CNC Machine Technique Tutorial
- Cut your raw material to as close to final size as possible. You want to take into account the amount of excess material needed to get the correct finish, but you do not want to have to remove excess material. This can wear tooling prematurely and add significant amounts of time to the cycle. Cut the raw material, leaving no more than one-quarter excess to allow for a good finish.
Clean your machine thoroughly before starting. This is the most crucial and important step in the machining process. Many use lubricant to clean their machines, as this combined with a sanding stone can remove any debris that is contained on the work table. A machinist's technique regarding cleaning can have a dramatic impact on the accuracy of his work because even the smallest metal chip or debris can ruin production runs. - Start with sharpened or new tooling. If you start with dull or used tools, you will notice rapid loss of size on machined pieces. By beginning with fresh tools and monitoring their wear, you can rest assured your parts will be cut to the correct sizes within the tolerances dictated in the print.
Measure the first few pieces you have completed. You are looking to see if there are any measurement errors or program errors before you continue. Many shops make thousands of pieces and if the first few are off, so will the rest of the run. Take the time to thoroughly scrutinize each piece at the beginning. - De-bur your pieces while others are being machined. This technique saves time while allowing you to finish parts while others are being cut. Since cutting in a machine leaves sharp edges, you want to remove them with files and de-burring tools so that they can be handled without cutting the skin. Many machining processes can leave an unwanted knife-like edge on parts as they come out of the machine.
