In modern society, with the rapid changes and increasing market competition, products need to be updated to meet the market challenges. Engineers are continuously developing new products to explore the market. From design to actual mass production, numerous validations and modifications are required in between. CNC prototyping is used to verify the performance of a new product and assess whether it meets the design requirements.
In the new product development stage, the three most important considerations for CNC custom machining are as follows: the economic rationality of the structural design in line with actual machining, the formulation of the process flow, and the selection of materials and surface treatments. Once these three points are effectively confirmed, CNC machining will proceed without issue, with quality control being the final aspect to consider.
DISCUSSION OF PROCESS
Customized machining process :VMT engineering team customizes the most economical machining process according to customer requirements. For major projects, we will discuss with customers from the structure, material selection, surface treatment and other aspects to provide constructive advice. We don't see difficulties and complexities, we just want to give our customers the best help in new product development and CNC custom machining, which is also a kind of self-improvement for us.
PROGRAMMING
A programming engineer with over 10 years of experience, proficient in programming software such as MASTERCAM, UG, POWERMILL, and other engineering software including CAD, PROE, and SOLIDWORKS.
RAW MATERIAL INSPECTION
The categories and models of hardware materials are extensive, making it difficult to distinguish them solely based on surface characteristics. For example, SUS304 and SUS316 have different material properties despite similar appearances. Prior to precision machining, we use a spectrometer material analyzer to test the raw materials, ensuring that we provide clients with authentic materials. This additional step provides an extra layer of quality assurance for products that have specific material requirements.
SELF-INSPECTION BY OPERATOR
After the CNC program is completed, the operator will conduct a self-check on the machine to ensure accuracy before proceeding to the next program or removing the part from the machine. This process ensures quality control at every step of the way.
INSPECTION PROCESS - PATROL INSPECTION
The inspection personnel conduct sampling inspections on the semi-finished products during processing, further ensuring the product’s qualification rate.
REMOVE BURRS
For some irregular and complex parts, manual trimming and deburring are conducted to ensure smooth and burr-free products. For precision parts and mass-produced components, VMT advocates avoiding manual processing as much as possible and emphasizes utilizing machine processing.
EQUIPMENT INSPECTION
After the completion of parts processing, all products undergo inspections including 3D measurement, roundness tester, and salt spray testing, with a testing accuracy of ±0.005m.
CUSTOMIZED SURFACE TREATMENT
After passing the inspection by our colleagues in the quality department, products will undergo corresponding surface treatments based on customer requirements, such as sandblasting, oxidation, powder coating, painting, electroplating, silk-screen printing, laser engraving, etc. Various surface treatments can be customized in a variety of colors according to customer needs.
APPEARANCE INSPECTION
Inspection personnel conduct visual inspections and dimensional measurements on products after surface treatments, such as oxidation and electroplating, which have a tolerance requirement of 0.01mm for products with strict tolerance standards, while powder coating and painting have a tolerance of around 0.05mm. Therefore, we perform another round of dimensional measurements on all products after surface treatments to ensure that the dimensions meet the precision range specified by the customer.
CUSTOMIZED PACKAGING FOR SHIPMENT
Once all dimensions have been inspected and approved, photos will be taken for customer confirmation before packaging and shipment. For high-end products, we can provide customized packaging with logos for customers. For fragile or heavy products, we can customize secure packaging solutions such as cartons or wooden crates.