Blueprint to Reality: Ensuring Accuracy in Metal Fabrication and CNC Machining

Date:2024-03-08 16:00
Sheet Metal Manufacturing
The manufacturing industry always aims for precision and excellence—and especially so in metal fabrication and machining. Attaining accuracy in these processes does not mean simply following the blueprints and is not something easily massaged into existence. It is profoundly reliant on a knowledge that is understood by too few workers: the knowledge of the materials involved, of a resourcefulness that isn't accounted for in either time or money, and of technologies that outpace many of the choices used throughout manufacturing. The following article investigates the strategies and the methodologies that help ensure the kinds of accuracy that metal fabrication and CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machining demand of them. Components that undergo these processes find themselves serving severely punishing and critical roles in the aerospace industry, in automotive applications, in medical devices, and in construction projects—where precision is of the essence.
Choosing the right materials is extremely important if one is to achieve the accuracy level desired in a machined product. The properties of metals differ and can affect a machinable project in critical ways. Many properties of metals are of concern to machinists, but tensile strength, ductility, and thermal expansion are three of the big ones. For example, take the alloy called Invar. This alloy is used in applications where high dimensional stability is necessary because it has a very low coefficient of thermal expansion. Parts made out of this alloy can withstand heat and cold without changing substantial amounts dimensionally. Using conventional methods, one is not able to machine Invar to the tolerances that one would expect with a part made out of the same materials that one might expect and plan to have machined without going to these extremes.
A prime example of this can be found in the automotive sector, where companies such as BMW employ state-of-the-art computer-numerical-control milling machines to fashion engine parts for their luxury vehicles. These parts are made to such exacting standards that they slide together with barely any clearance. The performance and efficiency of a BMW are due in no small part to the CNC-milled components that make up its engine.
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