Ron Maillet, General Manager of SyBridge Technologies in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, is an injection molding expert who started as an apprentice nearly forty years ago in Fitchburg, Leominster, Clinton, and surrounding areas. 

For the past twenty-four years, Maillet has been working in the same building, in many roles and increasing responsibilities, and even through ownership changes. Now in the leadership role at SyBridge Technologies-Fitchburg, he helps oversee a well-established apprenticeship program with students from Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School (“Monty Tech”) to learn the art, science, and craft of mold-making. 

“It’s fitting that this area would be home to a thriving apprenticeship program in plastics and mold-making,” said Maillet. “One hundred years ago, Foster Manufacturing – famous for Foster Grant glasses – pioneered plastics and injection molding five miles away in Leominster,” said Maillet. The industry has had a presence here ever since.  

SyBridge Technologies in Fitchburg has partnered with Monty Tech for seven years, bringing students into apprenticeship programs and then on into full employment. All the students that have started as apprentices under Maillet are either still in apprenticeship or are now employed by SyBridge, a testament to the staying power of the training and the industry. 

Kim Curry, Coordinator of Co-operative Education and Placement for Monty Tech, explained the breadth of the apprenticeship program. Monty Tech serves 18 cities and towns in the area and offers 21 vocational programs, including “Advanced Manufacturing.”  For a student to be considered for the co-operative education program, the student must be a junior, maintain grades of 75 or better, and be free of any discipline issues. The co-operative education program has seen a steady growth in interest from students since 2018. 

“It’s been a great partnership between SyBridge and Monty Tech,” said Curry. “When I do site visits there, I see my former students in mentorship and supervisor roles—and it is such a delight!” 

First comes the blueprint 

Every SyBridge apprentice starts in the same way Maillet began: reading a blueprint. From the blueprint, they sort out the cuts and angles, note the dimensions and tolerances, and then schedule the order of each process. The apprentice then moves to a manual milling machine, where they install the tools, calculate cutting speeds, and make their first test cuts.  

“I started reading blueprints,” said Jake Rickan, a 2023 graduate from Monty Tech who recently signed on as an employee of SyBridge. Rickan became interested in tool design and machine tech during his exploratory section in school, where he learned about different functional areas. He had been tinkering with after-market car parts, which involved machining, and the work of the apprenticeship program “caught his eye.” 

“I had always been infatuated with machining,” said Jake. His parents were both educators, but for Jake, machine technology and the finished, machined piece of steel has its own appeal. “It’s very cool to see the finished piece and be like, ‘Hey, I’m the one who did that,’” said Rickan. 

Step by step through the apprenticeship 

“Once they show us they’ve [mastered a particular skill], then we move them on to the next stage,” said Maillet, “For instance, after showing they can run the manual machines, we move them to milling equipment with numerical controls. Then they start programming with computers; using 3D files created by our engineers, they start actually cutting steel.” Eventually, they get to the 16-tool changer and the higher-end work. And then on to another department. 

Along the way, apprentices meet with both the experienced staff at SyBridge and with Monty Tech faculty to review expectations. Each step of advancement through the apprenticeship comes only after demonstrating the ability to perform previous steps.  

“Students record each of the skills they learn every day,” said Maillet. Those records become a valuable reference document throughout their journeys as apprentices, and as they move into full-time employment. 

The Monty Tech/SyBridge apprenticeship program enrolls one student per year. The program alternates weeks students spend attending school and working at SyBridge, so skills can be reinforced in both the apprenticeship program and classes. 

“It’s cool to be able to come to the workplace and say, ‘Oh, what they’re teaching us [at school] is actually very useful,’” said Rickan.  

Learning outside the lecture hall 

One of the highlights of the apprenticeship program is that former students pass on the skills and habits they have learned to newer students. Students share the tacit knowledge they pick up from experienced mold-makers and machinists, like securing workpieces, locating the zero point (starting position) on the workpiece, and keeping their work area very clean. This is especially important for the precision work that SyBridge is known for; starting with a clean mill ensures debris from previous jobs will not alter tolerances for the next job. 

“We have a very strong emphasis on making sure the part [in process] falls within certain tolerances,” said Rickan. In addition to setting up the workspace properly and having the specialized equipment required for precise tolerances, “we need to know how to get the part within those tolerances.” 

Toward expertise that invents tomorrow’s tooling  

Maillet likes to say that while most people divide an inch into quarters, eighths, and sixteenths, he and the highly specialized journeymen machinists at SyBridge divide an inch into 10,000 sections.  Here, tools are regularly manufactured with .0002” tolerances (as compared to a standard sheet of printer paper which is about 20 times thicker at .004”). Observing and maintaining tolerances is critical to any machined part moving forward. That ability to work with very tight tolerances is an uncommon one; it’s also why the new apprentice enters the program only after being vetted by Monty Tech staff and instructors. Throughout their program, class subjects dovetail with real-world experience at SyBridge to reinforce skills that will prove useful over a lifetime.  

Training students with experienced machinists has proven to be very productive for Maillet. Maillet noted that when he ran an ad for an experienced machinist, “90% of people don’t even know what a machinist is.” Meanwhile, Monty Tech (which is half a mile from SyBridge) has 25 potential students who are already interested and poised to learn new machinist skills. The bottom line is that Maillet can train and then hire experienced workers right into his shop —resulting in a scenario that benefits the students and the company.  

“As an industry, we are actually in a time of rebuilding our skills here in the US,” said Maillet. “Tooling and mold-making were strong in the 1980s and 1990s, but then moved offshore for a lot of years.” After COVID-19 and the renewed focus on supply chain management, Maillet noted that interest in skilled mold and tool making had surged.  

Rebuilding the craft of injection mold tooling means students remain in the community, earn a good salary, and help advance the art and science of mold-making. 

The post Apprenticeship Program Serves Students and the Tooling Community appeared first on SyBridge Technologies.

