Companies producing mechanical components for many industries need top-class machines with a high number of axes. What are CNC machine axes?
Precision and customisation: that is the goal of all the best precision machining companies. To produce high-precision parts, however, technologically advanced machines are needed that can produce huge quantities of parts unique in type, material and characteristics.
CNC machines: meaning and advantages
CNC machines (Computer Numerical Control) are machine tools equipped with computerised numerical control technology. In practice, they automate machining. Each part is produced according to instructions programmed and coded in dedicated software, effectively eliminating the need to control the whole process manually.
Companies with a fleet of CNC machines eliminate human error, produce precise parts (even very small ones) and improve the ratio of productivity to lead time. Many processes benefit from this technology, especially turning, milling, drilling, welding and laser cutting.
What role do CNC machine axes play?
Every CNC machine applies numerical control to its specific machining principle, but produces more or less complex parts depending on the number of axes. This is why expressions such as “numerical control up to 8 axes” guarantee a complex, precise and versatile way of working.
What are CNC axes? The axes of a CNC machine are simply the moving parts of the machine that can work the material with multiple degrees of freedom and dimensions.
Generally speaking, more axes means a more technologically advanced machine than traditional ones. The machine works on several sides of the material, producing complex, precise parts in a single set-up.
For example, 2-axis CNC machines move on two planes and do not create depth, while 4- and 5-axis CNC machines work on three linear planes and rotate on additional axes to create concave shapes. This means that machines with more axes, such as lathes with up to 8 axes, rotate both the workpiece and the tools fixed to the various axes simultaneously, achieving greater freedom of movement and producing parts accurate to the millimetre.