How much does CNC milling cost? Factors and tips

Tips to Reduce CNC Milling and Machining Cost

Every business aims to deliver high-quality products while keeping costs under control. This section offers some key suggestions to optimize your CNC machining process and reduce CNC milling cost, without compromising the integrity of your parts.

Simplified Design

Minimize the complexity of your design as much as possible. Simple designs often require fewer operations and less time on the machine, thereby reducing costs. For instance, opt for designs that don’t require the use of 5-axis CNC machines unless absolutely necessary. Additionally, removing unnecessary features and reducing the amount of intricate details can also lead to significant savings.

Material Selection

The material you choose can significantly impact the cost. For instance, machining costs for metals like titanium are higher due to their strength and toughness. On the other hand, materials like aluminum and plastics are often cheaper to machine. Always opt for the most cost-effective material that still meets your project’s needs.

High Volume Orders

It’s a basic principle of economics that the more you produce, the lower the cost per unit. This principle holds true for CNC machining as well. Higher volume orders allow you to distribute the setup and programming costs across more parts, reducing the cost per unit. Planning ahead to allow for larger orders can thus significantly reduce your CNC milling costs.

Avoid Unnecessary Precision

Each additional level of precision requires more time, specialized tools, and often more experienced operators. If the highest levels of precision are not necessary for the functionality of your part, avoid specifying tolerances that are tighter than necessary. This will save significant amounts of time and effort, and thus costs.

Use Standard Sizes and Tolerances

Whenever possible, utilize standard tool sizes and tolerances. Custom tools and tight tolerances can add significant cost to your project. Also, standard tools are more readily available, which can help avoid delays.

Optimize for Machinabilit

Some designs are more difficult to machine than others. Sharp internal corners, deep narrow structures, and complex surface finishes all increase the machining time and cost. Designing with the machining process in mind can help to keep costs down.

Minimize Material Waste

Optimize the part layout within the raw material. By reducing the material waste, you not only save on material costs, but also contribute to sustainability. For this, it may be helpful to consult with your CNC machine shop, as they will have extensive experience in optimizing layouts for minimal waste.

Consider Alternative Manufacturing Methods

Other Costs To Budget For

Particularly for higher-end cnc machines, your costs don’t end with the purchase of your new CNC Machine. Keep in mind you’ll need budget for these additional costs.

Setting aside the cost of Shipping, Rigging, and Site Preparation, you should plan to budget as much as you paid for the CNC Machine to purchase all of the rest of the items necessary. Budget at least half as much, at any rate.

These costs will cover making your machine ready to begin cnc machining parts. After that, you will have ongoing costs to consider as well.

Shipping, Rigging, and Site Preparation

Having purchased your cnc machine, you must next deal with having it delivered to and installed in your machine shop.

Heavier machines will require a special crew to move them into place, a process known as “rigging.” New machines will have particular requirements around what sort of electricity they require, and potentially also requirements for a clean supply of compressed air.

Particularly for a home shop you may need to purchase a phase converter or other power supply.

These can represent hidden costs to your cnc machine if you don’t budget for them up front.  Our article, Create a New Machine Checklist, can help you plan for the arrival and installation of your new CNC Machine.

Tooling and Consumables

Your cnc machine will require tooling and consumables before it can do anything. For example, you may need to purchase lubricants and coolants for the machine. You may need end mills, twist drills, or other cutting tools.  Don’t underestimate the cost to equip your machine which a comprehensive cutting tool assortment.

Work Holding Devices

Most cnc machines don’t come with the complete set of work holding you may require. For example, you may need a milling vise or in the case of a cnc lathe a chuck.

Inspection and Measuring Tools

Inevitably you will need at least some basic inspection and measuring tools. The higher precision the work you do, the greater will be your need for these kinds of tools. Some of them may very well be needed just to set up your machine in the first place.

CNC Routers, Plasma Tables, and Laser Engravers are probably the least needy in terms of inspection and measurement. A CNC Lathe Machine or CNC Milling Machine will be more costly.

Check out our Complete Guide to Metrology to learn what the possibilities are.

CNC Software

The crown jewel of your support investment will be around your digital tooling needs. In other words, your initial suite of CNC Software.

At the very least you need CAD (Computer Aided Design) Software, CAM Software to generate your tool path, and some sort of Feeds and Speeds Calculator. The exception to this rule will be that CNC Lasers and Plasma Tables won’t need the Feeds & Speeds Calculator.

The CNC Control System may or may not be included with your basic CNC, but it usually is.

Just as there are major differences between hobbyist cnc machines and professional machinist-grade cnc machining centers, you can find the same differences in CNC Software.  Our Beginner’s Guide to CADCAM Software will make sure you start off on the right foot.

Conclusion

By now you have have a pretty good idea about cnc machine cost. CNC Machine Cost can be all over the map, but once you understand how those costs break down and what drives them, CNC Machine Tools start to make more sense.

From the low-end hobby cnc machines through affordable cnc machines, and on into the more expensive cnc machines, you’ve got an idea of their price range and capabilities.