Since any particular component might require the use of different tools – drills, saws, etc. – modern Metal CNC machines often combine multiple tools into a single “cell”.
During installation process, a number of different machines are used with an external controller and human or robotic operators that move the component from machine to machine. The series of steps needed to produce any part is highly automated and produces a part that closely matches the original CAD.
In this post, we are going to talk about the price issue of Metal CNC from the following aspects:
- How much do metal CNC machines cost?
- What affects the cost of CNC parts? and
- How to cut CNC machining cost?
After reading post, you will know about the secret of saving cost and cutting budgets of manufacturing Metal CNC machines in order to make more profits.
1. How much do metal CNC machines cost?
The price of CNC machines varies from a few thousand dollars up to hundreds of thousands of dollars for complex machines, which apparently depends on the size, complexity, and functionality of each machine.
Sometimes, ancillary tools and pieces of important equipment must be manufactured separately, although some complete CNC machine packages may come with the most necessary components to produce basic materials.
In order to make budgets to manufacture good Metal CNC machines, you need to have a basic concept about how much you can spend on a machine as a prime cost. We will give you some examples of different CNC machines and how much they cost.
1.1 Othermill – Compact Precision CNC + PCB Milling Machine – $2,199
Othermill is a portable, precision milling machine. Users can using othermill to create 2D and 3D objects by applying durable materials such as wood, metal and plastic.
Othermill can also be used for prototyping, creating testers and testing new materials. It contains the tools and materials needed to start cutting 3D objects as soon as the user starts the machine.
1.2 Miller Spectrum 625 Plasma Cutter with Machine Torch – $2,249.00
A machine torch is always attached with the portable plasma cutters. It allows the user to cut a variety of materials by using a heat torch that can be precisely cut to the desired shape of a particular material.
1.3 WARDKit 5×10’ – Complete Water jet Cutting Machine Kit – $84,000
The WARDKit 5×10’ CNC Water Jet Cutting Machine Kit is a complete and easy-to-assemble, high-accuracy CNC water jet cutting machine.
This machine makes CNC water jet cutting easier than ever, using the latest in water jet cutting technology. A CNC water jet cutter uses a high-powered water jet to cut through all types of materials.
2. What affects the cost of CNC parts?
The price of CNC machined parts is up to the following aspects:
- Machining time: The longer it takes to machine a part, the more expensive it will be. Machining time is often the main cost driver in CNC.
- Start-up costs: These are related to CAD process planning and are important to smaller volumes. The cost is always fixed.
- Material cost: The cost of the bulk material and the ease with which that material can be machined greatly affects the overall cost in CNC.
- Other manufacturing costs: When you design parts with special requirements, then special tooling, closer quality control, and more processing steps – at lower machining speeds – may be required. This, of course, has an impact on the total manufacturing time and the price.
3. How to cut CNC machining cost?
People new to Metal CNC may assume that the high level of automation involved will lead to quick, cheap, and easily producible parts.
In reality, the cost that goes into simply owning and running a CNC machine means that the cost passed on to you as a customer can skyrocket quickly. To cut costs, you can take the advice as follows.
3.1 Reduce material cost
If you’re going to machine parts, you of course need to decide what it will be made out of. Many excellent materials with unique set of properties such as ABS, PEEK and stainless steels can be machined very differently.
Commonly, you should simply choose the cheapest material that fulfills your design requirements. However, if you’re designing medical devices, you’ll probably be forced to use pricier materials, like stainless steel, due to biocompatibility.
3.2 Reduce setup time
Setup time consists of CAM programming, as well as machine setup and part fixturing. It is commonly known as non-recurring engineering cost, which generally makes up a large part of a machining bill at the prototyping stage and should be minimized as much as possible.
3.3 Reduce machining time
The last aspect of cost saving is the actual time it takes to machine your part. If your functional requirements allow you material flexibility, choosing the most machinable one should save money.
In general, harder materials take longer to machine, due to the risk of breaking tools, but there are also exceptions to this rule.
That’s all about the price issues of Metal CNC. If you have any question, feel free to leave your comments below. We hope this post is helpful!
Note:
1) We do not own the images used in this post. Feel free to contact us if they belong to you, and we’ll take them down as quickly as we possibly can.
2) The data are from http://www.cnc.com as of February 2019.
