4 Ways to Ensure Consistent Depth of Cut for CNC Parts Machining

1: Limit The Surface

Qualifying A Surface Is Far Away The Simplest Most Assured Way To Ensure That The Surface You Are About To Work With Is Reasonably Flat True. Qualifying A Surface Is Just A Fancy Mechanical Way Of Saying That You Are Milling Across The Entire Surface, Pumping Out A Few Thousand Passes At A Time Until The Entire Surface Is Reasonably Uniform In Terms Of Flatness. Qualifying Is Often The First Step You See When You See A Milling Operation In A Shop Online , This Is For A Number Of Reasons, The Least Of Which Is To Ensure The Flatness Of The Surface.

2: Use Spring-Processed Engraving Tools

If You Only Need To Do Basic Engraving Part Marking Work The Surface Is A Little "All Over The Map," A Spring-Loaded Engraving Tool May Be Just What The Doctor Ordered. There Are Several Different Types Of Spring-Loaded Tools, With The Most Popular Versions Being The Spring-Loaded Version Of The Traditional Split-Shank Engraving Tool The Spring-Loaded "Drag Engraving Bit," Also Known As A "Scribing" Tool. 

3: Mapping Irregular Surfaces Using A Touch Detection System

Depending On The Type Of Milling Machine Used, The Probing System May Be Used To Touch The Workpiece Several Times To "Map" The Surface. Surface Mapping Via A Probe Can Be A Quicker Solution To This Problem. Surface Mapping Via Touch Probing Usually Involves Giving The Machine A Few Basic Details About What You Want To Probe: The Size Of The Probing Area, The Pitch Of The Probing Grid, Etc.

4: CMM Surface Mapping Image Projection In CAM

There’s A Lot Involved In This Process, For The Sake Of Brevity I’ll Boil It Down To A Step-By-Step Summary:

1. Load The Workpiece Onto The CMM

2. Manually Measure As Many Points As Possible To Achieve The Full Surface Variation Within The Work Area

3. Export The Obtained Point Cloud To CAD Software

4. Create A Spline That Links The Measured Points To Create A 3D Surface Plot

5. Export The 3D Surface Image To CAM Software

6. Project Artwork/Milling Features Onto 3D Surface

7. Generate The Required Tool Path Send The Cut-Out File To The CNC

8. Load The Workpiece Onto The CNC Run The Part