Advantages of CNC Milling Machine over Traditional Manufacturing Technology

Over the last few decades, many new manufacturing technologies have been introduced but none have had the level of impact that CNC milling and machining has had. CNC has just changed manufacturing in ways that no one could not have imagined. And this is because of a number of reasons, all of which have proven to be such advantages over older manufacturing methods that many industries are now using CNC Milling Machine shops which would have earlier relied on master skilled people who had spent their lifetimes trying to perfect one job.

Take the example of swiss watches, what would have taken a swiss watchmaker lifetime to practice and perfect, the same result can be achieved by a CNC machine shop in a matter of minutes, even seconds in some cases and the machine can do it over and over again, time and time again ad infinitum! Here is a look at some of the known advantages of CNC milling technology.

Advantages of speed and quality:

• Precision and Accuracy: This is the first and most important advantage of a CNC milling machine over any other manufacturing method is the degree of precision and accuracy it offers. Since its very name is Computer Numerical Control milling, precision of very high degree is possible, so much so that it can work with millimeter tolerances.

• Complex Geometry: Along with precision, a CNC Machine Shop also brings the advantage of being able to work on complex geometries both in the terms of the workpiece on which the milling is done as well as the design which will be worked upon in the machining process.

• Speed and Efficiency: One limitation with all older production technology always was that it could only work at rather slow speeds and with limited efficiency. It may have been ok for the demand levels of a century back but with modern demand levels, both speed and efficiency in the modern production are critical as ensuring prompt supply can make the difference between the success and failure of a product.

Advantages of Volume and Scale:

• 24 X 7 Operation: It is very important to realize that the scale of production that a CNC machine shop can achieve, simply cannot be achieved by any other means be it a machine based production tech or be it the work done by a master craftsman. A CNC machine is build from the ground up to be reliable and thus can operate round the clock, doing the same work over and over again, day and night, with minimal level of maintenance needed.

• Multitasking: CNC machines are not bound to just one thing, the machine is designed from the ground up to be able to undertake multiple activities at the same time and thus you can get CNC milling machine which can handle multiple complex designs on same work piece as well as multiple work pieces at the same time.

• Repeatability: A very big advantage of CNC machine shop over other modes of production is that it can keep on doing the same thing over and over again with the same exact level of precision. This is just not possible with almost any other production methodology be it driven by a machine or done by the master craftsmen.

Over and above these, there are also certain other advantages of CNC based work. These include the fact that a CNC machine by its very nature of being highly precise and accurate, is also very efficient.

It does not generate as much waste as any other method of production. Then there is also the fact that a CNC machine may look expensive to start with but as production increases, it becomes extremely cost efficient thanks to its other advantages.

John Scott content writer and digital marketing graduate. Write about business tip, tech, technology topics.