A- Choose the most suitable material

When you are designing and machining parts, choosing the right material is the most important way to save costs. You don't need to pursue the most expensive material, you must look for the most suitable material according to the use and function of the part; there are many materials with almost the same function, but the price is very different, when you use the more expensive material to realize a certain function, you can look for whether there are some other alternative materials that can satisfy these functions.

B - Do not use 90° inside corners if possible

Sharp or 90° inside corners take up more processing time and add extra cost. However, most of the inside corners do not require 90° right angles, and rounded corners do not interfere with the function. If your design includes rounded corners, the machine can run continuously to create your part. CNC machining tools such as mills and end mills automatically leave rounded inside corners. Smaller or narrower inside corner radii require more travel and special small tools, which will increase machining time and require tool changes at any time. In contrast, a larger radius at the corner means a larger tool can cut the part efficiently.

C - Minimize internal cavities (deep pockets)

Metal or plastic parts with deep internal cavities (deep pockets) designs are often both time-consuming and difficult to machine. Creating cavities requires the removal of large amounts of material, which leads to wasted material and can be difficult to remove for cutting, or may require special processes (wire EDM or Sink EDM) to achieve depth.

D - Avoid thin-walled designs

Machined parts with too thin walls will take more time to machine because they will be very fragile. And because they often vibrate or deform, it is difficult to maintain the target accuracy. Slow machining and special machining techniques, and high scrap rates make these thin-walled parts more expensive. Thick-walled parts are more stable and cheaper to machine. To keep the machining price low, avoid thin-walled designs. metal parts should have a wall thickness of at least 0.8mm. plastic parts should have a wall thickness of 1.5mm.

E-Avoid complex design parts

Machining oversized, for-size or complex design parts requires special tooling, multi-axis CNC machines or some customized fixtures, all of which will increase the total cost of ownership.

In some cases, if you have a complex part that needs to be manipulated on more than one face, you may try splitting the part into 2 or more separate parts and then machining the axes to weld or bolt them together, which will reduce the cost.

F - Avoid overuse of tight tolerances

We have ultra-precision machining equipment and production experience to meet tolerances as tight as ±0.001mm. However, we still recommend that tight tolerances should not be overused for non-special purpose parts. This is because the smaller the tolerance, the more work and time the factory needs, which means a much higher price. Not every part needs tight tolerances, except for some precision mold parts, medical parts and aerospace spare parts, a small group suggests that other parts should follow a common standard, such as the ISO counterpart, which is reasonable for cnc machined part design.

G - Bulk Ordering

Although modern CNC lathes and mills can operate more efficiently than ever before, they will still require an engineer to program and set them up. Ordering parts in bulk can have a big impact on the unit price. This is because mass-producing identical parts maximizes the productivity and cost-effectiveness of CNC machining;

H. Advance work and prepare production schedules in advance

Develop product blueprints and advance design work to complete the final product design before production begins. This will allow the CNC machining supplier sufficient time to procure raw materials, specify a production schedule and deliver the product within the agreed upon time frame.