Introduction
CNC machining is a process that uses computer numerical control machines which control the instrument’s precision and is guided by the instructions of a computer. CNC machining includes 3-axis, 4-axis, and 5-axis machining. The most common difference between these machines is the number of the axis. The machines in 3-axis machining have 3-axis, 4-axis machining has 4 axes, and 5-axis machining has 5-axis. Moreover, they also differ in efficiency, accuracy, flexibility, applications, and cost. This article provides detailed information about the difference between 3, 4, and 5-axis CNC machining, their benefits, and their applications.
What is 3-axis CNC machining?
Definition
3-axis CNC machining is the most basic type of CNC machining used in the 3-axis machines. It is a machining process in which the cutting tools show movement along three different axes to mill the part while the workpiece does not show any movement. 3-axis machines have 3 axis, and 3-axis machines show only side to side and up and down movement. It is a simple process that allows the removal of the material on the 3-axis.
How many axis does it have?
3 axis of CNC machines is used in CNC machining. These 3 axes of CNC machines include X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, and all three axes of the 3-axis machines show different movements. The x-axis shows its left to right movement. Similarly, the y-axis shows front to back, and Z-axis shows up and down movement. This 3-axis can move simultaneously during working the 3-axis CNC machines.
Why is 3-axis CNC machining suitable for your application?
3-axis CNC machining is considered the most basic type of CNC machining that helps create many mechanical parts. You can easily make practical and complex shapes through 3-axis CNC mills. It is suitable for threaded holes, drillings, planar milled profiles, and 2D mechanical parts, and it is an ideal machining process for machining projects. It is an efficient and fast method for the removal of the material. It is accessible and cheapest compared to other machining processes and easy to operate; therefore, it is usually suitable for your applications.
Uses and the benefits of the 3-axis CNC machining
The 3-axis CNC machining offers a large number of uses and benefits. The followings are some main benefits and applications of CNC machining.
Uses of 3-axis CNC machining
- axis CNC machining is used for a large number of milling operations. It is used for the manufacturing of parts with planar and flat surfaces. Such types of geometrical shapes are termed as prismatic. It is used for taping and drilling holes along the z-axis. This machining process is only used for parts that do not need much detailing and depth. It is mostly used for cutting sharp edges, milling slots, drilling holes, and interactive or automatic interactions.
Benefits of 3-axis CNC machining
The followings are the main benefits of the 3-axis CNC machining.
The 3-axis CNC machines come with automatic tool changer equipment. This equipment helps you to complete the different objectives on a single device.
It is a versatile machine that helps you produce clamps, fixtures, stocks, etc.
If required, you can also upgrade to the additional axis.
The simultaneous movement of all three axes allows you to create complex parts and components efficiently.
You can also upgrade to a 3-axis CNC machine by providing more coding.
What is 4-axis CNC machining?
Definition
4-axis CNC machining is a process that is identical to the 3-axis CNC machining, but it includes an additional axis. Its means that 4-axis CNC machines work on 4-axis. In this machining process, the cutting tool is used for the removal of the material to create the desired shapes, but an additional axis performs the milling. Just like the 3-axis machining, 4-axis machining works on 3 axis, but it also involves the rotation around the X-axis, normally termed as A-axis. So, the 4-axis CNC machining includes 4-axis in which A-axis is the additional axis.
How many axis 4-axis CNC machining have?
In 4-axis CNC machining, the 4-axis machine operates on 4-axis. The three-axis X-axis, Y-axis, and z-axis are identical to the 3-axis CNC machining with an additional A-axis. The workpiece is flipped over automatically with the help of the A-axis. So, it aids the workpiece in removing the material from both sides of the machine. The 4th axis moves along the other axis, thus helping produce the more complex parts and components.
Why is 4-axis CNC machining suitable for your applications?
The 4-axis CNC machining is considered more suitable for applications because of its greater flexibility. It offers more flexibility than 3-axis machining due to having one more axis. Moreover, it can operate on all four sides of the workpiece. It can efficiently machine the components that need a large number of fixtures. Complex 3D shapes can easily create by using this machining process. It is no doubt a suitable method to reduce the machining time and reduce your project cost. It means that desirable parts or components can be machined in less time with the help of 4-axis CNC machining. The less machining time also reduces the cost of the machining process.
