CNC Machining Services

Lathes operate by loading a material on a rotating mount (picture a rotisserie chicken), except for materials. As the material spins, a blade moves along the length of the material and shaves off small amounts of materials until the desired shape is achieved. Common uses for lathes include the manufacturing of engine camshafts or table legs.

Mills serve a similar purpose to lathes but can produce far more complex products. Material is loaded onto a flat tabletop, where a routing tool cuts out, drills, and shaves away material. Mills often allow for material to be shaped in all three axes.

Water jet cutters use a high-pressure stream of water to cut 2D shapes out of any material cleanly. Sand and other abrasives can be used to shape materials further. The benefit of waterjet is that they are capable of carving heat-sensitive materials without introducing unwanted heat to the material.

Plasma cutters use a plasma torch to cut through materials. Plasma cutters work faster than water jet cutters but come at the disadvantage of introducing a lot of heat to the material. Plasma is produced by using electrical arcs to ignite a combination of compressed air and gas.

A laser engraver is exactly what it sounds like. It uses a concentrated beam of light to engrave detailed images onto metal. Laser engraving has become increasingly popular as it is faster than traditional engraving, removes less material, has the added benefit of not affecting rigidity, and is longer lasting than paint.