Fast CNC Machining

What is Rapid CNC?

When it comes to designing and manufacturing a product or part, many companies find themselves faced with the difficult choice between creating a high-quality product or going to market quickly. Fortunately, rapid CNC machining is giving manufacturers the best of both worlds. Rapid prototyping was originally developed in the 1980’s, but the invention of Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machining has since revolutionized this method and uncovered a way for companies to quickly iterate on prototypes and create a high-quality final product in record time. CNC machining uses computers to remove excess material to create a desired shape, making it much faster than non-computerized machining processes that must be controlled manually.

Rapid machining is the creation of parts and prototypes with a heavy emphasis on expediting the manufacturing process. This can be accomplished in many ways but is often achieved with the help of CNC machining. In fact, the two strategies are often combined into “rapid CNC,” which is frequently used to create prototypes faster and expedite time-to-market.

Benefits of Rapid CNC Machining

Rapid CNC has many benefits that give companies a competitive advantage. These include:

Reducing the time it takes to go from a product design to a finished part

Iterating prototypes quickly

Ability to quickly test multiple versions of a prototype

No minimum quantity

Ability to make small changes accurately

Relatively high quality for the cost

Ability to use a wide range of materials

How to Determine if Your Project Needs Rapid CNC Services

Rapid machining is most frequently used for prototyping. Because it prioritizes speed over other factors, it may not be ideal for highly detailed parts or products. Large or heavy projects, such as parts used in the automotive or agricultural industries, may present challenges. CNC machining is an excellent solution for projects and prototypes that may require multiple iterations to be completed quickly at relatively high quality and low cost.

Standard Rapid CNC Methodology

There is a commonly followed methodology for designing parts with CNC machining. Traditionally, the “features” of the part are defined, and these features and tolerances are matched to a collection of processes that can produce the necessary geometry to the stated accuracy. It typically follows a series of plans to maximize feeds and speeds while still building repeatable setups that can be compensated for by economies of scale. CNC machining, unlike other rapid prototyping methods, is a subtractive operation, which means it can only extract material from the part’s periphery. Only rotations around one axis are used for stock material orientations during processing to simplify the problem from both a process and fixture planning standpoint. This not only alleviates the issues associated with process preparation, but it contributes to the approach’s collision-free operation.

Rapid CNC Machining Processes

Milling – Computerized controls direct multi-point cutting implements as they cut and shape the workpiece. Face milling results in shallow, flat slices, while peripheral milling results in slots and threads. These processes establish the precise link points that allow fasteners to fit together exactly as they should. There are a few different types of milling available, but when it comes to rapid CNC, horizontal milling is a common process.

Turning – In turning, material is removed from a spinning workpiece to create more consistent threads on cylindrical parts like screws and bolts as an alternative to human-operated lathe operations. Other geometric features, such as slots and tapers, can be produced by CNC turning machines through boring, facing, and grooving operations.

Routing – Primarily used to cut softer materials like plastics, acrylics and certain softer metals.

Surface Grinding – Using a revolving grinding wheel and cutting to remove material from a metallic workpiece. Grinding machines are mostly used for machining workpieces to a high degree of hardness and fineness. Because of the high surface quality that can be obtained, grinding machines are almost exclusively used as a finishing process in modern industry.

Lapping & Polishing – Lapping and polishing is a technique for precisely removing material from a workpiece to achieve a desired dimension, finish, or form. Lapping and polishing can be applied to a wide range of materials and applications, ranging from metals, glasses, optics, semiconductors and ceramics.

Welding & Post-Weld – Welding is a fabrication method for joining materials, typically metals or thermoplastics, by melting them together and allowing them to cool, resulting in fusion. After that, post-welding is used to reduce residual stresses, manage stiffness, and even improve material strength.

Heli-Coils & Hardware Inserts – CNC is also commonly used to create Heli-Coils (wire thread inserts that are incorporated in softer metallic materials to give them steel-like thread performance) and other hardware inserts because of its ability to create strong inserts quickly.

Painting and Plating – painting and plating are finishing processes that help provide a more completed look to a CNC machined part. PROTOTEK has in-house painting and plating services that allow us to turn around parts quicker and keep our rapid CNC pace, even for projects that require finishing.