–Leverages Proprietary Artificial Intelligence (AI) Algorithms–

ITASCA, Ill., June 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — SyBridge Technologies, a global leader in design and manufacturing solutions, today announced the launch of SyBridge Studio, a state-of-the-art manufacturing insights application, now available on the PTC Onshape® App Store.

This advanced tool integrates a comprehensive suite of design for manufacturability (DFM) features, drawing upon SyBridge’s extensive expertise in injection mold tooling and production-grade additive manufacturing. Leveraging state-of-the-art logic and data-driven artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms built on a vast database of manufactured parts and tools, the application provides users with unparalleled insights to optimize designs early, assess production tradeoffs, and achieve superior results in cost, speed, and quality.

SyBridge is a portfolio company of Crestview Partners, a leading private equity firm with approximately $10 billion of aggregate capital commitments.

SyBridge’s new application integrates directly into Onshape, the industry’s foremost cloud-native CAD software, providing a powerful extension to the existing toolset available to Onshape users. The app’s user-friendly interface and robust features offer a significant enhancement to the design process, enabling engineers to produce high-quality, manufacturable designs efficiently.

Key Features of the SyBridge Studio include:

• Automated Design for Manufacturability (DFM) Checks: Quickly understand manufacturing issues and how to mitigate them with 80+ Design for Manufacturability (DFM) checks across manufacturing processes: injection molding, CNC machining, and multiple 3D printing technologies.
• Injection Mold Action & Insert Identification: Visualize parting directions and automatically identify various common tooling actions like slides, pins, inserts, lifters, bosses, and strippers.
• Part Thickness Analysis: Visualize material distribution with a full-field colored heatmap on your part CAD to easily identify thin, thick, or non-uniform walls that could cause manufacturing quality issues like warpage or sink marks.

In addition to these powerful features, SyBridge is actively developing future enhancements to the application’s capabilities with a comprehensive roadmap including cost insights and analysis tools, a material recommendation engine, and the ability to purchase parts directly from Onshape via SyBridge On-Demand.

“Going from an industrial design to physical parts is a time consuming processes, typically requiring multiple iterations between different technical domains. With the launch of SyBride Studio, we are excited to provide designers and engineers with a tool that not only makes this process easier and more efficient, but works directly in their CAD environment,” said Byron J. Paul, CEO of SyBridge Technologies. “Our application’s integration with Onshape underscores our commitment to delivering innovative solutions that seamlessly integrate into our customers’ existing workflows to help simplify and accelerate the design and manufacturing process.”

“We are thrilled to welcome this app to the Onshape App Store,” said Jon Hirschtick, Co-Founder and Chief Evangelist of Onshape. “This app provides our users with invaluable tools to get feedback as they are designing, ultimately helping them to achieve their business goals more effectively.”

Onshape users can easily access and install the new application directly from the Onshape App Store, enabling them to quickly take advantage of its powerful features. For more information about SyBridge Studio and to download it, please visit the Onshape App Store.

About SyBridge Technologies

SyBridge Technologies is the global leader in technology-enabled design, prototyping and manufacturing solutions for complex, high-precision parts. Its mission is to use technology to simplify and accelerate how parts are designed and manufactured. SyBridge is one of North America’s largest injection molding tooling platforms and the largest private on-demand digital manufacturer. Our AI/ML technology platform is supported by an industry-leading team of software engineers, computational geometry experts and data scientists.  SyBridge Technologies is backed by Crestview Partners and comprises 15 acquisitions that bring together different products, services, and technologies into a unified technology-enabled platform. SyBridge is headquartered in Itasca, Illinois and operates through 18 locations across North America, Europe, and Asia. For more information, please visit www.SyBridge.com.

About PTC (NASDAQ: PTC)

PTC (NASDAQ: PTC) is a global software company that enables industrial and manufacturing companies to digitally transform how they engineer, manufacture, and service the physical products that the world relies on. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, PTC employs over 7,000 people and supports more than 25,000 customers globally. For more information, please visit www.ptc.com.
PTC.com            @PTC            Blogs

PTC, Onshape, and the PTC logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of PTC Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.

SyBridge Media Contact:
Jeffrey Taufield or Jennings Brooks
Kekst CNC
(212) 521-4800
jeffrey.taufield@kekstcnc.com / jennings.brooks@kekstcnc.com

PTC Media Contact:
Greg Payne
Corporate Communications
gpayne@ptc.com

The post SyBridge Technologies Launches SyBridge Studio, an Innovative Application, on the PTC Onshape App Store appeared first on SyBridge Technologies.

Designing a product is just the beginning. The real challenge lies in ensuring your design is manufacturable, cost-effective, and meets your quality standards. Waiting for design feedback, navigating last-minute design changes, and dealing with manufacturing issues can make this journey feel like an uphill battle. But there’s a solution to make this process smoother and more efficient. 

We’re excited to introduce the SyBridge Studio App, a powerful new tool now available in the Onshape App Store. Developed by leading global manufacturer SyBridge Technologies, the app brings the existing features of SyBridge Studio directly into Onshape. Leveraging insights from millions of parts and tools made combined with the power of artificial intelligence, it codifies a century of manufacturing knowledge to provide you with expert guidance at your fingertips. Easily confirm manufacturability, understand trade-offs, and optimize your design, all while meeting your goals for cost, speed, and quality. 

Manufacturing insights at your fingertips 

After subscribing to the app, you’ll instantly get access to the following features: 

Automated Design Feedback – Quickly find ways to improve part design and reduce costs with manufacturing recommendations. Get feedback on draft angles, non-standard holes, supported surfaces, surface imperfections, and more. Understand how to mitigate potential manufacturing risks with a collective 80+ Design for Manufacturability (DFM) checks available across six manufacturing processes: injection molding, CNC machining, and four 3D printing processes (DLS, FDM, MJF and SLA). 

