Introduction
This is a practical and complete guide to a CNC machine shop. In this article, We have gathered some pointers that will help you to recognize what is a CNC machine shop and how to find a good CNC machine shop in China. This article will assist you in ordering your precision machined parts to the right and suitable Chinese CNC machine shop.
What is a CNC machine shop?
Is it a store or a shop full of CNC machines to sell? No, no, no!
A CNC machine shop is a place or a site where CNC machining or other subtractive manufacturing takes place. It could be a large standalone shop or a small section of a large factory building.
A CNC machine shop usually houses various CNC machines that are used to process both simple parts and complex parts. They are manufactured by a subtractive manufacturing process.
In a CNC machine shop, workers can manufacture precision custom parts out of various raw materials. Top Level Intl. is one of such machine shops in China. We manufacture custom-made CNC parts according to customers’ official drawings or prints. That’s to say, what we supply is OEM mechanical parts with the required tolerances. If you are interested, you can go to our Service Page to learn what we can support you.
Main equipment available at the CNC machine shop
Automatic Lathes
In Wikipedia, an automatic lathe is a lathe with an automatically controlled cutting process. An automatic lathe is a high-performance, high-precision and low-noise tool walking automatic lathe. It is an automatic machining machine tool that controls the machining program through the cam.
The automatic lathe is suitable for the processing and manufacturing of precision parts such as copper alloy, aluminum alloy, iron and plastics. It is suitable for batch processing of small parts in industries such as instruments, clocks, automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, glasses, stationery, hardware sanitary ware, electronic parts, connectors, computers, mobile phones, electromechanical, military industry, and so on.
CNC Lathes
CNC lathes machines are one of the first CNC machines created for manufacturing. It is one of the core manufacturing methods. In a CNC lathe, a rotating workpiece is fed to the stationary cutting tool to get the desired shape in the product. CNC lathe machines are used to execute various machining functions. Some of its major functions include turning, facing, drilling, and grinding materials. These machines can also create cylindrical parts and various contours.
CNC Machining centers
CNC machining center is an advance manufacturing tool. It is the integration of different CNC machinings such as milling, drilling, and lathe. CNC machining center is capable of carrying out high-grade subtractive operations. It is a par precision manufacturing process. It has the ability to achieve unmatched accuracy, surface finishes, and delivering the utmost quality parts. You can attach many tools at the same time and carry out operations after one and other until you get your desired finished part. This allows machining centers to achieve the desired results in the smallest production time.
Milling machines
Milling machines are highly capable machines used in CNC machine shops. CNC milling machines contain a rotary cutter. The rotary cutter removes the part from the workpiece to transform it into the desired shape. CNC milling machines have upgraded the machine shop with their utmost precision and accuracy. It gives you the ability to produce detailed machined parts with a short lead time and the finest quality. Milling machines are ideal for flat surfaces. They can perform operations on complex structures. Some of the applications of milling machines are boring, slotting, drilling, and cutting.
Turn-milling machines
You can also find a Turn milling machine in a CNC machine shop. This machine performs milling to the curved surface parts by rotating the workpiece around the center point of the machine. The turn-milling machine can create complex structures that are hard to create with milling and turning machines. This equipment allows a high metal removal rate with excellent chip control.
Measuring machines
Measuring equipment is one of the most important equipment types in a CNC machine shop. In addition to conventional calipers, micrometers, and Go/No-Go gauges, there should also be some bigger measuring machines like TESA-hite, CMM (Coordinate measuring equipment) and a 2.5D projector. The quality control level of a machine shop actually depends on these bigger measuring machines in a way.
TESA-hite 
CMM
Most good CNC machine shops are equipped with CMM (coordinate measuring machines). This equipment measures the precision height, depth, and width with tight tolerances of the workpiece. With the help of CMM, you can automatically measure the geometry of the object and record the measuring data. This machine makes it easy to measure three-dimensional objects that are hard to measure with a caliper or micrometer.
How to choose a suitable CNC machine shop in China?
Professionalism
If you are looking for a CNC machine shop from China. You should be focusing on a company with professional knowledge and behavior. They should also have a comprehensive understanding of your project. So it’s utmost necessary to work with the shop that can provide you good suggestions to improve your precision machined parts project and save your money. The professional CNC machine shop will have open communication with you. Proper communication makes it easy to carry out the project more smoothly and efficiently.
Reasonable Price
A capable CNC machine shop will offer you a reasonable pricing model. CNC machine shops offering low prices might skimp on quality or material to increase their profit margin. So please choose the CNC machine shop that offers a reasonable and competitive price so that your product quality should not be compromised.
Customer Service
Customer service is a very crucial factor before choosing a CNC machine shop from China. You may need to check how they deal with their clients before putting production orders. Are they answering your queries? Are they following up with you and providing you with the relevant information?
Quality Control Techniques
It is necessary to inquire about the quality department before placing an order. A CNC machine shop should have a proper quality control system with basic measuring and testing equipment. A qualified CNC machine shop would also have a raw material inspection system to ensure you get the best quality parts.
Honesty and Responsibility
A good CNC machining supplier should be honest and responsible. They should tell the customer the truth once they are not able to meet some requirements in the drawing. Otherwise, they may make the customer in big trouble.
They should report to the customer what really happened even if they are facing some problems.
