Three Things a CNC Machine Can't Do (Considering All It Can Do!)
CNC machines are modern industrial marvels. They make short work of dozens of manufacturing jobs, and all with a few clicks of the CNC control panel buttons. If you could see a CNC machine's tools in action, you might at first be in awe, and then you may want to know what these do not do. The following are just a few examples of what these machines cannot do in comparison to all of the other jobs they can do.
Cut Perfect Cubes
CNC machines can turn anything cylindrical on a lathe and perfect every cut such that there is no refining/grinding needed when the project is complete. These machines can also use lasers to cut any material, flat or moderately dimensional, but what they cannot do is create perfect cubes. You want to take a rod of metal and turn it into a dozen perfect screw bolts? No problem. You want to cut sheet metal into several tiles for either a backsplash in a public restroom or ceiling tile in a hotel lobby? Again, no problem, but you cannot create or cut a perfect metal puzzle cube with these machines.
Print in 3D
Printing in 3D is not, as of yet, a tooling option on a CNC machine. Most of these machines are made to bore holes, grind, refine, pulverize, deconstruct, slice, cut, lathe-cut, laser cut, and so on, but they do not construct via 3D printing. It is an application being considered for future machines, given that these current CNC machines are able to do so many other jobs as it is. However, until CNC manufacturers choose to add that as an option for more applications, you will just have to purchase an industrial 3D printer to use separately. (As a consolation, you could use the laser machine to etch on 3D objects.)
Fit into Tiny Spaces
Virtually all CNC machines are huge. They are not compact instruments because of the skills and tasks they are capable of completing. Most of the machines are the size of a walk-in closet or a small truck, depending on what applications you expect to use them for. The good news is, despite their immense size, they can do truly precise machining tasks, often grinding or cutting down to a fraction or hair's breadth of a millimeter. Most plants will be willing to make room for a machine that can make such tiny cuts, trims, and grinds, though.
For more information, contact a CNC machine tools provider.