Injection Mold Action & Insert Identification – See where your tooling requires actions such as slides, pins, inserts, lifters, bosses, or strippers. Use this to make informed design modifications that minimize witness marks and enhance the aesthetic quality of your part. Identify opportunities to reduce tooling complexity and costs, streamlining the manufacturing process and improving overall efficiency. 

Part Thickness Analysis – Visualize the material distribution in your part with a full-field colored heatmap to easily identify thin or thick wall issues. Maintaining consistent wall thickness ensures uniform cooling, minimizes warping, and enhances part strength, durability, and aesthetic quality. Use this analysis to make informed design modifications that improve part quality and reduce costs by normalizing wall thickness throughout your design, resulting in a more efficient and effective manufacturing process. 

More features in an expanded view – SyBridge Studio’s Onshape extension currently houses the most important features, but even more are available on the SyBridge Digital Platform, including instant quoting, parts ordering, and additional analysis tools. Log in here using the same email used to sign in to the SyBridge Studio Onshape app to continue working in a more immersive, full-screen view. 

And more coming soon

More advanced features to help you design more effectively and bridge the gaps between design and manufacturing are on the way, including: 

Instant pricing and cost insights – Receive estimated part and tool pricing at various quantities, access cost-saving design recommendations, understand cost breakdowns, and view other key cost drivers (e.g., cycle time) for 6 manufacturing processes. 

Purchase parts – Easily place an order for your part when you’re ready to check out, directly inside Onshape.  

Recommended and customizable manufacturing orientation – Use our recommended manufacturing direction or adjust it based on aesthetic requirements. Easily visualize and understand the impact on design recommendations and tooling requirements. 

Injection molding tool visualization – View a mock-up of the mold core and cavity to get a sneak peek at how your tool will be made. 

Additional insights – Intelligent systems meet intelligent design. Stay tuned for more insights coming your way: material insights, more advanced DFM checks, and additional injection molding guidance. 

Assembly support – The SyBridge Studio app currently analyzes individual components that you select. Next up is support for full BOMs/assemblies. 

Elevate your design process today 

The SyBridge Studio App is here to change the way you approach design and manufacturing. By integrating advanced manufacturability analysis and optimization tools directly into your Onshape workflow, this app aims to help you overcome common challenges and achieve your design goals more efficiently. 

Ready to take your design process to the next level? Head to the Onshape App Store and subscribe to the app today to experience firsthand how this powerful tool can transform your workflow and bring your designs to life with greater ease and precision. 

The post AI-Powered DFM Analysis by SyBridge, Now Available in the Onshape App Store  appeared first on SyBridge Technologies.

In this downloadable guide, we’ve compiled eight common DFM considerations that should remain top-of-mind when designing parts for CNC machining. You can save significant time and cost by checking your design against this list before submitting it for manufacturing.

Top 8 Design for Manufacturing Considerations for CNC Machining

1. Are there any deep pockets in the design?

Deep-narrow pockets or slots must be machined by longer tools, and longer tools are more prone to breakage, and can also cause chatter, or machine vibrations. Additionally, it takes several passes to machine a deep pocket, which drives up machining time and manufacturing costs.

Avoid designing parts with deep pockets whenever possible. If a deep pocket cannot be avoided, engineers and designers should decrease its depth as much as possible or increase the cross-section area of the pocket. As a rule, pocket depth shouldn’t exceed 3x the diameter of the tool being used to make it. For example, pockets should be no deeper than 1.5” when using a 0.5” cutter.  Engineers may have to adjust this figure based on the material they are using and the tools that are available to them.

2. Are there any narrow regions?

Narrow regions are difficult to manufacture because the size of the cutter is restricted by the smallest distance between the various faces of the feature. Long and small diameter cutters are prone to breakage and chatter.

Avoid designing features or faces that are too narrow for a cutter to easily pass through. If narrow regions cannot be avoided, however, they must not be too deep. Remember that the depth of any feature should be less than 3x the diameter of the tool.  As a best practice, wall sections should be greater than 0.01 inches thick. A shorter cutter with a larger diameter can also be employed to reduce chatter.

3. Are there any sharp internal corners?

Since all CNC drill bits are circular, it’s difficult to achieve sharp internal corners. Instead, the drill bit will leave behind a pocket of unmachined space called an internal corner radius. It’s possible to machine sharp internal corners using workarounds, like electrical discharge machining, but these methods tend to be expensive.

Avoid sharp inside corners whenever possible. Ideally, a corner radius needs to be slightly larger than the cutter. If a corner radius is the same diameter as the cutter being used to form it, it can cause chatter and premature tool wear.

Increasing the corner radii beyond the standard value by as little as 0.005” can give the tool enough room to move around and follow a more circular path.

4. Are there any inaccessible features?

Inaccessible features like counterbores that open inside another pocket or pockets with negative drafts take longer to machine— if they’re even possible — because the cutting tool cannot easily access them, which in turn drives up costs.

You should ensure a cutting tool has full access to all features within a part without being blocked by another feature.

5. Are there any outside fillets?

Outside fillets, or fillets on the top edges of pockets, bosses, and slots, require an exceptionally sharp cutter and a precise setup. Both of these requirements can be prohibitively expensive for some product teams. To avoid incurring these costs, bevel or chamfer — rather than fillet — the outside edges of features.

6. Are the part’s walls too thin?

When it comes to CNC machining with metal, thin walls increase chatter, which can compromise the accuracy of the machining process and the surface finish of the part. With plastics, thin walls can cause warping and softening. As such, you should do your best to avoid designing parts with thin walls.

The ideal minimum wall thickness for metals is 0.8 mm for metals and 1.5 mm for plastics. You may be able to achieve thinner sections without significant risk, but this needs to be assessed on a case by case basis.

