How to increase your CNC machining speed

August 15, 2017


Are you sending your own stress through the roof because you’re cutting it way too close with customer production deadlines?

Or, are you the type who acts before you can see problems happening so they never actually occur?

Everyone in CNC machining wants more speed…without sacrificing quality. So what are some ways you can get that?

It’s not always as clear cut and simple as you might first expect.

Find out what to do by reading the tips below:

1. Substitute More Shallow Passes for Fewer Deeper Ones

It may seems like the opposite at first.

But it’s precisely true. You can do shallow passes fast enough to more than compensate for the time fewer deeper passes take.

So take a look at your materials and projects. Find the deep cuts and identify how many shallow passes can give you the same cut quality, but much faster.

2. Consider Installing an Auxiliary High-Speed Spindle

For high speed CNC machining, your spindle needs to turn at 8,000 rpm. That’s the bare minimum. But you may not see the full benefit of high-speed machining even at that spindle speed.

What if your CNC machine is just too slow, or basically right at the bare minimum?

For a reasonable cost, you can simply install an auxiliary high-speed spindle. Fixed center line spindles, for example, can turn at up to 50,000 rpm.

3. Fine-Tune Your Flutes

Four flutes allow you to go at twice the feed rates of two flutes at the same rpm. However, this can take away from your available horsepower.

But don’t worry because you can reduce the depth of cut to offset that problem. It takes some time to get this tuned to the point where everything balances out, but it does save you serious cutting time once in place.

4. Relieve Data Bottlenecks

You know your CNC machine has several opportunities for improving its data flow. With 1,000 points of data .010 inches apart (a 10-inch move), you should be able to run a test feed rate of 200 ipm in 3 seconds – total.

If your CNC doesn’t run at that benchmark, you have ample opportunity to improve data flow bottlenecks.

What Are the Scalable Effects?

Now, multiply all these speed increases by the number of machines in your shop.

That’s why great CNC machine shops take the time to do this. Consider doing it at yours as soon as possible.

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