In fact, customers can understand that problems caused by objective reasons may be unavoidable, but a good supplier should report to customers honestly what happened at the first time. Of course, a solution accordingly should be provided too.
Privacy and confidential
All parts manufactured by CNC machining are specially designed and different from other existing ones. So all the parts information and design should be confidential and protected if necessary.
Let’s put it this way, a good CNC machining supplier should assure you of privacy and confidentiality. How can you carry this out?
Congratulations! A Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) can ensure confidentiality between a CNC machine shop and its customers. You can ask the machine shop to sign an NDA with you, even before sharing a little piece of information about your CNC machined parts.
Please don’t hesitate to reject the machine shop if it refuses to sign an NDA with you!
Market reputation
Before selecting your machined parts service provider from China, you should go for a background check of the company. It is advised to have a chat with the CNC machine shop ex-clients to know about their reputation and services. This might take some of your time but this will surely help you to find a reputable CNC machine shop.
Why a CNC machine shop is better than a conventional machine shop?
CNC machine shop has gained immense popularity due to its extensive machining capabilities. One of its incomparable abilities is to machine distinct material with extreme precision and accuracy. Let’s see what features can make a CNC machine better than a conventional machine shop.
- CNC machine shops can provide accuracy and consistent product quality as compared to manual machining. It allows exceptional repeatability with high accuracy.
- CNC machine shops contain computerized-numerical controlled machines. A single operator can manage several machines at a time. Whereas, conventional machine shops need operators for each machine. This makes CNC machine shop cost-effective.
- CNC machine shop operations are safer as they are performed in a secured environment. Performing operations on conventional machines can be risky due to their minimum safety.
- CNC machines do not require rest and they can work continuously for hours. Their continuous operations reduce the production time.
Products manufactured by a CNC machine shop
CNC machine shop owns high-end technological equipment. It has the ability to produce a broad variety of custom-made parts ranging from a simple structure to complex shapes.
Top Level International is a leading CNC machine shop from China. It can deliver you highly scalable CNC machined parts from unique prototyping to large volume production. The company has an extremely experienced team that can attain the utmost complexity and intricacy for your CNC machined parts.
CNC machine shop is capable to produce complex machined parts from different raw materials. The parts are machined with a high level of accuracy to fit into the application and match the required specification.
In a CNC machine shop, different types of raw materials are used to produced CNC machined parts. Some of the commonly used materials are stainless steel, aluminum, brass, copper, and plastic. Top Level International has worked with a lot of industries to provide them with the precision machined parts created from distinct raw materials.
Tolerance is the degree of dimensional accuracy you can acquire when machining the parts in a CNC machining shop. CNC machines are highly precise machines in terms of the ability to produce accurate parts. They can gain ± 0.0025mm tolerance accuracy. The Top Level International machine shop is specialized in achieving close tolerances. They produce intricate machined parts for top-notch industries around the world.
10 safety rules for a CNC machine shop
Operating a CNC machining factory requires years of experience and know-how. And we should also follow a number of rules to ensure machine shop safety. Then what detailed rules a CNC machine shop should follow? In this section, we will share with you 10 important safety rules as follow:
Wear appropriate clothing Loose-fitting clothes, flammable clothes, jewelry and open-toed shoes are all prohibited within the workshop. Safety shoes are preferable in any manufacturing environment. Long hair should be tied back and tucked under a shirt or cap.
Wear safety glasses Goggles or other eye protection should be worn when operating the machines. As there are a great number of chips removed from the workpiece. Such chips in the working environment may cause serious injury.
Be healthy Workers should not be allowed to operate any machinery if they are ill, tired, inebriated, or taking performance-affecting medication. All workers should be in good health condition when they operate any CNC machines. Only qualified machinists should use machinery.
No distractions While operating machinery, workers should not wear headphones, use their phones or engage in other potentially distracting activities.
Know the machinery well All the workers should know the machinery very well. If a machine is new or unfamiliar, workers should read the operator’s manual before turning it on.
Keep the shop clean Dirty floors may cause slippage. And the buildup of dust and scraps would become a fire hazard. Furthermore, we should also keep the environment and machinery dry. Tools should be clean and inspected regularly.
Do not leave machines unattended Machines should be attended while operational. Workers are not allowed to exit the machine shop until machinery has come to a final stop condition.
Exercise caution with hazardous materials Some machining materials are highly flammable. These should be handled with extra care to protect the CNC machining shop against fire risk.
Store items safely Materials and tools should be stored in a very clean storage place where they wouldn’t fall or be tripped over by workers.
Clear mark exits Emergency exits should be clearly identifiable just in case of an accident or emergency. In addition, access to the exits is important too. We should also keep it clean all the time.
Conclusions
A CNC machine shop is a place where CNC machining or other subtractive manufacturing takes place. The machinist and other technical workers process precision metal parts or plastic parts in such a shop. Some machine shops supply only processing services. But most CNC machine shops provide machined parts with required surface treatment including anodizing, oxidizing, nickel plating, etc.
If you are looking for a good CNC machine shop from China, here ends your search. As Top Level intl. is one of the leading CNC machining service providers from China. If you prefer a one-stop solution of CNC machining service, we have the above-mentioned qualities and capabilities. Why not try us now? We offer a reasonable price and can deliver your precision machined parts in a short time around the globe. Write to us with your machined parts drawings now! You will get the quotation within 24 hours!