7. Are there any flat-bottomed holes?

Flat-bottomed holes require advanced machining operations and often cause problems down the line for subsequent operations like reaming. Avoid creating blind holes with a flat bottom — especially small holes — and instead use a standard twist drill to create holes with cone-shaped bottoms. Cone angles are commonly 118° or 135°.

8. Can the CNC machine’s drills enter and exit easily?

A drill tip will wander when it comes into contact with the material’s surface if that surface isn’t perpendicular to the drill axis. Also, uneven exit burrs around the exit hole will make removing the burr difficult. To ease entry and exit, avoid designing hole features with start and end faces that are not perpendicular to the drill’s axis.

Recap of All 8 Design Considerations for CNC Machining

1. Avoid designing parts with deep pockets whenever possible because deep-narrow pockets can drive up machining time and cost.
2. Avoid designing features or faces that are too narrow for a cutter to easily pass through to prevent tool breakage and chatter.
3. Radiused corners (middle) or “dog bones” (right) are good alternatives to sharp internal corners.
4. Ensure a cutting tool has full access to all features within a part without being blocked by another feature
5. Avoid outside fillets (shown left) and opt for chamfered edges (right) to save time and cost.
6. Avoid designing thin walls, as they’ll increase chatter in metals and cause warping or softening in plastics.
7. Avoid Flat-bottomed holes that can cause problems for subsequent operations like reaming.
8. Whenever possible, design hole features with start and end faces perpendicular to the drill’s access.

Get Started With a DFM Expert

Designing for manufacturability accelerates the CNC machining process, reduces operating costs, elevates energy efficiency, and helps product teams create clean, functional parts. Refer to this short checklist often to make sure your designs are on the right track, but an experienced manufacturing partner like SyBridge can offer more nuanced insights.

The SyBridge team can help engineers, designers, and product teams ensure they don’t miss the mark when it comes to DFM. We have access to the latest digital design technologies available so our partners can take their designs to the next level, while we provide expert advice on manufacturability and part quality. What’s more, our experts are prepared to assist customers with design and prototyping for a range of manufacturing methods — from CNC machining and injection molding to urethane casting and 3D printing. Let’s create something incredible. Contact us today.

The post The Ultimate CNC Design for Manufacturability (DFM) Checklist appeared first on SyBridge Technologies.

Acrylic, also known as plexiglass or polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), and polycarbonate are both lightweight, transparent plastics suitable for manufacturing parts via CNC machining. Acrylic is known for its strength and transparency, making it an excellent alternative to standard glass, whereas polycarbonate is incredibly tough and impact resistant, making it ideal for applications that require clarity as well as increased durability, such as safety glass.

While acrylic and polycarbonate are similar in many respects, there are some important differences between these two common materials that can make one better suited for a particular application over the other, or impact the machining process and thus lead time and cost. In this article, we’ll go over what you need to know about machining acrylic and polycarbonate so that you can select the best manufacturing option for your project and create designs that work with the material you choose.

Machining Acrylic and Polycarbonate: What You Need to Know

When it comes to machining acrylic, cast acrylic is often a better choice than extruded acrylic, as the latter is more likely to crack or chip during the machining process. This means that the toolpath strategies sometimes need careful selection to avoid chipping the part. Additionally, since acrylics aren’t very heat resistant, it’s necessary to use a sharp cutting tool in order to obtain a smooth surface finish. Acrylic’s low melting point means that it will also be necessary to use a lower cutting feedrate than other plastics during machining, since higher feedrates will generate more friction and heat, and potentially ruin your part. If necessary, acrylic may be kept in a freezer before machining to ensure that it remains as cool as possible.

With its toughness and impact resistance, polycarbonate is better for machining and is particularly well-suited to CNC milling. However, when machining polycarbonate, the sharpness of the cutting tool is still important, as polycarbonate sheets can melt if too much heat builds up during the machining process. Since polycarbonate is less likely to chip than acrylic, it tends to be easier to machine and allows for more standard toolpath strategies to be used. In addition, because there is a higher temperature working range, more aggressive strategies can be used with a smaller chance of causing issues, potentially saving time and money.

Applications for Acrylic and Polycarbonate

Both acrylic and polycarbonate are lightweight, machinable, and have unique characteristics that make them suitable for an array of applications across industries.

Acrylic is a popular material within the automotive, construction, and aerospace industries, and is often used for things like dry boxes, lenses, radiation shields, and desiccators. Additionally, its transparency, strength, and high impact resistance make it a great alternative to glass, and you can commonly find it used in greenhouses, aquariums, terrariums, security barriers, and more.

Like acrylic, polycarbonate is popular in the automotive, aerospace, and construction industries, but its resistance to heat and strong dimensional stability make it very popular in the medical industry, as polycarbonate parts can withstand limited autoclaves and irradiation sterilization. Among its more common applications, polycarbonate is often used for point-of-purchase retail displays, face shields, architectural features, clear manifolds, bulletproof windows, and much more.

Pros and Cons of Using Acrylic for Your Parts

Acrylic offers a range positive attributes, including:

• Transparency: Acrylic can allow up to 92% of light to pass through it, making it more transparent than some grades of glass and most other thermoplastics. It can also be colored without sacrificing its transparency, though it’s possible to manufacture more opaque acrylic parts, as well.
• Strength: Acrylic is much stronger and more impact resistant than glass. Most grades of acrylic are four to eight times stronger than glass.
• Environmental resistance: Acrylic is naturally resistant to scratches, weathering, and UV radiation, making it ideal for outdoor applications.
• Chemical resistance: Acrylic is resistant to many chemicals, including alkalis, detergents, cleaners, and dilute inorganic acids.
• Moisture absorption: Acrylic has low moisture absorption, which allows it to retain its dimensions when used in outdoor applications.
• Compatibility with coatings: Acrylic parts can be coated with anti-static, hard coat, or non-glare layers in order to improve their surface quality, extend their lifespan, and ensure they meet specific requirements.
• Affordability: Despite its strength, durability, and clarity, acrylic remains relatively inexpensive to manufacture and machine. For comparison, polycarbonate is about 35 – 40% more expensive.
• Color: Acrylic is available in a wide range of colors.

