Trevor English
It might have snuck up on you fast, or maybe you saw it coming, but now is the time to adopt 5-axis machining. Innovation won’t wait.
5-axis machining has fundamentally reinvented the way we approach milling parts. Initially a high-end technique for machining complex shapes, it has now become almost industry-standard to optimize the CNC milling industry. Using 5-axis machines enables cost reductions in machining time, achieves higher precision on complex parts, and enhances the overall production process. It can even influence the way we design.
5-axis machining and modern manufacturing
The most significant change in the CNC and machining industry in recent history has been the advent of computerization and numerical control. These advancements have transformed the role of machinists and the way engineers design for manufacturability (DFM). Computer-controlled machines have also enhanced capabilities and precision.
However, following this innovation, the limitations became mechanical. The need for higher mechanical precision and the ability to mill complex shapes led to the development of the 5-axis machine. This pursuit of improved capabilities sparked the rise of this technology. Initially, 5-axis machining was reserved for expensive, high-tolerance parts, but that has evolved over time.
Due to the reduced need to change fixtures, the ability to achieve great precision, the coupled ability with CAD to create flowing, precise parts, and the reduction in price, 5-axis machining is slowly becoming the standard for milling manufacturing. In some cases, utilizing 5-axis machining is even cheaper than a traditional 3-axis machine.
Backpedaling slightly to 5-axis operation, 5-axis machines gain two rotational axes over traditional 3-axis machines. This allows for fewer fixture changes during machining and greater precision in complex parts. It also allows for numerically controlled machines to create the flowing, even generative designs imagined in modern CAD tools. Due to the time savings of fewer fixture changes and a more “hands-off” approach for the machinist, it’s often cheaper for shops to use 5-axis production than more primitive machines.
The manufacturing world is changing to adapt to the modern need to produce innovative computerized designs.
These changes have brought 3D printers and, even more substantially, 5-axis machines. Now, as mechanical engineers, we often only deal with designs, and many rarely crossover directly to machining and manufacturing. 3D printers excited us because they brought prototyping and manufacturing to our desktops, but 5-axis machines seem to only benefit machinists, right? This is somewhat true except for one major aspect of our jobs, design for manufacturability.
Rethinking our design for manufacturability workflow
Our workflows and the way we design parts are wholly rooted in our understanding of how a part is going to be manufactured, or at least it should be. While this methodology is good, our mindset can often lag behind improvements in the manufacturing industry. It’s hard to adjust our ingrained aversions in mechanical design after all. We have to realize now, however, that with the widespread adoption of 5-Axis machines, the way we think about manufacturability has to change.
Studies of recent growth trends in the manufacturing industry have proven the significant rise of 5-axis machining in recent years. Looking back at history, many questioned why switching from manual machines to CNC machines was a good idea and thus were subsequently left in the dust. As engineers, we must recognize that 5-axis is becoming the industry standard and adjust our design considerations accordingly.
With all of this said, 5-axis isn’t the cure-all for modern manufacturing at the present state, it is simply a catalyst towards to the ability to innovate in our designs further. The goal of rethinking our DFM methodologies is to allow ourselves to innovate further in the design process and not be held back by past ideas no longer relevant to our industry.
After rethinking our workflow and understanding that 5-axis machining is a realizable production technique for even simple parts, we can start to take advantage of the improvements that this technique brings, of which there are many.
The proof is in the axis
The added rotational axis brought through 5-axis machining brings benefits far outreaching part tolerances. Despite 5-axis machines being more expensive than 3-axis machines, they save time, which adds up to significant cost savings over time. The proof really is in the additional axis. The added flexibility brought about by not having to build as many custom fixtures or make changes in the middle of an operation brings benefits to every person in the production cycle.
Beyond cost savings, 5-axis machining also allows engineers to design more complex parts. Modern CAD allows us to create complex and flowing parts that may be perfect for our application, but are hard to create in reality. 5-axis machining is a practical and present approach to dealing with the manufacturability of complex designs. By actually being able to realize our complex designs, we can create products that perform better—maybe even with fewer components. This is another manufacturing technology at your disposal right now that will only grow in future use.
Through 5-axis machining, we can design and create shapes with greater complexities of parts than ever before at higher speeds and lower costs.
Moving forward with 5-axis machining
Innovation is at the heart of engineers and at the heart of the future of making things. 5-axis machining is a very real tool we have at our disposal and is only going to grow in manufacturing utilization. We have to rethink how we design today with this new tool in mind.
5-axis machining can’t be done without the right CAM tool. Autodesk Fusion integrates with 5-axis CNC machines, providing tools for design, simulation, and manufacturing. It helps reduce setups, improve finishes, and reach tricky features. With cloud-based tools, you can collaborate, simulate, and avoid costly errors before you even start cutting.
It might have snuck up on you fast, or maybe you saw it coming, but now is the time to adopt 5-axis machining into your design for manufacturability methodology if you haven’t already. Innovation won’t wait.