Uses and benefits of 4-axis CNC machining
The 4-axis CNC machining offers the following uses and benefits.
Uses of 4-axis CNC machining
The 4-axis CNC machining can be used for the following purposes.
- It can use to manufacture rounded features with a multi-axis.
- It can cut the parts or features on curved or cylindrical pieces.
- 4-axis CNC machining is a suitable process for continuously cutting different machining parts.
- It can use for engraving curved surfaces.
- The intermittent cutting can complete by using this machining process.
- The machining process can be done equally along all sides of the machining parts without any machine rotation.
Benefits of 4-axis CNC machining
The 4-axis CNC machining is more beneficial because of an additional axis. The fourth axis allows the detailed work to be done more accurately and fastly. It also provides numerous new possibilities for machining. In 4-axis CNC machining, there is no re-indexing and remounting, which was a major issue in 3-axis CNC machining. This issue is due to the rotatory table where the parts are usually mounted. The complex contours and curves can manufacture through this process due to the rotation of the workpiece during the machining. The spherical or cylindrical profiles can be created by turning the different parts.
What is a 5-axis CNC machining?
Definition
The 5-axis CNC machining is the most complicated form of the machining process compared to other machining methods. This machining process involves the manipulation of the workpiece on all five sides at a single time, and it allows the use of two of three rotational axes and the automatic movement of the three-axis, i.e., X, Y, and Z-axis.
In other words, you can say that 5-axis machining comprises all the axes of 4-axis machining with an additional rotational axis. The additional axis allows the manufacturing of more complicated parts with complex shapes. The 5-axis machining needed more preparation time for CNC programming for the more complex rotatory movement.
How many axis 5-axis machines have?
The 5-axis machines, as the name show, consist of 5-axis. It consists of all the axis of the 4-axis CNC machine along with an added 5th rotational axis. All the rotational axes, i.e., A, B, and C, rotate at an angle of 180 around the X, Y, and Z axes. The additional 5th axis varies in different 5-axis CNC machines, and The A-axis moves around the x-axis, B-axis around the y-axis, and C-axis around the z-axis. The machine may offer XYZBC, XYZAB, or XYZAC configuration. But, most commonly, the configuration offered by the 5-axis machine is XYZAB. The workpiece usually shows movement along two additional axes during the machining process. The 5-axis helps in the fast operation time of the process. So you can choose 5-axis machining for your project if you need fast and intricate shapes and designs for your machined parts.
Why is a 5-axis CNC machine suitable for your application?
The 5-axis CNC machine is suitable for the application because of its greater efficiency. It helps produce more accurate parts with reduced setup and shorter cycle times. Due to the reduced set-up, the production time also decreases, which results in a short lead time. The 5-axis CNC machine enhances the accuracy of the machined parts due to its 5-axis.
The shorter tools can use in the 5-axis. Thus, it reduces the chatter and improves the surface finish of the parts. It also helps maximize the angles for the cutting tools and support cutting tools with short length. The shortcutting tools help avoid the vibrations of the tool. It allows the fast removal of material during the machining time.
Uses and the benefits of the 5-axis CNC machining
Similar to the 3-axis and 4-axis CNC machining, the 5-axis CNC machining offers numerous uses and benefits.
Uses of 5-axis CNC machining
The main uses of the 5-axis CNC machining are as follows.
- The 5-axis machines show faster turnarounds, thus helping the fast machining process.
- It is used for fewer operation interactions.
- It efficiently helps in the machining of complex features and geometries.
- A 5-axis CNC machining process is used for the manufacturing of intricate parts.
- It is used for the manufacturing of parts with higher accuracy.
Benefits of the 5-axis CNC machining
The 5-axis CNC machining offers the following benefits.
- The main benefit of 5-axis CNC machining is its single setup. Complex shapes can be machined in a single set-up using 5-axis CNC machining.
- It helps reduce cost, save time, prevent operator errors, and improve efficiency.
- It is an accurate process for drilling many holes in less time.
- This process requires lower cost and lower cycle time because of the faster removal of material during the machining process.
- The 5-axis machining process uses shorter cutters that extend the tool life and provide a better surface finish to the machined parts.
What is the difference between 3-axis, and 4-axis, and 5-axis CNC machining?
