CNC mill

CNC mills are used to cut shapes with a spinning blade from wooden, but also plastic and metal, panels. CNC mills translate a 2D or 3D computer drawing in a cut shape or engraving.

They were developed from the 70s for mass manufacture, but have become common also for small scale production, thanks to the availability of smaller and more affordable units and to the spreading of computer use in design.

The acronym CNC stands for Computer Numerical Control and refers to a family of manufacturing machines operated by computer programs, that includes CNC mills, laser cutters, 3D printers and waterjet cutters.

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The life cycle	Pro	Con
		High energy Made of kg of steel, aluminum, copper and plastic, CNC milling machines have a high embodied energy. Show Alternatives » Alternatives tools Low Energy Hand tools Shared tools	Tips You dont need to buy a new one, you can outsource the job or join a shared workshop in your area

	Low production cost Because it reduces the need for manpower compared to power tools, CNC milling produces at a lower cost. Low Energy A CNC milling machine is likely to use less energy than a manual milling machine for the same job, because it cuts faster at a similar spinning rate. Reduce idle time to cut down on energy consumption (1) Quick CNC mills can cut from 3 up to more than 10 cm/sec, depending on materials and tools used.	High investment Small tabletop units are available for a reasonable price, but investment costs go high very fast if you want to be able to work with larger materials. Show Alternatives » Alternatives tools Low investment Hand tools Sandblasting Shared tools	Tips Practice lossless design, fitting as many pieces on the material as possible, to reduce waste. Also make sure you optimize feed rate and spindle speed to increase the durability of your endmills.



			Tips Make sure you collect used endmills and dispose of them so that they can be recycled.