CNC machining acrylic is not without its disadvantages. As previously noted, acrylic is more susceptible to cracking and chipping than polycarbonate, and it’s slightly more difficult to machine, since it will lose structural integrity and begin melting at temperatures over 160°C. When designing acrylic parts for CNC machining, you’ll need to remember that relatively low melting point because it makes the material more susceptible to deformation during the manufacturing process. To avoid the risk of melting, and to achieve a quality surface finish, using a proper feed rate and pass depth is crucial. Similarly, to reduce chatter and achieve quality cuts, acrylic parts should be machined using tools with a short flute length and a cutting depth roughly half the diameter of the bit.

Your product’s intended use will also determine whether acrylic is the best option for your project. For example, acrylic’s extreme biocompatibility makes it a good option for bone implants, dentures, or other skin-contact applications; similarly, its resistance to weather, UV radiation, and scratching make it a good fit for parts which will be used outdoors. On the other hand, acrylic might not be the best choice for food containers that will be exposed to high temperature environments, such as dishwashers or microwaves, since acrylic parts will only maintain their dimensions up to 149°F (65°C), at which point they begin to soften. 

Pros and Cons of Using Polycarbonate for Your Parts

The positives of using polycarbonate include:

• Transparency: Polycarbonate is a naturally transparent thermoplastic that can transmit light just as effectively as glass, making it ideal for lenses, lighting, and bulletproof glass. Like acrylic, polycarbonate can be colored without sacrificing its transparency.
• Variety: There are several formulations of polycarbonate on the market, including glass-filled and FDA-compliant variants, so it’s likely that you’ll be able to find one that meets your project’s needs.
• Strength and impact resistance: Polycarbonate has a tensile strength around 200 times that of glass, and is highly resistant to impact. Accordingly, it’s often used in bullet-resistant glass and protective gear.
• Shrinkage and dimensional stability: Polycarbonate will maintain its dimensions under most conditions, and has a low shrink rate of 0.6 – 0.9%.
• Environmental resistance: Polycarbonate is naturally resistant to UV radiation and can withstand varying moisture levels and fluctuating temperatures, which makes it an excellent material for outdoor applications and eyewear.
• Chemical resistance: Polycarbonate is resistant to many chemicals, including diluted acids, oils, waxes, aliphatic hydrocarbons, alcohols, and greases.
• Moisture absorption: Polycarbonate has slightly lower moisture absorption compared to acrylic.
• Compatibility with coatings: Like acrylic, polycarbonate components can be coated with anti-static, hard coat, and non-glare layers. Polycarbonate is also compatible with UV and anti-fog layers.
• High machinability: Since it’s so durable and tolerant to heat, polycarbonate is easier to machine than acrylic.

While polycarbonate has many positive attributes, there are some disadvantages to using polycarbonate for a CNC machining project, including its high cost and its susceptibility to denting. Additionally, since polycarbonate scratches easily, it’s more likely to require finishing, which is complicated by the fact that only certain finishing processes, such as vapor polishing and coating, work with polycarbonate parts.

Additionally, it’s important to note that polycarbonate parts are also prone to developing sinks or voids in thicker sections. To prevent this, it’s best to break thicker elements down into smaller, thinner sections to be assembled later. It’s easy to remember this tip by keeping costs in mind — machining a thick part out of a single block of polycarbonate will typically be more expensive than working with smaller pieces due to the cost of the raw materials and the machining time.

Finishing Options for Acrylic and Polycarbonate

There are several finishing options available for acrylic and polycarbonate, including some that will help your parts look and feel ready for end-use applications and even improve clarity:

• As-machined finish: The standard and most economical finish, ‘as-machined’ or ‘as-milled’ means that no additional post-processing is applied to the part. As-machined parts have tight dimensional finishes and may represent a faster, more affordable manufacturing option. In some cases, as-machined parts may have small but visible surface tool marks, blemishes, or scratches.
• Bead blasting: An economical finish that creates a uniform appearance, bead blasting tends to leave a dull or satin finish and is effective for removing tool marks and surface blemishes.
• Vapor polishing: This finishing option uses solvent vapor to transform matte or opaque surfaces into smooth, high gloss, or optically clear surfaces. Vapor polishing is often used on parts where rough surfaces are unacceptable or where clarity is paramount. 

With sufficient care during the cutting process, machined surfaces of acrylic and polycarbonate parts will typically be translucent, but can become nearly opaque if the material melts. Should melting occur, it may be possible to address surface opacity with post-processing options such as vapor polishing. However, it’s worth noting that as-machined finishes for acrylic and polycarbonate parts will not be optically clear, although it may be possible to achieve optical clarity if diamond tooling is used, but this must be specifically requested during the quoting process, as it will significantly add to cost.

Bottom line: Comparing Acrylic and Polycarbonate for Machining

Special care should be taken with designs that include machined acrylic due to the increased likelihood of stress cracking. With this in mind, it’s advisable to use razor-sharp cutting tools to avoid melting the acrylic or causing cracking; diamond cutters yield the best surface finish, though carbide cutters are much more affordable. It will also be necessary to use a relatively fast feed rate to prevent the acrylic from melting, but remember that going too fast can cause extreme cutting pressure and breakage.

While polycarbonate is generally better suited to machining thanks to its rigidity, toughness, durability, and higher melting point, the trade-off is that polycarbonate is less transparent than acrylic. However, if you need to create specific-use parts, such as protective gear, fuse boxes, or large, tough components, transparency may not be an issue. On the other hand, if you’re designing a product for which transparency is a top priority, taking the extra effort to machine acrylic may be worth it.

