CNC Milling

In the increasingly demanding world of manufacturing, engineers are under pressure to develop more efficient and sustainable solutions. These often involve multiple processes across various machines, leading to fragmented workflows which increase production time, costs, and energy consumption.

Enter hybrid manufacturing, by merging the rapid production capabilities of 3D printing with the precision of subtractive CNC machining, manufacturers can accelerate production while improving material efficiency and production time, leading to cost savings, improved lead times and supports the drive toward more sustainable manufacturing practices.

Below, we explore our 6 new CNC machining operations that are fundamental to a hybrid manufacturing solution: Stock Clearing, Planar Finishing, Geodesic Finishing, 3D Contouring, Drilling, and Engraving.

Stock Clearing is a fundamental CNC milling operation that prepares the workpiece for subsequent precision machining. As the initial step in many CNC workflows, Stock Clearing efficiently removes excess material, commonly referred to as the stock, to bring the workpiece closer to its intended final shape. What sets Stock Clearing apart is its ability to accommodate various strategies to define the stock, tailored to different manufacturing needs:

Benefits:

• Offers versatile strategies tailored to different stock configurations and manufacturing requirements.
• Efficiently prepares the workpiece by following contours or performing full-body clearing.
• Reduces machining time and streamlines subsequent precision operations.

Stock Clearing Strategies:

• Stock Offset: This strategy is ideal when the goal is to apply a consistent material offset from any surface on the finished part to define the stock. It ensures the stock closely follows the shape of the target surface, creating a near-net shape and efficient toolpath.
• Surface: With this approach, the user can directly select the surface of both the stock and the finished part. This method is similar to Stock Offset but offers the precision of using the actual surface from the stock body as a reference, ensuring that the stock removal aligns perfectly with the final geometry.
• Polylines: This method defines the thickness of the stock from the additive toolpath polylines.

By incorporating these distinct strategies, Stock Clearing becomes a flexible tool in both hybrid additive-subtractive manufacturing and traditional CNC machining. Whether working with intricate, detailed surfaces or performing straightforward block milling, Stock Clearing offers the versatility and accuracy required to efficiently prepare your workpiece for the next stages of production. This flexibility ensures that material removal is optimised, reducing machining time while setting the foundation for precise finishing operations.

Planar Finishing is all about achieving a smooth, flat surface on the workpiece. This operation is essential in hybrid manufacturing for refining the surface quality of parts that have undergone additive processes. After additive or clearing operations, the workpiece often has rough, uneven surfaces. Planar Finishing creates a smooth, polished finish on flat or gently contoured regions, essential in both aesthetic and functional applications. This operation ensures that the part meets tight tolerances and is ready for any additional processing or assembly.

Benefits:

• Produces high-quality, smooth surfaces.
• Ensures tight dimensional tolerances to achieve net shape parts.
• Prepares surfaces for further processing or assembly.

Geodesic Finishing is an advanced CNC milling operation that precisely follows the natural curvature of the workpiece to create smooth, continuous surfaces. This operation is optimised for ball end mills, which are particularly effective for achieving the required smoothness on complex geometries. Unlike traditional planar finishing, which is confined to flat or simple surfaces, Geodesic Finishing excels in handling intricate designs by ensuring a constant stepover – though at a slightly higher computational cost than planar finishing.

One of the key advantages of Geodesic Finishing in multi-axis CNC machines is the option to keep the cutting tool normal (perpendicular) to the surface at all times. This capability is especially valuable when dealing with complex, curved surfaces, as it ensures uniform material removal and reduces the risk of tool deflection or chatter. This operation is particularly beneficial in industries like aerospace and automotive, where the aerodynamic or hydrodynamic performance of a part is heavily dependent on the smoothness and precision of its surfaces. By using Geodesic Finishing, manufacturers can achieve the high-quality surface finishes required for these demanding applications, refining the complex, organic shapes often produced through additive manufacturing.

Benefits:

• Achieves smooth finishes on complex, curved surfaces.
• Able to maintain tool orientation normal to the surface, ensuring consistent material removal.
• Enhances the aerodynamic or hydrodynamic performance of parts.
• Ideal for refining intricate designs produced through additive manufacturing.

3D Contouring is a CNC milling operation specifically designed for machining steep or vertical features and complex 3D surfaces, where the tool often needs to remain parallel to the target surface. This technique is particularly effective for finishing external walls, internal pockets, cavities, and other intricate geometries that require precise control and smooth surface finishes. It can also be adapted to perform multiple roughing passes.

Benefits:

• Provides precise machining of steep or vertical features.
• Ideal for producing high-tolerance components with intricate geometries.
• Ensures a smooth finish on challenging surfaces, including internal pockets and cavities, reducing the need for additional finishing work.

Drilling is a fundamental CNC milling operation essential for creating precise holes in a workpiece. In hybrid manufacturing, it is often used to prepare parts for assembly or specific functions. Techniques like peck drilling, where the tool retracts periodically during deep hole drilling, help prevent chip buildup and overheating, ensuring better hole quality and tool longevity. Additionally, surface-based toolpath definition allows the toolpath to align with the cylinder surface of the hole, ensuring precise hole placement and depth, even on complex geometries.

Benefits:

• Provides precise hole placement for assembly or functionality.
• Optimises deep hole drilling for better quality.
• Supports accurate drilling on curved or complex surfaces.

By integrating these CNC machining operations outlined above into the Aibuild platform, we’ve engineered a robust hybrid solution that answers the industry’s need for greater versatility, efficiency and increased sustainability in manufacturing.

Contact our team for a private demo of the Aibuild Hybrid platform.