Automation is dominating the technology world and taking the control of it. There is no doubt this amazing branch of engineering offers a single solution for many problems. In case of fabrication part of it, cnc machiningis a famous term.
What is a CNC machine
The term CNC refers to computer numerical control. It is an automated control that is done by a computer to control the machine tools. CNC a machine sometimes stated as an NC(numerical control) machine. It is used in every automation manufacturing sector. With the help of CNC machines, the computeris able to control the machine tools. The process of how a CNC machine works areknown as CNC machining. So, the CNC machining process helps to monitor the machine tools and it is possible to monitor all of the machine tools of the sector with the help of a single computer.
How a CNC machine works
CNC machine helps to convert the design developed by Computer Aided Design (CAD) software, into numbers and the numbers are valuable to design and plot the graph. The numbers considered as coordinates and with the help of this co-ordinates, the graph is drawn and with the help of the graph,it becomes easy to move the cutter. And this is how a CNC machine or the computer helps to control the cutting and shaping of a material. The manufacturing designs are the prototype of the final product. To make the final product ready with almost no-error the patenting and designing is done on the prototype. The manufacturing designs are 3 dimensions (3D) designs and there are three coordinates of a 3D design – X, Y A and Z coordinates. The CNC machine helps to control the cutting with the help of this 3 axis.
How much a CNC machine cost
The CNC machines are a versatile machine and there is no doubt a CNC machine is a solution tomany problems. It can control all the machine tools single-handedly without any issue and with the help of machine language and machine calculators the measurements are inch-perfect. The CNC machines have a very high demandable market, especiallyfor the automation industry. The machines are costly and the basic 3 axis models start at5000$. The cost ranges from 5000$ to 10000$. The manufacturing sectors buy the expensive ones because they don’t want to do any compromise on the cutting and shaping measurements which are the two main factors of making an excellent product. To run the CNC machines properly, the sectors need CNC machinists and they work on a contract basis.
There are basically six types of CNC machines used in the automation industries – lathe machines, milling machines, lasers, grinding units, welding machines, and winding machines. Each machine hasdifferent purposes and in the case of manufacturing a non-defective product, all the machines are used.
The software requirement
As cnc machining is done by the computer so, a separate software is needed. It’s called the CNC software which is installed on the device, sets it up properly and then it turns the computer into a CNC machine. The software is secure, bug-virus-malware free and works perfectly with the hardware. The software is a big sized paid software and it takes a bit time to be installed on the system.
There is no doubt CNC machining is an interesting technology. It’s a very high-precision tool that delivers the results of accurate measurements and that is why there will always be a demand for the machinesbecause it determines the quality and perfect measurement of a manufactured product.