CNC Milling Guide – CNC Milling Advantages & Disadvantages, Application, Materials and Definition

As a typical machining process, CNC milling parts are common in our daily life and in lots of industries. What’s the CNC milling process and why use it? Here CNClathing.com presents the CNC milling advantages & disadvantages, benefits, applications, materials, types, definition and more.

What is CNC Milling?

CNC milling is a machining method that uses the multi-point rotary milling cutter to remove materials from the workpiece making feed motion on the CNC milling machine, to create a broad variety of features or parts. Milling is generally used to produce various flat surfaces, grooves, slots, gears, racks and other profiles. Junying CNC milling services can provide top-grade cost-effective custom milled parts for lockset, automobile, food machinery, military & defence industry, medical equipment, home appliance, etc.

CNC Milling Advantages & Disadvantages

Benefits of CNC Milling

• 1. The milling cutter is a kind of multi-tooth tool, each tooth on the milling cutter participates in the work intermittently, which results in good cooling conditions for the cutting tool, high cutter durability, improved cutting speed and high productivity.
• 2. Can produce a wider range of products than the planer, so it can almost replace the planer.
• 3. CNC milling is ideal for rapid prototyping and mass production.
• 4. Thousands of milling parts production can be done in a short time.
• 5. Repeatability, the same products with exact specifications can be produced as original design numerous times.
• 6. Computerized numerically control to confirm the accuracy and precision of final products.
• 7. Automation reduces the number of operators and labor costs but retains the quality.
• 8. Enables complex design, geometries, specifications, and tasks.
• 9. Good adaptability and flexibility of CNC milling parts processing.

Disadvantages of CNC Milling

• 1. The CNC milling machine and setup are more expensive than manual instruments.
• 2. The workers who operate milling machines need proper training
• 3. It takes a period of time for design and programming, not so cost-effective for small amounts of products.

CNC Milling Materials

1. Metals. The most common CNC milling materials types, including aluminum, steel, brass, stainless steel, titanium, copper, bronze, zinc, magnesium, etc.

– CNC milling aluminum parts: easy to machine, economic, corrosion-resistant.

– CNC milling stainless steel parts: can be heat treated, corrosion resistance.

– CNC milling brass parts: easy and cost-effective, stable, low friction coefficient and high corrosion resistance.

2. Plastics including POM, ABS, PVC, Nylon, PEEK, etc.

3. Ceramics, glass, rubber, wood, foams, etc.

CNC Milling Types

– Plain Milling
– Face Milling
– Side Milling
– Straddle Milling
– Angular Milling
– Gang Milling
– Form Milling
– Profile Milling
– End Milling
– Saw Milling
– Gear Milling
– Helical Milling
– Cam Milling
– Thread Milling
– Keyways, Grooves, and Slot Milling

CNC Milling Applications

CNC Milling is one of the most commonly used machining processes, including plain milling and contour milling, which can process and tap parts. CNC milling is applicable to a diverse range of objects.

1. Flat parts. Each surface is a plane or can be expanded into a plane, the vast majority of parts processed on CNC milling machine are flat parts, it’s also the simplest CNC milling objects, can be completed only by two coordinate linkages of three coordinate machines.

2. Angled parts. The parts whose angle between the machining surface and the horizontal surface changes continuously are called variable angle parts. It is better to use the four-axis or five-axis controlled milling machine to process the parts with a variable angle.

3. Curved parts. The machining surface of curved parts is always in point contact with the milling cutter, which is generally processed by a 3-axis CNC milling machine.

CNC milling service provides a vast range of high-quality precision milling components for automotive, aerospace and aircraft fittings, healthcare, electronics, medical devices, surgical equipment, consumer goods, engineering, etc.