How to Reduce Costs in CNC Machining Without Compromising Quality

Oftentimes, lower manufacturing costs can translate into lower quality components–but that doesn’t always have to be the case. There are several practical ways to reduce the costs of CNC machining without having to compromise on the quality of the resulting parts. Here are a few strategies to consider! 

Choose the Right Material for the Job

Reducing your CNC machining costs starts right at the beginning, in the design phase. Certain materials are better suited to machining than others, as harder materials will be more likely to wear down or even break the tooling unless it’s specially designed for the job. Softer materials like certain aluminum alloys are much easier to machine and will reduce the costs of your project while still offering excellent properties. However, if your project does call for something stronger or harder, make sure to keep in mind the tooling costs that may be required. 

Optimize Your Design

CNC machining is one of the most versatile manufacturing techniques around, and has only grown in its capacity for complex part designs. Just like any other type of manufacturing though, it does have some limits. Here are just a few design aspects that you should keep in mind:

• Rounded Internal Corners are always a default when it comes to CNC machining of parts, and the radius of those corners can affect the efficiency and pricing of your project. A more narrow radius will be difficult to achieve and may require several cycles or passes of the tool compared to a wider corner radius. 

• Deep Internal Cavities are extremely time consuming to machine. They almost always call for fragile tools and multiple passes of the tooling in order to achieve, so if they can be avoided, then be sure to do so.

• Tight Tolerances are important–especially for parts that will serve critical functions. However, only a few surfaces of the part are actually critical to its function, and those are the surfaces that you want to focus your attention on. The more features that have specific numerical callouts, the more expensive the part will be, so try and focus your tight tolerance where they matter most.

Take Advantage of Standard Tooling Types and Sizes

Many machining tools come in standard sizes, making them much cheaper to acquire, as well as standard types. While some shops can produce custom tooling in-house, this will result in higher costs for the project and not all shops have this capability–and outsourcing it will increase both lead times and costs. Leverage standard tooling when you’re planning your machining project as much as you can, and you’ll be able to reduce your lead times and keep your project more cost efficient. 

Looking for an expert in precision CNC machining?

Trimen Industrial LLC offers a wide range of precision CNC machining services, with over 40 years of reliable and quality service as our foundation. Head over to our website to request a quote or contact us with any questions!