If you are responsible for equipment in a manufacturing operation that is constantly growing, you'll be looking for new machines that can help you to get a leg up on your competition. You may be looking at 3-D printing and wonder whether you can take advantage of this emerging technology to create a large number of parts with high efficiency. To help you achieve this, perhaps you should consider introducing some CNC machining, which are ideal in this situation. What are they and what do you need to consider?

Key Benefits

Computer numerical control machines have been around for a long time and are favoured in many manufacturing operations due to their sophistication and flexibility. They can provide some key benefits when it comes to working in three dimensions as well.

Staffing Levels

Firstly, they can help to markedly improve automation, because they cut down on the resources and time that you would otherwise need in order to produce individual elements. When they've been properly programmed, you can cut down on the need for a human attendant and the machines can, in fact, be left unattended throughout the entire day. This will help free up that operator to work on other tasks in your operation and will invariably cut down the element of human error that always introduces some unpredictability. You will also see benefits when taking on new staff, as you won't have to search for people with those high skill levels any more.

Consistently High Standard

Accuracy may well be everything in your operation, and this technology will allow you to maintain consistency and cut down on the costs associated with quality control. You simply have to verify an initial output once the machine has been programmed and can then rely on it to turn out with great precision.

Complexity No Issue

If your type of output is very complex, the CNC machine will come into its element. You can run a virtually unlimited range of programs simultaneously, and these programs can be switched on or off very quickly. This means that you won't have to endure expensive downtime where productivity would be stalled in setting up a new process run.

Just-In-Time

The speed of operation can also be crucial when it comes to satisfying your logistics, as you may find it necessary to produce your output "just-in-time" according to your customer needs. As these machines are so simple and can be programmed to produce a very specific output in a totally predictable timeframe, you can have full confidence in meeting your customer requirements.