CNC Milling

Sat, 10 May 2008

CNC milling is one of the most flexible machining methods and able to make a wide range of custom parts. CNC milling is a cutting process in which material is removed from a block metal or plastic by a rotating tool. The cutting tool (called a “mill”) is moved in all three dimensions to cut a desired shape from stock.

In this process, the material is usually removed by both the end and the side of the cutting tool. Unlike a drill which only moves vertically, in CNC milling the cutting tool also cuts on edge edges during horizontal motion. Cutting tools of various profile shapes are available including square, rounded, and angled. A wide variety of part shapes and geometries are possible.  The most common are the “end mill” which has a flat bottom surface while a “ball mill” has a rounded end. 

A wide variety of 2D and 3D shapes are possible in the process. Some of the examples of CNC milling are engine components, custom jigs, mold tooling, complex mechanisms, enclosures, etc.

While CNC milling can be used to cut 2D shapes, other processes are normally used including waterjet cutting and plasma cutting.

CNC Milling is generally used for short runs. Larger runs are often moved to casting, forging and other processes.

eMachineShop support the design of CNC milled parts via it's free CAD software download from emachineshop.com. Once a part is draw, it can be assigned to different machines to optimize pricing.