Bringing Your Part Designs to Life with SyBridge

Selecting a suitable material for your manufacturing project can be the difference between success and failure. While we’ve explored the positives and negatives of acrylic and polycarbonate, it’s worth remembering that they’re not your only options. Numerous CNC machining materials may be compatible with your part’s design and intended application, and choosing the right one can be a complicated process. 

Fortunately, a manufacturing partner like SyBridge can reduce that complexity and address the challenges certain materials present. Beyond helping you decide whether acrylic, polycarbonate, or another material will work best for your part, our team can offer access to the tools and expertise you’ll need to ensure production runs as smoothly and cost-efficiently as possible. And getting your project started is simple: just create an account and upload your designs to get a quote for your parts instantly. Or, to learn more about how we can make your project possible, contact us today.

The post Key Differences for Acrylic and Polycarbonate Machining appeared first on SyBridge Technologies.

All post-processing increases part costs and production timelines, but the right surface finish has the potential to bring your design vision to life. Metal finishing for CNC machined parts typically encompasses a variety of mechanical processes, such as tumbling, brushing, and bead blasting, but metal parts may also be treated with chemical finishes such as passivation and zinc plating.

Amongst many useful results, chemical finishing can remove blemishes from a part, alter its conductivity levels, extend its lifespan, and even increase its resistance to wear and corrosion. Chemical finishes have an array of industrial applications: in the aerospace industry, for example, companies use chemical finishes to increase parts’ durability, improve thermal stability, and slow oxidation. In the consumer goods industry, chemical finishes can be found in the production of everything from enclosures and casings to sporting equipment.

While there are plenty of chemical finishes available, they aren’t necessarily interchangeable between materials. In fact, every chemical finish is typically compatible with specific materials and offers its own advantages and disadvantages. In this guide, we’ll explore several common chemical finishing processes so that you can decide which will work best for your CNC manufacturing project.

Choosing Your Chemical Finish

When choosing a chemical finish for your part, you’ll need to think about both compatible materials and end use. This means considering an array of contextual factors, including: 

• The environment your part will be used in
• Whether it requires conductive or insulating properties
• How much weight it will need to bear
• How much wear it will need to withstand
• Tolerance requirements
• Color and transparency requirements
• Surface finish standards
• Any other relevant or desired properties.

To help you evaluate your options, here are some common chemical finishes and their compatible materials:

Let’s take a closer look at these chemical processes, how they work, and how they might benefit your project. 

Anodizing

A popular aluminum finishing option, anodizing thickens the natural oxide layer on part surfaces, creating an anodic oxide film that confers increased protection and improved aesthetics. In the case of aluminum, to form the anodized protective layer, you’ll need to bathe your part in an acid electrolyte bath and then apply a cathode (a negatively charged electrode) to cause the solution to release hydrogen. At the same time, the aluminum part (the positively charged anode) will release oxygen, forming a protective oxide layer on its surface. After a part has been anodized, its surface will have microscopic pores which must be sealed with a chemical solution to prevent corrosion and any build up of contaminants. 

Anodized parts are durable and resistant to corrosion and abrasion, which can reduce maintenance costs down the line. The anodized layer is electrically non-conductive and is fully integrated with the aluminum substrate, so it won’t chip or flake away like plating and paint often do. In fact, in addition to sealing, the porous anodized layer can be painted or dyed, and since anodized finishes are non-toxic and chemically stable, they’re also more environmentally friendly. Anodizing isn’t just a finish for aluminum: the process is also possible for titanium and other non-ferrous metal parts. 

There are three different types of anodization:

• Type I (chromic acid anodizing) results in the thinnest oxide layer, which means it won’t change your part’s dimensions. Type I anodized elements will appear grayer in color and won’t absorb other colors well.
• Type II (boric-sulfuric acid anodizing) has better paint adhesion and is slightly thicker than Type I. With Type II anodizing, you can easily create anodized parts that are blue, red, gold, black, or green.
• Type III (hard sulfuric acid anodizing) is the most common form of anodizing. It has the clearest finish, which means it can be used with more colors. It’s worth noting that Type III anodizing results in a slightly thicker finish than Type II anodizing.

The increased durability, abrasion resistance, and corrosion resistance of anodized parts, and the high level of dimensional control that the process offers, makes anodizing particularly popular in aerospace and construction. Beyond those industries, anodized metal components are found in a wide variety of applications including curtain walls, escalators, laptops, and more.

Despite its broad applications, there are drawbacks to anodization:

• Anodizing metal will change the dimensions of your part, so you’ll need to consider the oxide layer when determining dimensional tolerances or use chemical or physical masks to ensure specific areas of your part remain untreated.
• It can be challenging to achieve a true color match if your anodized components aren’t treated in the same batch. Color fading may also occur.
• Anodizing a metal part will increase its electrical and thermal resistance. In some cases, this might be the intention, but in others, you may need to use a mask to ensure your part retains its full conductivity in certain sections.
• Anodizing will increase your part’s surface hardness.

Passivation

This popular metal finishing process prevents corrosion in stainless steel parts, helping them retain their cleanliness, performance, and appearance. Not only will passivated parts be far more resistant to rust, and thus better suited to use outdoors, they’ll also be less likely to pit, last longer, be more aesthetically pleasing, and more functional. Accordingly, passivation is used across a variety of industries, from the medical industry where sterilization and longevity are key, to the aerospace industry where businesses seek high steel quality and tight dimensional tolerances.

Passivation involves the application of nitric or citric acid to a part. While nitric acid has traditionally been the typical choice for passivation, citric acid has recently increased in popularity because it can produce shorter cycle times, and is safer and more environmentally friendly. During the passivation process, parts are submerged in an acid-based bath to remove any iron and rust from their surfaces without disturbing the chromium. The application of acid to stainless steel removes any free iron or iron compounds from its surface, leaving behind a layer composed of chromium (and sometimes nickel). After exposure to the air, these materials react with oxygen to form a protective oxide layer. 

