Here are some tips to help you improve your CAD skills and designs for CNC Machining
Even if you are a skilled worker in CNC machining with CAD software, there is always room to improve. You need to improve your skills and design better products. It is possible to easily improve your skills once you are proficient in CAD design. Modern inventor software was designed to simplify engineering design. To create high-quality designs, accuracy and precision are essential.
Avoid making thin walls
Thin walls are necessary for making drone parts and whistles. However, walls should not be too thin to enhance your designs. Studies have shown that the walls’ thickness is a key factor in determining the stiffness of a product. According to this reasoning, reducing thickness would decrease stiffness and reduce accuracy due to vibrations during the machining process.
Do not create designs that are too difficult to machine CNC.
Not every feature can be machined with CNC. Avoid designing features that aren’t necessary or unnecessary. This will make it more difficult to create. To improve your CNC machining skills, you should have a better understanding of the capabilities of CNC machining. This will allow you to create designs that are possible to be manufactured by a CNC machine.
Don’t use tolerances too often
Designers are expected to use tolerance dimensions whenever possible. It is important to realize that excessive tolerances can lead to increased costs and time. Different machines have different tolerance standards. A machine would follow the dimensions without tolerancing. To save time and money on design, it is important to specify tight tolerances when necessary.
Avoid using aesthetic features that are not necessary for your designs
Some features are only for aesthetic reasons and cannot be machined in a way that makes them worthwhile. If you want to make a product look better, consider how much material is needed and the process that would be necessary to do it. Asking yourself, “What process is required to achieve this feature?” is a great way to improve your designs. You will see a significant improvement in your designs if you focus on how precise the features are machined, rather than the aesthetics. Processes like electro-polishing can help to achieve better aesthetics in your post-machining work.
Always Design Precise Depth-to-Width Ratios for Cavities
A great way to improve your design and skill is to consider the depth-to width ratio of any cavities that you create at the design stage. Too deep cavities can lead to tool fractures, chip evacuation problems, tool deflections and tool hanging.
A general rule of thumb is that cavities should not be higher than 6 times the diameter of the tool.
Reduce the length of threads
Engineering professionals know that strong thread connections are essential for a design. It is generally not necessary to have longer threads. You can easily reduce the length of the thread when designing tap holes. A thread length greater than three times the diameter of the hole is considered unnecessary.
