Today we will discuss the necessity of CNC parts customization and the extended application in industries.
Why do people use CNC technology to process their parts?
1. The required parts are not standard and cannot be obtained directly from the supplier.
Parts may be unavailable for many reasons. Many times, when engineers create a new production project, customized machining is required, as the individual components of the project might be purchased from suppliers, or are at a high price. These parts may be as simple as gears or buttons of a non-standard size or material.
2. The required part has a unique function that the standard part does not.
For general parts with special requirements, custom machining may be required, such as custom adapters, additional features or text engraving, etc.
3. Multiple elements can be combined into one section.
In many cases, custom machining is used to manufacture parts with multiple features or large parts. Because these parts are customized and ordered for specific projects, they can be heavily biased towards a specific end use.
4.High-quality parts can be manufactured in time in emergency situations
Whether it is metal processing (aluminum, brass, stainless steel, etc.) or plastic processing, it has all the usual advantages and functions of CNC on demand. Even in emergency situations, high-quality parts can be produced quickly thanks to short setup times and low minimum order quantities.
The industry’s demand for CNC processing
As we mentioned above, reliability and high quality are the top priorities in parts processing. Therefore, industries such as the aerospace industry and the medical device industry that require professional precision tools will especially rely on CNC machining technology. Mainly in:
1. The flexibility of CNC processing machines
Advanced medical equipment processing equipment such as Swiss automatic lathes, multi-spindle machine tools and rotary tables are completely different from the usual machining centers and lathes. Their sizes are very small but the structures are very compact; to meet such requirements, the structure of the tool is also required to be small, and the rigidity of the tool must also be guaranteed. For precision instruments, the most important thing is the processing efficiency, that is, which requires the tools to be replaced in the shortest time. During CNC machining, the development of new products and another batch of machining can be achieved simply by changing the settings and parameters of the CNC machine. This greatly improves automation and flexibility.
2. The fineness of CNC machining tools
Tolerances in the micron range are common in the aerospace and medical industries, and selecting the right tool requires keen insight and extensive experience. On the one hand, even drilling small holes requires the use of lubricants to reduce friction, reliably dissipate heat and handle fine iron filings at the cutting edge. On the other hand, the production of cutting-edge medical devices (without burrs) requires sharp and smooth-running cutting tools to obtain high-quality surfaces.
From the perspective of the workpiece itself, it is very different from other mechanical parts; the medical device implanted in the human body first requires very good finish, very high precision, and no deviation, which requires the tools to be specifically designed to meet high machining requirements.
Why medical industry needs CNC machining
Facing the diverse needs of patients, the medical industry needs products with stable quality and easy customization to ensure that the needs of each patient are taken care of. In addition to hygiene considerations, medical supplies are mostly disposable to avoid cross-infection of patients during treatment. Faced with a large number of high-standard medical supplies, medical institutions must have space to store these medical supplies.
Therefore, some medical institutions will require manufacturers to provide samples before production, especially before the institution starts to use emerging medical technologies. Therefore, samples are very important throughout the medical industry, allowing doctors to test the efficacy of products before implementing new medical technologies.
Taking dental implants as an example, traditional dentures must be modeled by a dentist first, and then handed over to a cooperative manufacturer to manufacture the dentures. The whole process takes at least seven working days. If there is a problem with the finished product, the process has to be repeated again. In recent years, the technology of digital dentistry has gradually matured, and some dental clinics have begun to use this technology.
The traditional modeling process is replaced by an intraoral scanner. After the data is uploaded to the cloud, the design can be started. During the design stage, all aspects of the product can be checked through CAD software to ensure that the model produced meets the patient’s needs. When the CAD file is ready, it can be processed by CNC lathe. The working time has been greatly shortened from seven days to about half an hour.
In addition to dental implant technology, CNC machining has a wide range of medical applications, including MRI scans, various protective gear and orthodontics, monitoring instruments, shells, sterile packaging and other medical equipment. CNC machining technology brings great convenience to the medical industry. Medical equipment that used to take a lot of time to design and manufacture can now be processed through CNC machining to produce precise, highly customized medical equipment that meets FDA (Food and Drug Administration) standards in a short period of time.
Why aerospace industry needs CNC machining
In this era of rapid technological advancement, the production capacity of aviation manufacturing can reflect a country’s national defense technology and economic strength. As far as the aviation manufacturing industry is concerned, the demand for CNC technology and equipment is urgent. The quantity, performance, precision, processing capacity and application level of CNC machine tools are of great significance to the aviation industry.
In addition, the aviation manufacturing industry has very high or even harsh requirements on the structural design, function, performance, quality and stability of products. A large number of new materials and new structures are first used in aerospace machine parts, and the requirements of national defense and market competition have greatly shortened the development cycle and production cycle of aerospace products.
It is foreseeable that the average cost of products needs to be continuously reduced, and it also puts forward more advanced and higher requirements for the manufacturing technology of the aviation manufacturing industry. Modern CNC machining is a key part of advanced manufacturing technology and has become a decisive key technology, especially in aerospace manufacturing. The following advantages of CNC machining services make it very important in the aerospace industry:
The advantages of CNC machining technology make it very important in the aviation manufacturing industry: it is a process of integrating a variety of advanced technology types, including computer technology, communication technology, modern manufacturing technology, digital control technology, etc.
Plus, CNC machines can operate with the highest quality metals, creating parts that can withstand the intense pressures and temperatures inherent in aerospace applications. The aerospace industry requires incredibly tight tolerances for all metals without sacrificing their ability to withstand the demands of flight. So materials used in aerospace projects must be lightweight, durable and resistant to high temperatures.
Conclusion
As we all know, CNC machining is an indispensable part of intelligent manufacturing. The most important impact is that CNC machining can manufacture more complicated and delicate products, such as aviation parts and medical instruments.
This article briefly introduces the customization and extended application of CNC machining parts. I hope everyone can successfully apply CNC machining skills in their own industries!
