Machining&Milling

WHAT IS CNC MACHINING?

CNC machining is a manufacturing process involving many different types of machinery, including mills, routers, grinders, and lathes. Pre-programmed computer software determines the actions of these tools to supersede the limits of manual control. CNC machining also allows for 3D cutting tasks in a single prompt set.

HOW DO SEATTLE CNC MACHINING SERVICES WORK?

To manufacture a part using CNC machining, we load your computer-aided design (CAD) model into our computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software. The CAM software uses the geometry and specifications of the part we want to manufacture to create programmed instructions and tool paths.

After creating the tool paths, the software also creates machine codes that tell it where to position the workpiece in a five-axis coordinate system. This machine code directs the movement and turning speeds to meet your CAD model specifications.

WHAT IS CNC MILLING?

Custom milling in Seattle forms an integral part of our CNC machining solutions. CNC mills share similarities with routers and lathes, but these machines have a higher degree of versatility. A CNC mill can cut a wide range of workpiece materials, including plastic, aluminum, titanium, and hard metals.

A mill differs from a lathe in that the workpiece doesn’t turn on a spindle. Instead, the CNC mill moves both the workpiece and tool head in a three-, four-, or five-axis coordinate system.

Machine code, or G-code, that we create through our CAM software controls the movements of the CNC mill. The more axes the mill’s coordinate system has, the more complex the G-code can be, and the more intricate the designs can be.