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What Steps Are Taken To Minimize Waste In CNC Machining Processes?

Design optimization, material management, strategic machining, tool maintenance, and waste recycling minimize waste in CNC machining. Waste in CNC machining refers to surplus or residual material produced during the machining process. Waste can take many different forms, including chips, shavings, scraps, and leftover material. The residue left behind after material is removed to form and produce the required pieces or components is known as waste in CNC machining. Reducing waste is crucial for maximi......

Jan 02,2024

Micro CNC Machining Explained: Process, Precision & How Small It Can Really Get

Explaining Micro CNC Machining Any machinist can machine a block of aluminum into a bracket. But what happens when your part is the size of a grain of rice, and still needs tolerances tighter than a human hair? That's when “standard CNC” suddenly feels clumsy, and every micron starts to matter. This is the world of micro CNC machining. It's not about big, impressive cuts, it's about making the kind of components you'll never notice… until they fail. Like the gears in a luxury watch, the nozzles in med......

How to Choose the Right Cutting Tool Material (CNC & Lathe Guide)

If you've ever heard a cutting tool scream with chatter or watched an edge chip after just a few passes, you already know, the wrong tool material will wreck your part, your time, and your budget. Geometry matters, yes, but material is what defines whether that tool can survive under the pressures of real machining. This is especially true when comparing lathe cutting tools with modern cutting tools for CNC. Traditional lathes can get the job done, but they're limited by manual control, speed, and con......

Plastic CNC Machining: Guide to Materials, Machines & Cutting Strategies

Understanding Plastic CNC Machining When most people think of CNC machining, metals come to mind first, aluminum, steel, titanium. But plastic CNC machining has quietly creeped into many industries. Why? Because plastics are lightweight, versatile, and cost-effective, making them an ideal option for places where the best performance is needed on the best budget. CNC for plastic is now as common as CNC for metal. At JLCCNC, we don't just work with metals, we also provide CNC machining of plastic parts ......

CNC Machining Surface Roughness: A Practical Guide

Why Surface Roughness Matters in CNC Machining When we talk about CNC machining, precision isn't just about hitting the right dimensions, it’s also about how the surface feels and performs. Surface roughness describes the fine irregularities left on a machined surface, and it directly impacts how a part behaves in the real world. So, what is surface roughness? In simple terms, it's the measure of tiny peaks and valleys created by the cutting process. While they might look smooth to the naked eye, thes......

How to Make a CNC Machine at Home: DIY CNC Router & Lathe Guide

How to Make a CNC Machine? (Reddit) Why would anyone want to build their own CNC machine at home? Isn't that super complicated? Honestly, that's the fun of it. Figuring out how to make a CNC machine can be both exciting and surprisingly cost-effective. Think of it like combining engineering curiosity with the satisfaction of saying, “Yep, I built that myself.” For hobbyists, small workshops, or even engineers tinkering at home, DIY CNC machines open the door to custom fabrication without dropping thou......

What is Swiss Machining: Swiss CNC Machines and Their Precision

What is Swiss Machining? (Freepik) When you hear people talk about the “gold standard” in precision manufacturing, they're usually talking about Swiss machining. Swiss machining traces its roots back to 19th-century Switzerland, where it was originally developed for the watchmaking industry. When you're dealing with gears and components smaller than a fingernail, you need more than just accuracy, you need repeatable precision at a microscopic level. That's where the Swiss lathe came in. At its core, S......

Surface Finish in Machining, Types, Charts & Testing

What is Surface Finish in Machining? At its core, surface finish in machining refers to the small-scale irregularities left on the surface of a part after machining. These irregularities are typically grouped into three categories: Roughness: The fine, closely spaced deviations caused by the cutting process itself. Roughness depends heavily on feed rate, tool sharpness, and cutting speed. Waviness: Larger, more widely spaced variations caused by machine tool vibration, deflection, or thermal distortio......

How to Prepare CAD Files for CNC Machining (Complete Guide)

You've designed something awesome in CAD, now it needs to become a real-world part. But before your CNC machine can cut that geometry, your design needs to be carefully prepped and exported. Let's walk through exactly how to go from CAD to CNC, what formats machines accept, and how to avoid expensive mistakes along the way. This guide will walk you through the entire process, from choosing the right CAD format to generating CNC-ready files, so you can avoid costly mistakes and keep your production run......

Feed Rate vs Cutting Speed in CNC Machining: The Complete Guide

Getting to Know Feed Rate and Cutting Speed in CNC Machining Why Feed Rate and Cutting Speed Matter (mellowpine) When you're running a CNC machine, two settings can make or break your results: feed rate and cutting speed. These numbers influence how quickly you can remove material, the lifespan of your cutting tools, and the quality of the finish on your parts. But it's easy, especially when you're just starting out, to mix them up or assume they mean the same thing. At JLCCNC, we see this mix-up all ......

Rake Angle in Machining: Machinists’ Guide to Perfect Cuts

What is Rake Angle? (minaprem) If you've ever stood in front of a CNC machine or a manual lathe, you know that the cutting tool's geometry isn't just some arbitrary design. Every angle, edge, and surface has a job to do, and one of the most important of those is the rake angle. We've been running machines long enough to know that rake angle can make or break your surface finish, tool life, and machining efficiency. In this guide, we're going to walk you through what rake angle is, how it works, and ho......

