How to Choose a CNC Machine, Characteristics and Purpose

With the advent of CNC (numerically controlled) machines, the approach to material processing has changed dramatically. There are several reasons for this.

Firstly, the new type of control has permanently eliminated mistakes made due to the human factor when working with manual analogues. Secondly, the production speed has increased significantly. Another reason is the high precision of product processing. Such a machine is a mandatory attribute in any enterprise that processes wood, metal or other metals. Given the considerable cost of a CNC machine, it is important to figure out which cnc machine to choose in order to properly invest and get the expected results.

There are many factors to consider here. These are both your needs and your capabilities, the right combination of which leads to making the right decision.

The main criteria for choosing a machine

When choosing a CNC machine, we suggest relying on the following criteria: purpose, processing technology, technical characteristics, economic factors.

part of the cnc machine
Photo by Marcus Urbenz on Unsplash

Selection by destination

It depends on the material you are going to work with. Based on this, there are multi-purpose and specialized machines.

Among them:

  • Metal lathes (if you need a cnc metal lathe, the characteristics of a particular model are the determining factor, since both a milling, turning, and laser cnc machine can be suitable for you. In the future, when choosing a cnc lathe, technical specifications are the main thing to start from).
  • Wood machines (if you are wondering which CNC wood machine to choose, then it is worth considering milling machines).
  • Plastic machines (if you need to process plastic parts, you should also consider a milling machine).
person using cnc machine
Image by Unsplash+

Selection by technical characteristics

These characteristics include operating speed and engine, working surface parameters, power, and accuracy.

One of the important factors is also the level of equipment maintenance – the experience and skill of machine operators will increase productivity.