What is CNC milling? What is the milling service?
Are you a representative of a manufacturing company and are you “looking” for new solutions that will facilitate and speed up selected processes in your company? Are you interested in new technologies and want to develop in this area? Or maybe you are just hungry for knowledge and simply want to find out what all this CNC milling is? Regardless of the reason you visited this website, we are convinced that you will find a lot of valuable information here. Read the rest of this article and learn everything about computer machining. What is it, what does it involve, what types are it and why is it worth choosing CNC milling?
What is CNC milling?
CNC milling is one of the methods used to process various materials. The term CNC comes from the English name Computerized Numerical Control and simply means computer control of numerical devices. In practice, the CNC milling process is nothing more than modifying specific materials (their shape, size, format, etc.) using an appropriate machine – controlled by an appropriate program. This can be described in 3 simple steps:
- The material is placed in the milling machine and remains stationary.
- Special blades perform a rotational movement that allows for successive cutting of subsequent layers of material.
- Finally, the material acquires a specific shape and format.
This approach enables constant, precise, automated and highly repeatable production of specific elements.
What can you mill in? Material examples.
Although the most frequently processed materials include all types of metals (especially steel and aluminum), CNC milling services have a much wider application. Using appropriately selected and configured machines, you can also successfully mill wooden elements and even those made of plastic.
Application of milling, i.e. what is the purpose of using such services?
The enormous possibilities offered by machining mean that this type of activities can be used in many ways. On the one hand, CNC milling is an excellent way to produce all kinds of prototypes. This is because it does not require the involvement of many specialists or the organization of entire production lines. In this area, all you need is an appropriate design, a milling machine and a specialist who will operate it. Naturally, this type of material handling is also used in mass production – on a small and quite large scale. The benefits of milling are used by companies producing small and medium-sized elements and by companies dealing with smaller (in terms of quantity) – dimensional projects. It is also worth mentioning their use in mass production. Milling machines can be successfully used to produce spare parts, machine elements, and many other products – produced in tens or even hundreds of thousands of copies. This is how CNC milling services are used in numerous industries: industrial, chemical and even food.
Types of CNC milling – what are the differences?
The most popular types of milling include:
- Frontal, in which the cutting tool is perpendicular to the milled element.
- Cylindrical (peripheral), in which the cutting tool is located parallel to the milled element.
- Oblique, in which the cutting tool is at an appropriate angle to the milled element.
- Free, which involves processing the element from one side.
- Incomplete, which involves processing the element from both sides.
- Full, which processes elements from up to 3 sides.
How much does CNC milling cost?
It is very difficult to give a clear answer to this question. This is because the exact prices for CNC milling services depend on several factors. When preparing detailed cost estimates, the following elements are taken into account:
- Type of material, i.e. whether it is steel, aluminum, wood, plastic or other raw material.
- The shape and size, i.e. the exact design of the element to be created as a result of milling.
- The size of the order, i.e. how many elements will be subjected to such processing.
Other aspects that may affect the final price are: completion date and additional services (e.g. project order).
Benefits of CNC milling
The main advantages include:
- The high level of precision thanks to which CNC milling allows for perfect reproduction of the design, and thus ensuring perfect repeatability of each processed element.
- Full flexibility, which makes machining very versatile. Just prepare the project and configure the device, and in a few moments it will be ready to mill new elements.
- Saving time and money, thanks to full automation and exceptional precision, CNC milling allows for significant acceleration of production processes. What is equally important – it is also an important factor limiting the consumption of individual raw materials.
All these aspects lead to the main benefit, which should be the most important for the vast majority of companies and the specialists they employ. Well, automation, repeatability and precision make CNC milling provide even greater safety. It minimizes the involvement of the human factor and reduces the likelihood of possible errors.
Are you looking for a proven company to commission CNC milling?
Discover our milling services, in which we specialize in the processing of aluminum and plastics. For this purpose, we use a modern milling machine. Contact us and send your project to receive a detailed quote. If you decide to cooperate with us, the service will be completed in just a few days.