CNC MILLING

 Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) milling is

similar to 3D printing but is a subtractive
manufacturing process rather than additive.
 It means that a computer controls the movement of
the milling head, much like it does the extruder in an
CNC Milling FDM 3D printer.
 However, rather than building up the desired model
layer by layer from nothing, it starts with a block of
material larger than the finished piece and cuts away
the parts which aren’t needed.
  CNC milling, or computer numerical control milling, is
a machining process which employs computerized
controls and rotating multi-point cutting tools to
progressively remove material from the workpiece
and produce a custom-designed part or product.
 This process is suitable for machining a wide range of
materials, such as metal, plastic, glass, and wood,
CNC Milling and producing a variety of custom-designed parts and
products.
 CNC milling is a mechanical machining process along
with drilling, turning, and a variety of other machining
processes, meaning that material is removed from the
workpiece via mechanical means, such as the actions
of the milling machine’s cutting tools.
  Because cutting away material is easier, CNC mills
can work with a much greater range of materials than
3D printers can.
 You still need an industrials cale machine to work with
hardened steel, but wax, wood, plastic, aluminium,
and even mild steel can be readily milled with even
desktop mills.
CNC Milling  CNC mills can also be used for more specialised (but
useful when prototyping electronic devices) tasks,
such as creating custom printed circuit boards.
 Rather than sending away for your PCB design to be
fabricated or etching it with acid, you can convert it
into a form which your CNC mill can rout out;
 that is, the CNC mills away lines from the metal
surface on the board, leaving the conductive paths.
  An advantage of milling over etching the board
 is that you can have the mill drill any holes for
components or mounting at the same time, saving
you from having to do it manually afterwards with
your drill press.
CNC Milling  A wide range of CNC mills is available, depending on
the features you need and your budget.
 Sizes range from small mills which will fit onto your
desktop through to much larger machines with a bed
size measured in metres.
  Bigger is not always better, though; the challenges of
accurately moving the carriage around increase with
their size, so smaller mills are usually able to machine
to higher tolerances.
 That said, the difference in resolution is only from
CNC Milling high to extremely high.
 CNC mills can often achieve resolutions of the order
of 0.001mm, which is a couple of orders of magnitude
better than the current generation of low-end 3D
printers.
  Beyond size and accuracy, the other main attribute
that varies among CNC mills is the number of axes of
movement they have:
1. 2.5 axis – Whilst this type has three axes of
movement—X, Y, and Z—it can move only any two
at one time.
CNC Milling 2. 3 axis – Like the 2.5-axis machine, this machine
has a bed which can move in the X and Y axes, and
a milling head that can move in the Z. However, it
can move all three at the same time (if the
machining instructions call for it).
 3. 4 axis: This machine adds a rotary axis to the 3-
axis mill to allow the piece being milled to be
rotated around an extra axis, usually the X (this is
known as the A axis). An indexed axis just allows
the piece to be rotated to set points to allow a
further milling pass to then be made, for example,
to flip it over to mill the underside; and a fully
controllable rotating axis allows the rotation to
CNC Milling happen as part of the cutting instructions.
4. 5 axis: This machine adds a second rotary axis—
normally around the Y—which is known as the B
axis.
5. 6 axis: A third rotary axis—known as the C axis if it
rotates around Z—completes the range of
movement in this machine.
  2 types:
1. CAD - (Computer-Aided Design) software lets you
design the model.

Software 2. CAM - (Computer-Aided Manufacture) software turns

that into a suitable toolpath—a list of co-ordinates
use for CNC for the CNC machine to follow which will result in
the model being revealed from the block of
Milling material.

 The toolpaths are usually expressed in a quasi-

standard called G-code.
 1. Tinkercad
2. Autodesk
Software for 3. SolidWorks

3D Printing 4. Rhino
5. OpenSCAD
6. FreeCAD