In CNC machining, the costs of different machining projects vary. The cost of a CNC machining project is determined by many factors. In most project plans, cost is an important factor to consider, so we recommend that you understand the various factors of CNC machining and their impact on cost.
This article will help you understand the main factors that affect CNC machining costs so that your project may reduce costs.
Factors affecting CNC machining costs The
important factors affecting the cost of CNC machining parts can be classified according to several aspects such as equipment, materials, design, output and finishing.
EquipmentMachinery
equipment costs are incurred before the machining process begins. However, equipment and machinery are production preparation costs and affect the cost of the processing plan. The more expensive it is to acquire, operate and maintain a machine, the more expensive the parts made with that machine will be.
How to choose different CNC machine tools
CNC generation contains a variety of different machining processes, including drilling, boring, turning, milling, etc. Most of these can be achieved with a CNC lathe or CNC mill.
Another point to consider is the efficiency of the lathe itself. There have been many iterations of CNC lathes over the years. The early CNC lathes and computer CNC lathes are completely incomparable to the advanced modern CNC machine tools used today. Modern machine tools are faster and more efficient. That speed will make parts cheaper to produce in the long run.
How to choose different CNC machining tools
In addition, the cost of cutting tools also affects the cost of the overall equipment. The material, coating and geometry of the tool all affect this cost. For example, carbide tools are harder, more resistant to high temperatures and can withstand high-speed operation, and their cost is more than twice as high as steel tools.
Why do CNC mills cost more?
Milling machines generally cost more than lathes due to the nature of more complex moving parts. Milling machines are more difficult to assemble, operate and maintain, but can achieve more complex operations. As a result, CNC milling machines are generally more expensive to operate than other machine tools.
There are different types of milling machines, varying in complexity and capability levels. The more axes a milling machine has, the more expensive it will be. Most modern CNC machine tools have three or five axes. Although five-axis machines can produce very complex geometries more quickly (and therefore require less machining time), they are generally much more expensive than their three-axis counterparts.
Production setup costs
Production setup costs are all costs incurred in preparing for processing. All CNC machined parts are 3D models. Design experts need to use professional CAD (computer-aided design) software to design such 3D models. The resources required to design a 3D model that can be put into production account for a very large part of the production preparation cost.
Production preparation costs also include all related costs for design optimization and preparation for model production using professional CAM software (computer-aided machining).
The impact of material
prices on CNC machining costs
The materials required to make a part are one of the important cost factors. There are many costs associated with the materials being processed. The first thing to bear the brunt is the cost of the material itself. Pricing for materials varies, depending on their availability, material properties and overall production costs.
Metal materials are generally more expensive than other materials. The chart below depicts the relative prices of some common engineering metals. It should be noted that metal prices will fluctuate up and down, and the exact price may vary depending on the region. The table below is a relative price reference.
Comparison of key factors in the cost difference of metal raw materials
: Processability of materials
In addition to the cost of materials, processability is another important factor that determines cost. Materials with low machinability will take more time and energy to process, and in the field of CNC machining, time is money. The cost of a machined part is exactly proportional to the time it takes to machine it. Materials that are difficult to machine also consume more resources, such as cutting fluids, electricity and cutting tools.
Xometry can process a variety of different materials, including metals, plastics and rubber-like materials. You can find a complete materials list, material descriptions and their corresponding costs that we offer.
Design and geometry
Improve CAD design for CNC machining
The design and appearance of parts affects CNC machining costs.
A rule of thumb: the more complex a part is, the more expensive it is to manufacture. Complex parts may require the use of more advanced machines, longer processing times, multiple machining and assembly operations, more resources, and more detailed quality inspections—all of which affect the cost of the part.
In CNC machining, specific part features and designs will inevitably lead to increased costs, including sharp internal corners, thin walls, deep cavities, non-standard hole sizes, engraving, etc. These and other high-cost parts features we have summarized affect cost and should be avoided unless necessary. In addition, specific design requirements such as surface roughness or tolerance options may require multiple processes and quality inspections.
Moreover, in theory, the larger the part, the higher the cost, because more raw materials are required, and more manufacturing resources and time need to be invested.
Larger production
batches, lower costs
As the number of parts increases, the unit cost of manufacturing an identical set of parts decreases. This proportional cost reduction is attributed to the elimination of duplicative production setup costs. Preparation costs such as CAD design, CAM preparation and machine installation are all done at once for the same set of parts to be manufactured.
Using data from our instant quoting engine, you can compare part quantity versus unit cost from the table below. This example part is made of aluminum EN AW-6061 / 3.3211 / Al-Mg1SiCu.
Order quantity and cost comparison table The table
above confirms that the cost of a single part is inversely proportional to the number of parts manufactured. The unit cost of a batch of 1,000 pieces is about 88% less than the cost of a single part. Parts produced by
surface processing technology CNC processing can be used directly.
However, some specific application scenarios require parts to undergo post-processing processes such as high-temperature treatment, surface finishing and spraying to improve the performance, characteristics and aesthetics of the part. All of these surface finishing processes increase the cost of manufacturing parts.
Obtain CNC machining cost using real-time quotation engine
Xometry can fully understand that it is a tedious and boring task for customers to analyze many factors one by one in order to get the estimated cost of the solution before production. For variations in one or two factors, customers often have to recalculate new valuations. That’s why we created Xemetry’s real-time quoting engine, which you can rely on to quickly calculate the cost of a CNC machining solution. All you need to do is upload the design model and select your desired materials, surface roughness, tolerance, finishing and other preferences.