It’s important to bear in mind that passivation can extend part production time. Before a part can be passivated, it must be cleaned to remove any greases, dirt, or other contaminants, and then rinsed and soaked (or sprayed). While submersion is the most common passivation method because it offers uniform coverage and can be completed quickly, an acidic spray may be used as an alternative. 

Black Oxide Coating

A finish for ferrous metals like steel, stainless steel, and copper, the black oxide coating process involves immersing parts in an oxide bath to form a layer of magnetite (Fe₃O₄), which offers mild corrosion resistance.

There are three types of black oxide coating:

• Hot black oxide: The hot black oxide coating process involves dipping a part into a hot bath of sodium hydroxide, nitrites, and nitrates in order to turn its surface into magnetite. After bathing, parts will need to be submerged in alkaline cleaner, water, and caustic soda, and then coated with oil or wax to achieve the desired aesthetic.
• Mid-temperature black oxide: Mid-temperature black oxide coating is very similar to hot black oxide coating. The main difference is that coated parts will blacken at a lower temperature (90 – 120 °C). Since this is below the boiling point of the sodium and nitrate solution, there’s less need to worry about caustic fumes.
• Cold black oxide: While hot and mid-temperature black oxide coating involves oxide conversion, cold black oxide relies on deposited copper selenium to alter a part. Cold black oxide is easier to apply but rubs off more quickly and provides less abrasion resistance.

Parts that have received black oxide coating will have greater corrosion and rust resistance, be less reflective, and will have much longer life cycles. The oil or wax coating will add water resistance and may also make your parts easier to clean by preventing harmful substances from reaching the metal interior. Black oxide coating will also add thickness, making it ideal for drills, screwdrivers, and other tools that require sharp edges that won’t dull over time.

Chem Film

Chem film, also known as chromate conversion coating, or by its brand name Alodine®, is a thin coating typically used on aluminum (although it can be applied to other metals) to prevent corrosion and improve adherence of adhesives and paints. Chem film finishes often have proprietary formulas, but chromium is the main component in every variety. A chem film finish can be applied via spraying, dipping, or brushing, and, depending on product and formula, may be yellow, tan, gold, or clear in color.

While other finishes reduce thermal and electrical conductivity, chem film finishing allows aluminum to maintain its conductive properties. Chem film is also relatively cheap and, as noted, provides a good base for painting and priming (for additional time-saving benefits). Since it’s prone to scratches, abrasion, and other superficial damage, however, chem film isn’t ideal for projects in which aesthetic appearance is a top priority.

Electropolishing

Electropolishing is an electrochemical finishing process commonly used to remove a thin layer of material from steel, stainless steel, and similar alloys. During the electropolishing process, a part is submerged in a chemical bath and an electric current is applied to dissolve its surface layer. Various parameters affect the part’s finish, including the chemical composition of the electrolyte solution, its temperature, and the part’s exposure time.

Electropolishing generally removes between 0.0002 and 0.0003 inches from an object’s surface, leaving smooth, shiny, and clean material behind. Other benefits of electropolishing include improved corrosion resistance, increased part longevity, improved fatigue strength, a lower coefficient of friction, reduced surface roughness, and the elimination of surface defects such as burrs and micro-cracks.

Electropolishing is compatible with steel, stainless steel, copper, titanium, aluminum, brass, bronze, beryllium, and more. It’s worth noting that electropolishing is faster and cheaper than manual polishing, though it still takes time and won’t remove 100% of rough surface defects. 

Electroplating

Electroplating is effectively the reverse of electropolishing. Instead of removing a layer of metal to achieve a finished surface, electroplating deposits an additional outer layer, increasing a part’s thickness. Compatible with cadmium, chrome, copper, gold, nickel, silver, and tin, electroplating creates smooth parts that experience less wear and tear over time thanks to their additional protection from corrosion, tarnishing, shock, and heat. Electroplating can increase adhesion between the base material and its additional outer coating, and, depending on the type of metal used, can make your part magnetic or conductive.

In contrast to other CNC machining finishes, electroplating isn’t particularly eco-friendly since it creates hazardous waste that can seriously pollute the environment if disposed of improperly. Electroplating is also relatively costly, as a result of the metals and chemicals (and other necessary materials and equipment) that it requires, and can be time-consuming, especially if a part requires multiple layers.

Chrome Plating

Chrome plating, or chromium plating, is a type of electroplating that involves adding a thin layer of chromium to a metal part to increase its surface hardness or resistance to corrosion. The addition of a chrome layer can make cleaning a part easier and improve its aesthetics, and nearly all metal parts can be chrome plated, including aluminum, stainless steel, and titanium.

The chrome plating process generally involves the degreasing, manual cleaning, and pretreatment of a part before it is placed in a chrome plating vat. The part must then stay in the vat long enough for the chrome layer to reach a desired thickness. Since the process consumes electricity, and involves multiple steps, chrome plating is a relatively expensive finishing process.

Polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon™) Coating

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) coating, commonly known as Teflon™, is available in powder and liquid forms, and is used across the industrial landscape. Some PTFE applications only require one coat, but others need both a primer and a topcoat to ensure maximum protection. The finish can be applied to a range of metals including steel, aluminum, and magnesium.

PTFE-coated parts have non-stick surfaces, a low coefficient of friction, and are highly resistant to abrasions. Since PTFE coating has low porosity and surface energy, coated parts will be resistant to water, oil, and chemicals. PTFE can also withstand temperatures up to 500°F, can be easily cleaned, and offers great electrical insulation and chemical resistance.

Due to its chemical resistance and non-stick properties, PTFE is often used to coat fuel pipes and to insulate circuit boards in computers, microwaves, smartphones, and air conditioners. It is also commonly used to coat medical tools and equipment, and cookware. Although it is popular across industries, the PTFE coating process is relatively expensive and isn’t as long-lasting as other chemical finishing options.

