Coming in a wide range of sizes, shapes, speeds or other dimensions, the CNC machine parts or tools are the important parts of the manufacturing industry and precision engineering. These essential machines on the shop floor actually have a wide range of uses – from die and mold to fabricating complex medical, aircraft or automobile parts, to name some of them. It is equipped with different degrees of automation and software; they will help in significantly improving your machining efficiency processes and your parts quality. Challenge, comes in choosing the best CNC machine tool. With a wide variety of the factors that you need to know, how will you confine to the critical factors? Here is the useful checklist to begin with.
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Machine tool operator experience
Firstly, you have to know what the machine setup is at your factory, or how much experience that your engineers or operators have for using the CNC machine tools. Suppose, you have current machines, you must evaluate if they’re appropriate for the manufacturing purposes, see your current gaps, assess the machine life span as well as evaluate the effectiveness of replacing the existing machine with the new performing one.
Part complexity and difficulty
The greatest challenge for CNC machining services is the precision and complexity of parts being produced. The parts for the automotive, aerospace, defense, and medical industries might need advanced CNC machines, and where different spindles are selectable, are capable of maneuvering, boring, cutting, and shaping parts that are controlled by multiple axis. The examples of such machines include three to five Axis Machining and two to eight Axis Turning Centers. It allows 1, 2 and Multi-Spindle designs.
Materials getting machined
The CNC machine tools can work with most materials, which include copper, aluminum, hardened steel or mild steel, Inconel and titanium. Type of material machined can influence on the machine design or spindle selected, and the performance levels, load bearing, durability, and precision that is realized. The physical properties and the optimum cutting states of material can influence the machine tool factors like maximum spindle speed, max spindle torque and peak motor horsepower required.
Linear Motion and box guide ways
Then you have to consider whether to choose a CNC Machine tool by using linear guide system or stronger and rigid box guide design. There’re 4 factors you have to consider: rigidity, speed, and tool life and load carrying capacity. The CNC machines made by the LM guide generally tend to be much faster, but suitable for the lighter duty applications. Alternatively, machines with the box guides are rigid, lesser vibration, and can take on the heavier cuts on the large parts. But, these are generally slower than one with the LM guide ways. When choosing between two, it’s very important to ask following questions:
- How much vibration damping is required?
- What types of material are cut?
- What is expected or required tool life?
- What are desired rates of a cutting feed?