CNC Machining


CNC Machining



What is it?

Placing a computer at the controls of a machine is called CNC machining, which stands for Computer Numerical Control. Servo motors move each axis of the machine tool to cause the machine to trace out a path, defined by a program. Many kinds of machines can be CNC, including mills, lathes, water jets, plasma cutters, wire and sinker EDMs, grinders, and lasers, to name a few.


What can it do?

Computers are valued for their ability to process numbers with extreme precision and speed. The specialized computers on CNC machines can easily process the millions of ever-changing position values that come in and out of the machine as it performs a given movement. This capacity allows diagonal lines, arcs, circles, fillets, chamfers, even movements that require up to three, four, or five axes simultaneously.

NURBS is a fairly new feature of CNC machines. NURBS stands for "non-uniform rational Bezier-spline." This huge acronym is really just a way to describe curves and surfaces that don't follow traditional geometry, such as natural shapes like the human body, or objects like computer mice, car body work, and musical instruments. Giving CNCs the capability to understand NURBS mathematical objects gives them the ability to machine parts like these that can't be described any other way.





Is it for me?

CNC machining centers are becoming very popular as a replacement for dedicated production machines. We often occupy our machines with small to medium-quantity production runs, due to a CNC's repeatability. Once a program has been tested, the machine can run it unattended, reducing production cost. It also increases efficiency, due to the fact that high speed machines of today on average spend up to 98% of cycle time machining, not setting up, measuring, indicating, or positioning. Other jobs perfect for CNC are sophisticated surfaces or complex geometry, such as that found in molds and dies. If any of these describe your task at hand, CNC is probably an important capability to look for.



 

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Come visit us in Elizabethtown, KY. Visit us onsite and experience our operation as it drives our commitment to quality, the same way it has since 1967. We welcome the opportunity to host you.

Clinton Industries Inc.

203 Valley Creek Road
Elizabethtown, Kentucky 42701

E-mail: [email protected]

Call us: (270) 769-1354

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