What Is a CNC Toolpath? Boost Accuracy, Efficiency & Finish

What Is a CNC Toolpath? (Unsplash) When you press "cycle start" on a CNC machine, you're putting total trust in an invisible set of instructions called the toolpath. This is the exact roadmap the cutting tool follows, telling it where to go, how fast to move, and how deep to cut. If that roadmap is flawed, it doesn't matter if you have the most expensive CNC machine in the world, your part won't meet spec. In this guide, we'll break down exactly what a CNC toolpath is, how it's created, the different ......

10 Complex Machining Tasks Your In-House CNC Setup Can’t Handle

When you’ve invested in an in-house CNC machine, it’s tempting to believe it can handle anything you throw at it. The reality? While these machines are incredibly versatile, there are certain complex CNC machining tasks that push well beyond what most small or mid-tier setups can achieve, and attempting them can waste time, money, and even damage your equipment. Below, we’ll break down 10 machining challenges that often require professional CNC machining expertise, higher-end equipment, and years of p......

CAD to CNC: How to Turn Your CAD File into CNC-Machined Parts

CAD to CNC (Freepik) You’ve got your CAD design. It looks great on screen, tight tolerances, clean geometry, ready to go. But now what? How do you actually turn that file into a real, CNC-machined part? If you’re staring at your .STEP, .DWG, or .DXF file wondering what the next move is, you’re not alone. This guide breaks it all down: how to prep your CAD file, what CNC machines really need, and how to go from digital design to precision-machined reality, without wasting time, money, or materials. Wha......

How CNC Machining Delivers Waterproof Aluminum Parts: Sealing, Surface Finishing & Design Tips

When Water Gets In, Everything Fails You’ve designed a high-performance aluminum part, maybe for outdoor use, automotive housing, or marine equipment. You’ve dialed in your CAD specs, picked the right alloy, and sent it off for CNC machining. But then, the nightmare: water seeps in, corrosion starts, and your part fails in real-world conditions. This isn’t just inconvenient. In industries like aerospace or medical, it’s a complete deal-breaker. So how do you make aluminum CNC machining parts that stay......

Top 5 Heat-Resistant Metals for CNC Machining and How to Choose

You choose a metal you think can take the heat. Specs are tight, tolerances unforgiving, but mid-flight, thermal expansion warps the part just enough to cause failure. Now multiply that risk by thousands of dollars in losses or a life-critical application. That’s the hidden danger of not choosing the right heat-resistant metal for CNC machining. It’s not just about melting points, it’s about performance under thermal stress, oxidation resistance, machinability, and long-term dimensional stability. In ......

10 Key Factors to Consider When Choosing a CNC Machining Company

Precision Isn’t Optional Precision can make or break a product. Whether you're developing aerospace components, surgical tools, or tight-tolerance industrial parts, choosing the right CNC machining company isn’t just about getting a quote, it’s about getting it right the first time. Too often, companies go with the lowest bidder and end up dealing with dimensional inaccuracies, missed lead times, or poor surface finishes, issues that can derail production and kill budgets. In this guide, we break down......

What Is E-Coating in CNC Manufacturing?

What Is E-Coating? E-coating, short for electrophoretic coating, is a high-performance finishing technique widely used in CNC manufacturing, especially for metal components. It involves applying a protective and decorative paint-like layer using an electrically charged bath. Think of it like electroplating, but with paint particles instead of metal ions. The result? A thin, uniform, corrosion-resistant layer that coats even the hardest-to-reach corners of complex CNC-machined parts. If you're wonderin......

How to Choose the Materials in Sheet Metal Fabrication

In sheet metal fabrication, a wide range of metal materials are available, including stainless steel, carbon steel, copper, cold-rolled steel, aluminum, galvanized steel, alloy steel, and hot-rolled steel. The abundance of options can make it challenging to select the most suitable material for a specific application. Therefore, choosing the right sheet metal material is essential for successful product design and fabrication. The wrong material can lead to performance issues, faster corrosion, or hig......

How to Solve Deformation Issues in Sheet Metal Bending

Sheet metal bending is a critical process in modern manufacturing, shaping flat sheets into precise geometries used in industries like automotive, aerospace, construction, and electronics. However, deformation during bending is a common challenge that can compromise product quality, increase costs, and cause delays. In this article, we will explore the most frequent types of deformation in sheet metal bending, their causes, proven solutions, and avoid deformation issues in the design phase. The emphas......

Thread Milling vs. Tapping: What’s the Difference and When to Use Each?

Threading a hole sounds simple, until you’re deciding between thread milling and tapping. Both methods are staples in CNC machining and manual operations, but they serve different purposes, machines, and tolerances. Whether you're threading aluminum, stainless steel, or titanium, choosing the wrong method can mean broken tools, scrapped parts, or wasted hours. Let’s break down the real differences between thread milling vs tapping, when to use one over the other, and how to choose the right tool for y......