We have many options while creating a part for your machinery or a product. Some of the popular services we opt for are CNC machining services and Manual machining services. The computer does the former, and the latter by labour. We are not trying to see which one is better; we are going to see what CNC is, how it can benefit us, its disadvantages, and most importantly, whether you should choose it or not. And also, we won’t be diving deep into manual machining.

CNC Machining (Benefits & Demerits)

What is CNC?

Computer Numerical Control, famously known as CNC, is a production machine controlled by computers. Programmes and codes are used to control the movement of the machine. CNC’s basically are production & designing machines that are controlled by computers using pre-programmed softwares and codes. CNC machines are used to shape, cut & create parts and products. The product is made from a combination of programming, mechanical design, and technical drawings. Both metal and plastic can be CNC machined.

What are CNC machines? 

CNC machines are machines that are controlled by computers with the help of softwares & codes. A range of machinery like lathes, grinding, turning mills, etc., are available under CNC machines. The manual versions of these machines deliver less accuracy, whereas CNC machines do the job with precision. The part or product to be made is defined with dimension in CAD (Computer-Aided-Designing) software and converted into manufacturing directives using CAM (Computer-Aided-Manufacturing) software. Unlike the old grumpy dangerous machines from the old times, CNC machines are highly automated, precise, and less dangerous. A part or product machined from a CNC will be dimensionally exact and tight resilient.

Benefits of CNC machining

There are many benefits to CNC machining, but those are all for the people who bought these machines to provide machining services. Here we’ve listed a few benefits you will get as a person who wants to create a part or product using CNC machining services. These are some of the benefits of CNC machining:

Improves / Increases preciseness

With CNC machines, the processes are all automated, and the computer controls all machine moments. The part is designed using CAD software and converted to manufacturing directives using CAM software. While designing the part/product, all dimensions and angles are defined in the CAD software. The machine will manufacture only according to that instruction. Therefore, human involvement is less by a large margin, which improves the accuracy and preciseness of the product.

Better speed and efficiency

Machines do not get tired as humans, but they do need breathing time to cool down their engines. Because of this, the time, speed, and efficiency of production are better in all directions. As computers control the machines, there won’t be any break in between, and the speed & quality remains consistent and better. With greater speed and efficiency, the product you get will be of high quality and precise.

Improved adaptability to assembling

Think that you need a part for your machinery and gave the work to a manual lathe. The chances of smooth assembling are too less. If the labour makes any mistakes on internal dimensions or the dimensional value of the part is inaccurate, fitting the part would not be possible. In the case of CNC, the part manufactured would be the same as the design model made using CAD software. Therefore the tension of the part not having a great fit would be minimal.

Reduced Errors

The brain behind CNC is the computer software; if we dont make any mistakes while designing and converting, the product would be perfect. The whole production process is controlled by computers, reducing the risk of error by a fair margin. Whereas in manual machines, the risk is high as each and every process is manual and done by labour. There are high chances of making mistakes in size and dimensions. And it is also hard with manual machines to create different shaped parts or products.

Compex designs & Prototyping

If creating a prototype or dimensionally complex product is on your mind, go for CNC machining. It is hard to make create complex designed products manually. While in CNC, you have to design the product using CAD convert it into manufacturing directives. The rest will be taken care of by the computer and the machine. By the end, you would be getting the product you designed rather than something which may not even look like you thought.

Demerits of CNC machining

• As the CNC machines cost more, the services to create parts/products are also more than manual testing.
• If the machine breaks down, only a professional machinist and programmer can resolve the issue. This will lead to more time and less speed during production or manufacturing.
• Complex designed parts will take more time to create as tools of the machine have to be manually changed.
• Size is also a limitation or demerit because, unlike manual machining, creating a large part also depends on the shop size. If you cant find a large CNC machining service provider nearby, you might have to jump into manual machining.

Conclusion

So we have gone through what CNC is, CNC machines, its merits & demerits. By now, you might have got an idea about what & how’s of CNC. Choosing the right type of service depends on our needs. If you want to create a prototype part or product, going for CNC machining might be wise.

Hope you and your loved ones are doing good. Thank you for completing the article. Have a nice day!