Nowadays, there are many different ways to develop a three dimensional project. Obviously, you can use a 3D printing service for this purpose. On the other hand, you may decide to use a different method. An example of this is CNC machining, which is a subtractive manufacturing technique. This essentially means that it will cut off parts of a solid block, which is often called a blank or a workpiece. This block is some type of material and will be made smaller with the help of multiple cutting tools. If you are going to use CNC machining, you obviously do not want to spend too much. How you can do this will be explained below.
Amount of machine orientations
If you are going to use a 3-axis CNC mill and design a part that requires two machine setups or even more, the manual labor will be increased. This is the case since the workpiece has to be rotated manually after the features on one side of the product have been machined. Since there will be more manual labor, the costs will increase as well. However, you can also utilize a multi-axis CNC machine. This will increase the machining costs unfortunately by circa 60 to 100 percent. Minimizing the costs can be done by designing pieces that can be machined in one setup in a 3-axis CNC mill.
Material costs
Many different materials can be used to CNC machine a part. Obviously, they all have different costs. If you want to minimize the amount of money you spend on this technique, you should select the cheapest material. However, this material still needs to have the properties to fulfill your design requirements. In other words, you need to pick the cheapest material that still achieves the goal of your designed product.
Increasing or adding
By reducing the machining times, you will reduce the costs as well. This can be achieved by adding a fillet that is as big as possible to the internal and external vertical edges. This way the machine can employ a larger tool, so more material will be removed with each cut, while the speed can be higher as well. If you need a 90-degree internal edge, the radius cannot be reduced. In this case, it is better to use an undercut. This way you will still save money.