The main difference between the 3-axis, 4-axis, and 5-axis machining is the machines with different axis numbers. In 3-axis machining, a 3-axis machine is used with 3 axis. Similarly, in 4-axis machining, a 4-axis machine is used with 4-axis, and in 5-axis machining, the 5-axis machine is used with the 5-axis. The accuracy of the machining process increases with an increase in the number of axis.
Moreover, the complexity of parts also increases with an axis, which means that the 5-axis machining process is used for the manufacturing of more complex parts as compared to 3-axis and 4-axis CNC machining.
Benefits of each method by comparing other methods the uses and working, moving of axes and their shapes
The 3-axis machining is cheaper than the 4-axis and 5-axis CNC machining due to the cheaper 3-axis machines. The 3-axis machines come with 3-axis X, Y, and Z-axis that can create many projects. Moreover, you can easily buy 3-axis machines from an authentic resource.
The 4-axis CNC machining produces the parts much more accurately than the 3-axis CNC machining. This process also offers greater flexibility due to the presence of the 4-axis. The main benefit of the 4-axis CNC machining is that it produces more complex parts than the 3-axis CNC machining. It is the best machining process for those who want to produce complex parts at an affordable cost, but it is more expensive than 3-axis CNC machining.
The 5-axis CNC machining is the most advanced machining process than 3-axis and 4-axis machining with 5-axis. The entire axis move simultaneously and produce much more complex parts than other machining processes.
Compare similarities of 3-axis, 4-axis, and 5-axis CNC machining
The products produced by the 3-axis CNC machining are similar to those produced with the 4-axis and the 5-axis CNC machining but with less complexity. The working of the 4-axis and 3-axis CNC machining is similar. In both machining processes, the removal of material is done by the cutting tools to create the desirable parts. Both have the same X, Y, and Z-axis, but the 4-axis has an additional A-axis. The 5-axis CNC machining also shares the same axis X, Y, and Z-axis with 3-axis and 4-axis machining with an additional rotational axis.
Compare the differences between 3-axis, 4-axis, and 5-axis CNC machining.
The main difference is the number of axes. The 3-axis machining uses the 3-axis machines with 3-axis, the 4-axis machining uses 4-axis machines with 4-axis while the 5-axis machining uses 5-axis machine having 5-axis. These all axis moves in different directions. The 3-axis CNC machines show side to side and up and down movement. The 4-axis CNC router is composed of one rotational axis, while the 5-axis CNC router is composed of two rotational axis. The accuracy of the machining process increases with the increase of the number of axis.
Thus the 4-axis machining process is more accurate than the 3-axis machining. Similarly, the greater number of the 5-axis CXNC machining is more accurate than the 4-axis CNC machining.
The complexity of created parts is also one of the main differences between these machining processes. The 4-axis CNC machining produces more complex parts than the 3-axis CNC machining. On the other hand, the parts created by the 5-axis CNC machining are much more complex than the 4-axis machining. The 3-axis is the cheapest machining process, while 5-axis CNC machining is expensive compared to the 3-axis and 4-axis machining due to the production of complex parts and more axis.
Conclusion
CNC machining removes material from parts and includes 3-axis, 4-axis, and 5-axis CNC machining. The 3-axis CNC machining uses 3-axis machines that move in 3-axis. It is used for drilling holes, automatic interaction, cutting sharp edges, and milling slots. The 4-axis CNC machining uses 4-axis machines having 4 axis, and an additional A-axis increases the flexibility and the efficiency of the machining process. The cylindrical or curved parts and intermittent cutting can be completed through this machining. The 5-axis CNC machining uses 5-axis machines to provide flexible, efficient, and accurate machining, and the complex parts can produce by using the 5-axis CNC machining with higher accuracy.
The 4-axis and 5-axis machining show high accuracy and efficiency and much more complex machining operations than the 3-axis CNC machining because of the greater number of axis and movements. The parts created by the 4-axis CNC machining are more complex than parts produced by 3-axis CNC machining, while parts created by 5-axis CNC machining are more complex and detailed than the other two machining processes. The 3-axis machine is cheaper than the 4-axis and 5-axis machine, while the 5-axis machine is more expensive than the other two machining methods and is mainly used in industrial settings.
By getting all the information mentioned above, you can make a good decision for your business and choose one of the suitable methods for your project. Contact a CNC machining supplier to get more information.
