Whether the objective is to produce a single prototype or to get ready for mass production, one of the most common top priorities when it comes to CNC machining is to cut production costs as much as possible. This is true regardless of whether the goal is to create a single prototype or to get ready for mass production. As a designer, you are in luck because the choices you make can have a significant bearing on the total cost of the project. You will be able to manufacture parts that are optimized to minimize cost while still meeting the requirements of your design if you follow the advice in this article on how to design for machinability. The advice is provided in the context of how to design for machinability. One of these considerations is the length of time needed to machine the component of the product. When it comes to CNC, the amount of time spent machining is frequently the primary factor that decides costs. This cost is not going to go down, but there is an opportunity to get a better deal overall by purchasing in larger quantities and taking advantage of economies of scale. If the product's design is optimized while taking into account the relevant material factors, it might be possible to significantly cut the product's cost without sacrificing quality. Additional expenses that come with the manufacturing processWhen you design a part with specific requirements, it may be necessary to use specialized equipment, a more stringent quality assurance process, and additional processing steps. This is because the design of the part may necessitate these things. Now that we understand the factors that contribute to CNC costs, let's examine the ways in which the design can be improved to cut those costs as much as is practically possible.
The shape of a CNC milling tool is always cylindrical, and the creation of a radius is achieved through the process of cutting along the edge of a cavity. The utilization of tools featuring a more diminutive diameter makes it possible to cut down on the corner radii. Because of this, multiple passes have to machined brass parts be finished at a slower pace than normal. All of the interior edges should have a radius that is at least one third as large as the cavity's depth applied to them. In an ideal world, the radius would be the same in all locations. You should either not specify any radius at all for the very bottom of the cavity or specify a very small radius for it.
In an ideal world, the corner radius would have a slight margin of error over the radius of the tool that would be used to machine the cavity. This would be the case even if everything were perfect. For instance, if your design calls for a cavity that is 12 millimeters deep, you should give the corners a radius of 5 millimeters. This will ensure that the cavity functions as intended. As a consequence of this, the 8mm cutter will be able to slice through them at a pace that is noticeably more rapid. If you need an inner edge that has sharp corners, you should use a shape that has an undercut rather than reducing the radius of the inner edge so that you can achieve the desired effect. Machining deep cavities can have a significant effect on the overall cost of a CNC part because it takes so much time to remove such a substantial amount of material. As a result, the cost of the CNC part can go up.
It is essential to keep in mind that CNC tools have a limited length of cut. This is something that must not be forgotten. For example, a milling cutter with a diameter of 12 can cut pockets that are up to 25 millimeters deep without causing any damage to the material being milled. It is possible to cut deep pockets (up to four times the diameter of the tool or more), but doing so will result in an increase in cost because specialized tooling or multi-axis CNC systems are required. Although it is possible, cutting Titanium CNC Machining Services deep pockets is not recommended. A sufficient amount of space is also required for a smooth entry; as a result, the depth of all cavities must be restricted to no more than four times their respective lengths.
Walls that are already relatively thin should have their thickness increased. If weight is not a significant consideration, selecting sections that are thicker all the way through is the superior option because these sections are more stable. When machining thin walls, it is necessary to make multiple passes with shallow depths of cut in order to avoid deformation or breakage during the machining process. It can be challenging to accurately machine thin features because of their susceptibility to vibration. This makes the process significantly more time-consuming, which also makes it more difficult to accurately machine thin features. Obtaining a wall thickness of 0 is the absolute minimum that can be done with metal. Specifying a length of thread that is longer than what is strictly necessary can cause an increase in the price of a CNC part because it may require the use of specialized tooling in order to achieve the desired result.
Designing standard-sized holesIf standard drills are utilized during CNC hole machining, the process cnc machining suppliers is able to be completed rapidly while maintaining a high level of accuracy. A further consideration is that the depth of each hole should not be more than four times its diameter. It is possible to make the holes deeper, but due to the increased difficulty in machining them, this may result in an increase in the overall cost. When you define tolerances that are very close to one another, the machining process takes significantly more time and requires significantly more manual labor. This, in turn, drives up the cost of the CNC. If the technical drawing does not include any specific tolerances, then the part will be machined using standard tolerances, which are sufficient for the majority of non-critical features. If the part is critical, then specific tolerances will be included. When applied to components that have such features, inspection and deburring are both labor-intensive manual processes that add to the expense of producing the component. The use of geometric dimensioning and tolerancing in technical drawings can help to reduce the cost of CNC machining. This is because technical drawings typically define looser tolerances when using these methods. However, in order for these methods to be applied successfully, in-depth knowledge of design is required.
Rotating or repositioning parts, both of which typically have to be done by hand, drives up the cost of production and ought to be avoided whenever possible in order to reduce the total number of machine setups. There is a possibility that particularly complex geometries will necessitate the use of multi-axis carbon steel CNC machining CNC systems, which will add an additional layer of expense to the overall project. Consider slicing the component into multiple geometries that can be CNC machined in a single setup and that can then be welded or bolted together; this strategy can also be applied to components that have very deep cavities in them.