Advantages of CNC Machining

A CNC machine, at its most basic, is comprised of a computer and a tool to shape the material. The computer uses a program to precisely control the tool and the material, shaping it into a part.

CNC machining is used in a variety of applications, most commonly manufacturing for industries like electronics, agriculture, and the automotive industry. It offers a wide range of benefits for these industries, chief among them being the reduced cost in both money and time.

Repeatability and Precision

CNC machines work by using programs that are stored on a central CPU. This means that the program can be run over and over, and always turn out the exact same part, no matter who is doing the work. This creates consistency for your customers – they know they can always rely on you to produce precise, identical components. With conventional machining, there will always be slight variations. While there are applications where this is acceptable, or even a good thing, for the most part in manufacturing, precision is of paramount importance.

Lower cost

CNC machines are much less labour-intensive than conventional machining, meaning that the cost is lower for you and that you can pass that saving on to your customer. Not only that, but CNC machines do not need to take breaks – they can work around-the-clock. Less material is wasted and components are produced much faster as well, which all adds up to increased profit.

Low maintenance

CNC machines will update their own software as necessary, and other than keeping your machine clean and replacing tools occasionally, they require very little in the way of maintenance. This means that they can be working and producing parts and components more of the time.

Better safety

By necessity, conventional machining requires that the engineer is in close contact with the tools and materials they are working with. In comparison, CNC machines keep the moving tools and materials away from engineers, meaning accidents are much less likely.

Versatility and capability

CNC machines can produce designs that even the most skilled manual engineer could never make. Some designs are incredibly intricate, and accuracy to within 1/1,000 is the only way to ensure that these parts are correctly made.

There are so many applications for CNC machining that it can be difficult to know what the best model would be for what you need. Speak to us at Stoney CNC and we can help you go through the options available and find the best machine for you.