CNC Manufacturing Techniques

Last modified: July 26, 2024

Are you interested in gaining more knowledge about how to turn your CNC Manufacturing and Job Shop operations into an efficient one? You're at the right source of information. This site is a collection of all our resources to compile a Cookbook dedicated to CNC Manufacturing and Machining Techniques.

Whether you're at the very beginning of your journey to manufacture your own product, starting a new machine shop, or running an established operation and looking for ideas on how to improve productivity, this is where you'll find that sort of information on CNCCookbook.

Here are the articles available for maximizing your CNC Manufacturing.

Basic Concepts Every CNC Machinist Should Know

Introduction: Learning how to think about productivity in CNC Manufacturing by analyzing the workflow.

CNC Manufacturing Workflow: Optimize each part of the cycle to improve productivity.

Where to Start Saving: Cycle Time or Setup Time?

What Do Top Shops Do Differently? Learn about Best Practices the Top Shops have that others don't yet.

10 Strategies for Managing the Feast or Famine Job Shop

Lean Manufacturing Principles: Try our multi-part mini-course to get you up to speed on Lean Manufacturing fast.

Articles By Manufacturing Workflow Stage

Order & Design

Take the Order, design the Part, and prepare the g-code and any other machine inputs

Design Discussion & Specification

Cost Estimation & Quotation

Order Committed

CAD

CAM

Post

CNC Design for Manufacturing (DFM)

Cost Estimating for Machining and Manufacturing

CNC Machine Hourly Rate Calculator

3 Step Process for Choosing CAD Software

2014 CNCCookbook CAM Software Survey
3D CAM Toolpath Fundamentals

What a Difference a Radius Makes: CAD/CAM Trick
How to Choose a Stepover
Thinking About High Speed Machining, Corners, and Stepover
How to Choose Cut Depth and Cut Width

Rough Stock & Consumables

Obtain rough stock and consumables and cut to size for loading in machines

Rough Stock - Order - Inventory - Cut to Size

Consumables - Order - Inventory - Tool Setting

Bandsaw, Waterjet, Laser or Plasma Cut Rough Stock?
Nesting Software from Sigma Tek to MyNesting.com: Maximize Rough Stock Utilization

Setup

Prepare machine so it is ready for operator to produce multiple parts

Tooling

Workholding and Fixturing

Load Program

Total Guide to CNC Jigs, Fixtures, and Workholding Solutions for Mills

Using DNC to Load G-Code Onto Your CNC Machines

Machining

Actual CNC machining work

Load Stock

Run

Problems

Blow off Chips & Coolant

Inspection

Forward Part to Finishing

(More than 10 articles)

Finishing

Final preparation of the part before delivery

Finish Prep - Deburr - Polish - Clean/Degrease

Finish (Anodize, Powder Coat, etc.)

Inspection/Quality Control

Inventory

Definitive Guide to Deburring

.
The Fly Cutter Page: Best Surface Finish Tool in the Kit
Chip Fans for Clearing Chips

Cosine Error and Dial Indicator Measurements

Overhead

Routine activities not directly associated with the manufacture of a particular part

Cleanup

Routine Maintenance - Coolant - Machine Maintenance

Training

CNC Chuck Maintenance: A Kitigawa Guest Post
5 Steps to Evaluating VMC Performance

Michigan Training Program Turns Out New Machinists in 6 Weeks

Intermediate Techniques

4th Axis Basics: Multi-part article series on what a 4th axis can do, how they work, workholding, etc.

C-Axis Turning and Live Tooling: What if your lathe was also a mill?

5-Axis CNC Benefits: What are they doing that you can't?

RAMTIC: Super Fast Precision Manufacturing on Cheap Machines (aka What you can do with probing)

Horizontal vs Vertical Milling Machines

Two and a Half Men: Manufacturing at Straightline Components

High Speed Machining

Lights Out Machining

Definitive Guide to Lights Out Manufacturing

Why Shops Run More than One Shift

Job Cost Estimation

Lean Manufacturing

CNCCookbook Lean Manufacturing Principles Mini-Course

Resources for Starting CNC Businesses

Machine Shop Business Plan: How to go about putting one together with samples

Turning Pro and the Lunch Pail Manifesto

What Makes Your CNC Business Different?

50 Ideas for CNC Interview Questions

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