{"id":23262,"date":"2021-07-09T07:45:50","date_gmt":"2021-07-09T07:45:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.reliablecounter.com\/blog\/?p=23262"},"modified":"2021-07-09T07:45:50","modified_gmt":"2021-07-09T07:45:50","slug":"3d-printing-vs-cnc-machining-in-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.reliablecounter.com\/blog\/3d-printing-vs-cnc-machining-in-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"3D printing vs. CNC machining in 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CNC machining is a common subtractive manufacturing technology. Unlike 3D printing, the process typically begins with a solid block of material (blank) and removes material to achieve the required final shape, using a variety of sharp rotating tools or cutters.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CNC is one of the most popular methods of manufacturing for both small one-off jobs and medium to high volume production. It offers excellent repeatability, high accuracy and a wide range of materials and surface finishes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Selecting the right technology<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When choosing between CNC and Additive Manufacturing (AM), there are a few simple guidelines that can be applied to the decision making process.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a rule of thumb, all parts that can be manufactured with limited effort through a subtractive process should generally be CNC machined. It usually only makes sense to use <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hubs.com\/3d-printing\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3D printing services<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the following cases:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When traditional methods are not able to produce the part, for example for highly complex, topology-optimized geometries.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When a fast turn-around time is critical; 3D printed parts can be delivered within 24h.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When low-cost is essential; for small volumes, 3D printing is generally cheaper than CNC.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When there is a small number of identical parts required (less than 10).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When materials are required that cannot be easily machined, like metal superalloys or flexible TPU.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CNC offers greater dimensional accuracy and produces parts with better mechanical properties in all 3 dimensions, but this usually comes at a greater cost, especially when volumes are small.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-23265\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reliablecounter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/subtractive.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"523\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.reliablecounter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/subtractive.png 1600w, https:\/\/www.reliablecounter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/subtractive-300x98.png 300w, https:\/\/www.reliablecounter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/subtractive-768x251.png 768w, https:\/\/www.reliablecounter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/subtractive-1024x335.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.reliablecounter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/subtractive-1080x353.png 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If higher part quantities are needed, (hundreds or more), then neither CNC nor AM may be a cost-competitive option. Traditional forming technologies, such as investment casting or injection molding, are generally the most economic option, due to mechanisms of economies of scale (see figure).<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Model complexity of CNC machining<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are a number of limitations that must be considered when designing parts for CNC machining, including tool access and clearances, hold or mount points, as well as the inability to machine square corners due to tool geometry.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some geometries are impossible to CNC machine (even with 5-axis CNC systems) as the tool cannot access all the surfaces of a component. Most geometries require the rotation of the part to access the different sides. Repositioning adds to the processing and labor time and custom jigs and fixtures may be required, affecting the final price.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-23263\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reliablecounter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/complexity.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"803\" height=\"452\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.reliablecounter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/complexity.png 803w, https:\/\/www.reliablecounter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/complexity-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.reliablecounter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/complexity-768x432.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 803px) 100vw, 803px\" \/><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3D printing has very few geometry restrictions compared to CNC. Support structures are required in most technologies, like FDM or SLM\/DMLS, and are removed during post processing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Plastic freeform, organic geometries can be easily manufactured with polymer-based powder bed fusion processes, such as SLS or Multi Jet Fusion (MJF), as they require no support. The ability to produce highly complex geometries is one of the key strengths of 3D printing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rules of thumb<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Selecting the right technology for your application is crucial and can be boiled down to the following rules of thumb:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CNC machining is best suited for medium to high quantities (less that 250-500 parts) and relatively simple geometries.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3D printing is generally best for low quantities (or one-off prototypes) and complex geometries.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When considering metals, CNC can be price competitive even for low quantities, but geometry limitations still apply.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When quantities are high (more than 250 &#8211; 500 parts) other forming technologies are more suitable.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Order low-cost, precision CNC machined parts from a network of manufacturers across America, China, Europe &amp; India. Get an <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hubs.com\/cnc-machining\/\"><b>instant CNC machining quote<\/b><\/a><b>!<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>CNC machining is a common subtractive manufacturing technology. Unlike 3D printing, the process typically begins with a solid block of material (blank) and removes material to achieve the required final shape, using a variety of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23264,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[530],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23262","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reliablecounter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23262"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reliablecounter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reliablecounter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reliablecounter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reliablecounter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23262"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.reliablecounter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23262\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23266,"href":"https:\/\/www.reliablecounter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23262\/revisions\/23266"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reliablecounter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23264"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reliablecounter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reliablecounter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23262"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reliablecounter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}