5 ways to reduce CNC machining costs
Take into account several design and material considerations to reduce CNC machining expenses
We use automated software to
write quotes and highlight details that require thought for a better and faster
part production process. This software identifies details that will be
very difficult to fabricate first and foremost (or can be but with additional
equipment), and will also highlight areas where modifications may not be
necessary, but which can improve ease of fabrication. machining of the
assembly; housings, engraved text, thin walls, deep pockets or holes, and
complex geometries.
Here are some tips to help you design lower
cost machined parts.
1. Give relief to the corners of the housing
For example, consider the angles of a machined
cavity, such as the interior of an electronic box or a bracket used to secure
the body of a rectangular component. A common design mistake is to keep
the sharp angles of the intersection of the vertical walls of these room shapes
as they are. As an example, imagine machining a stainless steel box to
contain a set of sports plugs. The only way to get the perfect right
angles to store information for all club members is through EDM technology, a
slow and expensive process.
Instead, we'll be equipping one of our
machining centers with the smallest end mill available to even out angles. On
304 stainless steel material, this requires the use of a 0.8mm end mill to
achieve a 0.4mm corner radius. This is a fairly sharp angle, but the depth
is limited, the maximum length of most steel cutting end mills in this size
range being five times the diameter of the cutting tool. which is far from
counting in terms of depth. Machining using a small end mill such as a
model of this type is also a slow and delicate job, which increases the cost of
your project.
One approach that will save your budget
more is to machine a relief in each corner of the cavity. This eliminates
this unnecessary radius and instead leaves a U- or C-shaped space (see
illustration). It is also possible to obtain much deeper cavities. By
making a notch with a width of 6.35 mm at each corner, sharp corners with a
depth of about 32 mm can be made. And by adopting aluminum, or even
plastic, we obtain cavity depths twice as large as those provided by steel. More
importantly, designing cavities according to this principle reduces the cost,
it is possible to use end mills of larger dimensions and to increase the
material removal rates accordingly.
2. Deburr the edges yourself
Avoiding corner breaks is another
spoke-friendly measure that lowers costs. To try and remove burrs and to
break up sharp angles, designers will often smooth out outer intersections with
chamfers or corner bends. This is understandable, and sometimes necessary,
but it can also be expensive. The company offers an automatic deburring option for
metal parts, and plastics are delivered as is, or with sharp angles as shown. If
the design of the part requires breaking an angle, we need to use an additional
tool (a ball mill) and machine the corners using a 3D profiling displacement.
3. Avoid the use of text
Likewise, the engraving of texts is an
aesthetic operation but requires time, and it is better to avoid it if
possible. Here too, a spherical cutter is used to trace letters, numbers, or
symbols indicated by the CAD model. Looks good, and perhaps a requirement
for your machined part, but probably more appropriate on injection molded
parts, where extra machining time is amortized on large series. Our tools
for metal, resp. plastic makes it possible to obtain a fineness of detail
of 0.90 mm, resp. 0.51 mm.
4. Pay attention to thin walls and details
The tolerance on our standard parts is
+/- 0.13 mm. If you have a detail of 0.5mm or less, our automatic
quotation system will classify it as thin wall geometry, and the part can still
be machined, but the result may differ a little from your original design. Walls
less than 0.51 mm thick are not only susceptible to breaking during machining,
but can also flex or deform afterward. Reinforce them as much as
possible.
5. Keep it simple
Very deep dwellings are really to be
avoided, even if the corners are rounded. Not only does it take a long
time to remove all the material, but any residual stress in the material will
show itself as defects when the recesses are very deep and the walls very thin. Gussets
or support structures can be used to reinforce these elements and prevent
movement due to stress, but this increases machining costs. Keeping it
simple is the best advice for a manufacturer or designer of machined parts.
The same principle applies to the general
shape of the room. Don't try to do more than is necessary. Maximizing
the use of material can slow down machining or create problems and therefore
increase costs. If the design becomes too complex, consider creating
different components that will be put together afterward. No one
appreciates the cost of assembly or the complexity of having multiple parts,
but it may be the best approach for hard-to-machine parts if speed is
important to you. Sculpted surfaces, large slots (radiators), very deep
holes (hydraulic distributors), and threads are cost accelerators that can eat
up your project budget.
For details, please visit: www.abdultraders.com
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