CNC Machined Aluminum Parts Rapid Prototyping To Low Volume Production Wide Surface Finishing Options
This aluminum gimble part was high precision CNC turned and milled, it was one of the assembly components of a camera supporting stand. The original part design was optimized on our advice to cut down the production time and cost. Both working great and looking pretty were required for this part manufacturing, rapid prototypes prior to mass manufacturing were made to test our manufacturing capabilities.
CNC High Precision Milling is a type of conventional manufacturing technology that uses the high-speed rotating cutting tool to precisely remove the unwanted material from a solid workpiece. The cutting tool is usually held in a spindle and moving along multiple axes (3,4,5 axes) to create various structures, shapes and features. Here are some key features and advantages of CNC milling:
Good Versatility: CNC milling can work great with lots of solid materials, including metals, plastics, composites, and wood. It can also manufacture a variety of shapes, structures and features, from simple holes and small slots to complex contours and large curves.
Fully Automation: CNC milling machines can be fully automatic, this means it can work for a intended time without human intervention. This reduces the cost for manual labor and increases efficiency and productivity.
Great Customization: CNC milling machines can be programmed to produce highly custom parts for exact details and specifications, which brings the great design flexibility and customization. This is especially important for the industries that require unique or specialized parts.
CNC Turning is a high precision manufacturing process using a stationary cutting tool to remove unwanted material from a high-speed rotating workpiece. The workpiece is usually held in a chuck and rotating fast while the cutting tool moves along the length of the workpiece to create the desired shapes and features.
CNC aluminum parts are widely used in many industries and applications in our daily life for its comprehensive performance and excellent practicability. Benefits of CNC machined aluminum parts:
Versatility: CNC machining works with a wide range of aluminum alloys, including series of 6061, 7075, and 2024, etc. It can also produce different kinds of shapes and features with great dimension stability, from simple holes and small slots to complex contours and large structures.
Lightweight: Aluminum is a lightweight metal material with normal density 2.7 g/cm3, which makes it ideal for industries and applications that require weight reduction, such as aerospace and automotive industries.
Corrosion Resistance: Aluminum alloy has excellent corrosion resistance, which makes it suitable for outdoor and marine applications that require high corrosion resistance capability.
Though a variety of Additive Manufacturing techniques are used for Rapid Prototyping, CNC is still the leading Rapid Prototyping process in China for material advantages and cheap labor here. No matter big or small size, simple or complex design, mechanical or appearance verification, CNC is the competitive option.
Compared with Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies for Rapid Prototyping & Manufacturing, CNC Machining is a great choice for Rapid Prototypes manufacturing for its real and cheap raw materials, high precision, wide material and surface finishing options, usually economical manufacturing cost, and fast turnaround. Here are part of the benefits of CNC machined prototypes:
Real and Cheap Raw Materials. Compared with Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies using expensive liquid or powdered materials with simulated properties, CNC machining uses the real and cheap solid materials to build the prototypes, so CNC machined prototypes work great for strength, flexibility and durability verification for product development.
High Precision. Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies, such as 3D Printing, provide manufacturing tolerance usually ± 0.1 mm or worse, CNC machining can provide tolerance up to ± 0.001 mm that is much tighter than AM technologies, so CNC machined prototypes provide more reliable and precise feedback on fitting and mechanism test.
Fast Turnaround. Manufacturing complex geometry and details is the key advantage for AM technologies over CNC machining, and for the parts with simple geometry and details, CNC machining could take shorter time than AM technologies to finish the prototypes, especially for the low volume prototypes manufacturing.
Large Manufacturing Size. The maximum manufacturing dimensions (Length×Width×Height) of most AM technologies are under 1000×1000×1000 mm, particularly for metal prototypes manufacturing with more smaller ones. CNC machining provides more larger maximum manufacturing dimensions than AM technologies, manufacturing length over 2000 mm and width over 1000 mm is common for CNC machining.
How does HONKIA compare to other suppliers on price?
Compared to other Chinese suppliers, we choose not to compete on price but to offer the high level of quality, rapid response, and professional results. That’s why some customers cooperate with us for many years, compared with the price, they need a reliable partner to avoid serious losses caused by annoying after-sales service or even the trouble of finding no one.
What if I am not completely satisfied with the parts I receive?
HONKIA will free remake or amend the returned parts that you are not completely satisfied, or refund the full arrived payment, though this is rarely happened in the past. Any disputes based on a subjective or unilateral determination shall be discussed and negotiated to reach a reasonable result. Our continuing business relies on earning your confidence in our ability to meet and exceed the reasonable expectations.
