Before operators can run CNC programs, they must prepare the CNC machine for operation. These preparations include fixing the workpiece directly on the machine, on the mechanical spindle, in machine vision devices or similar workpiece fixing devices, and connecting the required tools (such as drills and mills) to the appropriate CNC machining components. .

Once the machine is fully installed, the operator can run the CNC program.

Mechanical Execution Processing Execution
The CNC program is used as instructions of the CNC machine; sends machine commands that indicate tool actions and movements to the device's built-in computer, which operates and manipulates the machine tool.

The startup program will ask the CNC machine to start the CNC machining process. The program will guide the machine through the entire process while performing the machine operations necessary to produce custom designed parts or products.

If the online rapid prototyping company invests in the purchase and maintenance of your CNC equipment, you can run the CNC machining process in-house or outsource it to a specialist CNC machining service provider.

CNC machining process flow chart
CNC machining materials

CNC plastic and metal materials

Material	Densidad	Colour	Physical properties
ABS	1.1 / cm3	Black / White / Off White	General hardness can be pasted; It can resist up to 70 degrees after painting.
Acrylic	1.3 / cm3	Transparent	Relatively fragile; Good transparency; Can be glued and painted
PC	1.2 / cm3	Transparent / White / Black	It can resist up to 120 degrees; Can be glued and painted
POM	1.6 / cm3	Black / white	High resistance and toughness; Can not paste
PP	1.1 / cm3	Black / white	High resistance and toughness; Can not paste
PPS	1.3 / cm3	Black / Off White	Hard material; can resist up to 200 degrees, can be glued and painted
Bakelite	2 / cm3	Red	It can resist up to 250 degrees; Cannot be pasted or painted
PEEK	1.6 / cm3	Black / Off White	Great anti-solubility; Great anti-corrosion; Can resist up to 143 degrees
PTFE	2.2 / cm3	White	It can resist up to 250 degrees; Cannot be pasted or painted
AL6061-T6	2.7g / cm3	Silvery white	Good machinability; Good heat dissipation; Can be applied with anodized, chrome paint.
AL5083-T6	2.68g / cm3	Silvery white	Good machinability; Good heat dissipation; Can be applied with anodized, chrome paint.
AL7075	2.8g / cm3	Silvery white	Good machinability; Good heat dissipation; Can be applied with anodized, chrome paint.
Copper	8.5g / cm3	Golden	Good electrical conductivity and good heat dissipation.
SS316L	7.98g / cm3	White	Excellent anti-corrosion; Good heat resistance
SS304	7.93g / cm3	White	Excellent anti-corrosion; Good heat resistance

What are the advantages and disadvantages of CNC machining?

CNC machining rapid prototyping has realized the automation of small and medium batch processing and improved working conditions. In addition, it has a number of advantages, such as high productivity, stable processing precision, and low product cost.

To further exploit these advantages, CNC prototype machining has been developed towards "process concentration", that is, a CNC machine (that is, a machining center) that can complete multi-process processing after clamping machining parts. CNC at the same time.

Rapid prototyping CNC machining selects aircraft parts with complex profiles as processing objects from the very beginning, which is the key to solving the difficulty of ordinary processing methods. The most important CNC machining feature is the perforated tape (or tape) to control the machine tool for automatic processing.

Aircraft, rockets, and engine CNC precision machining parts have different characteristics: Airplanes and rockets have zero characteristics, large components, complex shapes, zero engine, small component sizes, and high precision.

Therefore, the CNC machine tools selected by aircraft and rocket manufacturing departments and engine manufacturing departments are different.

In the manufacture of aircraft and rockets, large-scale CNC milling machines with continuous control are mainly used. In contrast, in the manufacture of motors, continuously controlled CNC machine tools and point-controlled CNC machine tools (CNC drilling machines, CNC boring machines, machining centers, etc.) are used.

Advantages of CNC machining

Process concentration
CNC machining generally has tool holders and tool magazines that can change tools automatically. The tool change process is carried out automatically under the control of the program. Therefore, operations are relatively concentrated. The concentration of processes brings substantial economic benefits:

Reduce the floor space of the machine tool and save the workshop.
Reduce or not intermediate links (such as intermediate inspection of semi-finished products, temporary storage, handling, etc.), saving time and human resources.
automation
Manual control of the tool is not necessary during CNC machining processing and the degree of automation is high. The benefits are obvious.

Reduced requirements for operators:

An ordinary machine tool senior worker cannot be trained in a short time, and a CNC worker who does not need programming has a short training time (for example, a CNC lathe worker needs a week and will write simple processing programs).

In addition, the parts processed by CNC workers on CNC machine tools have higher precision than those processed by ordinary workers on traditional machine tools, saving time.

Reduce labor intensity: CNC workers are excluded from processing most of the time during processing, which saves a lot of labor.

Stable product quality: Automating CNC machining processing eliminates worker fatigue, carelessness, estimation, and other human error on ordinary machine tools and improves product consistency.

High processing efficiency:  The automatic tool change of the CNC machining prototype makes the processing process compact and improves labor productivity.

High flexibility

Although the traditional general purpose machine tool is flexible, it is inefficient. On the contrary, the particular conventional machine is very efficient. Still, it has poor adaptability to parts, high rigidity and inadequate flexibility, and it is difficult to adapt to the fierce competition in the market economy.

Products are frequently modified. Whenever the program is changed, new parts can be processed in CNC machining. It can be automated, with good flexibility and high efficiency so that the CNC machine can adapt to market competition.

CNC prototype machining can accurately process various contours, and some shapes cannot be machined on standard machine tools. CNC machining technology is especially suitable for the following occasions:

Parts that cannot be thrown away.
Development of new products.
Processing of emergency parts.