Getting more out of CNC technology

Nesting refers to a process for machining various sheet-like materials such as wood, metal, sheet metal, or even fabrics. The aim of nesting is to optimize the arrangement of the parts to be cut in order to minimize waste. This saves valuable raw materials and expensive machining time and optimizes wear to reduce costs. In transforming, on the other hand, a source operation is aligned with a fixed offset on the workpiece without the workpiece being rotated freely on the raw part.

Engraving is the cutting of ornaments, lettering, and decorations. When skillfully applied to wood, this technique produces sharp inner corners, which would not be possible with machine processing using a rotating tool. However, the basic prerequisite for this is that the component must have a bevel in the milling depth. Engravings can also be milled into curved free-form surfaces.

Engravings are incisions of ornaments, lettering, and decorations. When skillfully applied to wood, this technique produces sharp inner corners, which would not be possible with machine processing using a rotating tool. However, the basic prerequisite for this is that the component must have a bevel in the milling depth. Engravings can also be milled into curved free-form surfaces.

A relief is an artistic representation that stands out plastically from the background, usually from a surface or a body. As an art form, relief stands between sculpture and painting. 

Vinework has often been used as an ornament in all cultures and throughout history: from foliage such as the ancient volutes in combination with palmettes and lotus ornaments, vine tendrils and fleurons, arabesques and Moorish patterns, baroque rocaille, to tendrils, which were fashionable in Art Nouveau. Tendrils are interesting both in terms of art history and heraldry. 

An ornament (from Latin ornare, “to decorate, adorn, arrange, equip”) is a mostly repetitive, often abstract or abstracted pattern with a symbolic function in itself.

Digital terrain models do not necessarily have to remain digital. Visualize your environment in a tangible form. Whether for simulating floods, urban planning, or even three-dimensional screens. Global 3D surveying has long since begun. You can obtain digital data from your local surveying office or at https://www.ldbv.bayern.de.

2D milling refers to the milling of an outline without any further component features. The nesting process is also generally included here.

If the height of the milling cutter changes during milling, this is referred to as 2.5D milling. Reasons for a change in height may include a necessary change in depth along a contour. In ridge milling, for example, the tool is raised at regular intervals so that the workpiece can be broken out of the plate after milling, as in a model kit. The entry and exit points of milling tools are also often adjusted to depth using a helix or ramp.

In 3D milling, a free form is usually cut away until the desired shape is milled out. 3D milling usually requires a preliminary roughing operation as a 2D tool path.

Theoretically, there is no such thing as four-axis milling, as a fourth axis always requires a fifth axis. However, there are quite a few cases where only four axes move and the C or A axis is used as a fixed axis. In this case, we refer to 4-axis milling.

If all axes move or change during a machining operation while the tool is in the material, this is referred to as 5-axis machining. This is much more complex to program than the processes described above. 5-axis simultaneous machining is often used for gradually changing angles (due to the component or collisions).

Fluting (Latin canna = tube; French cannelure = groove, furrow, channel) is the carving of concave grooves into an object, usually a column, pillar or pilaster. It is mostly found in ancient architecture and architecture inspired by ancient traditions in the form of vertical grooves. It has also been adopted as a decorative motif in furniture making and handicrafts. Fluting serves to visually structure the shaft, emphasise the upward movement of the column and conceal the horizontal joints between the individual column drums to give the shaft a monolithic appearance. It has no structural function. In addition to linear fluting, we are also able to produce twisted fluting over longer axial lengths, as, unlike a tailstock technique, the cutting tool moves around the workpiece, preventing it from fluttering.

Whether internal or external threads, left-hand or right-hand threads, fine threads, M threads or G threads. Provided that the thread milling is not in the mini range, we will be happy to mill your thread. In wood, in POM or even as a metal-free bed connector in a Swiss stone pine bed!

Producing heavy profiles with standard cutter sets on a table router is tedious and dangerous. Free yourself from predefined profile cutters and become your own profile designer. This is particularly useful in monument restoration. It also makes no difference whether you are milling bar stock or pre-bent profiles including mitres and connectors.

Large convex/concave free-form surfaces can already be pre-ground to a considerable extent using machines.

The following job showed that a saw blade does not always have to be used for cutting. The base for a work of art was created using only a saw blade.

This rather amateurish method does not allow for different line thicknesses. The text is milled into the material at a defined depth. In addition, the line ends are inevitably rounded (due to the rotating milling tool), which may distort the corporate identity.

As described under ‘Engraving’, the text can vary in terms of line thickness and is always milled to the same depth using a V-cutter until the line thickness at the upper edge of the workpiece is reached. The engraving effect automatically creates sharp inner corners. This means that the letters are not ‘distorted’ by the cutter radius. Engraving can also be carried out in a ‘raised’ manner. 

Individual letters can also be cut out. Either as decoration or to reposition these individual characters. For this purpose, corresponding holes can be drilled on the back of the characters so that the letters can be repositioned perfectly using the drilling template provided. Disadvantage: sharp inner corners require manual reworking.

Signs can also be milled out of a plate so that they can be backlit, for example. A disadvantage of this method that should not be underestimated is the fact that there are quite a few letters that contain islands, such as Aa-Bb-Dd-g-Oo-Pp-Qq-R-4-6-8-9-0. The islands created by these characters can be held in place either by means of retaining bars that are not completely milled through or by means of other material at the base. Otherwise, the islands would be missing and the characters would be distorted in an unprofessional manner. Likewise, sharp inner corners are not possible with this method and it is therefore only recommended for larger characters.

Whether milling blocks made of plastic or foam, mother-of-pearl panels or Corean, root grain or reclaimed wood, paper blocks, Plexiglas or MDF: we mill EVERYTHING as long as the machining process is similar to woodworking!  See for yourself!