounds are especially important for items such as titanium hip implants, which should be tailored to a patient’s anatomy.
Consumer products
Though injection molding dominates the production of simple plastic parts, many off-the-shelf goods are created with CNC machining. Household goods and appliances often contain machined parts, while items like enclosures and fixtures are also suitable for the process. Goods like sporting equipment may also be CNC machined. The CNC machining of metal and plastic components plays a big role in the electronics industry. Items such as laptop casings, connectors and sockets can all be reliably made with a CNC machine.