Electroless Nickel Plating

Electroless nickel plating refers to the addition of a protective layer of nickel-alloy to metal parts. In contrast to the electroplating process, which involves an electric current, electroless nickel plating involves the use of a nickel bath and a chemical reducing agent like sodium hypophosphite to deposit a layer of nickel-alloy (often nickel-phosphorus) onto parts. The nickel-alloy deposits uniformly, even on complex parts with holes and slots. 

Parts finished with nickel plating have increased resistance to corrosion from oxygen, carbon dioxide, salt water, and hydrogen sulfide. Nickel-plated parts also have good hardness and wear resistance and, with additional heat treatment, can become even harder. Electroless nickel plating is compatible with a variety of metals, including aluminum, steel, and stainless steel. 

Electroless nickel playing has its challenges. Common problems include the build up of contaminants in nickel baths, rising phosphorus content, and subsequent reductions in plating rates. Additionally, the wrong temperature or pH level can create coating quality issues like pitting, dullness, and roughness. Electroless nickel plating isn’t suitable for rough, uneven, or poorly machined surfaces, and parts will need to be cleaned of soaps, oils, and dirt before the plating process can begin.

Different types of electroless nickel plating coatings are categorized by the percentage of phosphorus in the alloy by weight. Different levels of phosphorus content also offer different levels of corrosion resistance and hardness:

• Low phosphorus nickel (2 – 4% phosphorus): Low phosphorus electroless nickel has an as-plated hardness between 58 and 62 Rc, and is highly resistant to wear. It has a high melting point and good corrosion resistance when exposed to alkaline conditions. Low phosphorus electroless nickel deposits are compressively stressed and are usually more expensive than medium and high phosphorus nickel.
• Medium phosphorus nickel (5 – 9% phosphorus): Medium phosphorus nickel plating offers a middle ground between low and high phosphorus nickel. It is resistant to corrosion in alkaline and acidic environments and has a fast deposition rate (18 to 25 µm per hour). The as-plated hardness of medium phosphorus nickel can be anywhere between 45 and 57 Rc, and the plating can be heat treated to reach 65 to 70 Rc.
• High phosphorus nickel (>10% phosphorus): Since high phosphorus deposits of electroless nickel plating are amorphous, parts won’t end up with phase boundaries or grain, increasing their corrosion resistance and making them ideal for use outdoors or in extreme environments. High phosphorus electroless nickel plating also offers ductility, high thickness, and stain resistance, and will make it easier to polish or solder your final product.

Zinc Plating

Zinc plating, or zinc chromate, is a popular chemical finish that protects steel parts from moisture and corrosion. Zinc-plated products have increased longevity, improved aesthetic appeal, and a more uniform appearance. Zinc plating can also alter a part’s color to silver-blue, yellow, black, or green. Another significant benefit of zinc plating is its potential to protect a part’s surface for years: even if the coating becomes scratched, the zinc will react to the atmosphere and quickly oxidize. Since zinc is chemically susceptible to acids and alkalis, however, zinc plating may not be sufficient for parts destined for wet or extremely humid environments.

There are a few different types of zinc plating. Electro-galvanization requires an electrical current to coat the part in a thin layer of zinc, whereas hot-dip galvanization requires parts to be submerged in a hot zinc bath. Electro-galvanization is the cheaper process, but hot-dip galvanization is better for parts that will be used in aggressive environments or that will experience a lot of wear.

Following the zinc plating process, parts can undergo a secondary procedure for increased protection and improved performance. The ASTM B633 standard, the most widely used standard for zinc plating, includes four types of zinc plating:

• Type I: Type I has no supplementary treatment.
• Type II: Type II involves a colored chromate treatment.
• Type III: Type III uses a colorless chromate treatment.
• Type IV: Type IV uses a phosphate conversion treatment.

Achieving Quality Finishes With SyBridge

Chemical finishing offers numerous ways to achieve the surface quality and performance levels that you need for your part, but not every finishing process will be suitable for every material and end-use. To determine which chemical finish is right for your part, you’ll need to have a strong understanding of critical factors, such as how much corrosion, friction, and wear resistance your final part needs, the environment in which it will be used, and its required conductive or insulative properties. 

Given the importance of those considerations, it’s worth finding a manufacturing partner to help you select a suitable finish, and ensure that it offers the best quality and cost efficiency possible. At SyBridge, our expert team of designers and engineers can offer insight not just into the chemical finishing process, but material selection, tooling, and suitable CNC technologies. If you want to know more about the finishing options available for your next CNC machining project, get in touch with us today. If you’re ready to get started, create your account, upload your designs to get an instant quote, and start making new parts and products in just a few simple steps.

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In the manufacturing business, more money put into production generally means less profit or higher prices for customers. But careful planning and informed decision making about your design will help save time and money during the CNC machining process.

CNC machining costs can be divided into two main buckets: non-recurring costs and piece costs. Non-recurring costs refer to all of the upfront costs required to get any production run (large or small) off the ground; these costs are amortized over the production quantity. Piece costs are expenses associated with each individual part, and scale with quantity. The bottom line cost to manufacture a single part, taking into account all cost buckets, is often referred to as the fully burdened part cost.

To put this in mathematical terms: 

Fully Burdened Part Cost = Non Recurring Costs / Quantity + Piece Costs

Non recurring costs include:

• Part design 
• Planning (manufacturing process, inspection, etc.)
• CAM programming
• CMM programming 
• Workholding, fixtures, gauges, and tooling identification and sourcing

Piece costs include:

• Machine time
• Labor time (loading and unloading parts)
• Consumable tooling
• Raw material
• Cleaning, deburring, and finishing 
• Manual inspection

Following the equation above, in lower volume runs, non-recurring costs are amortized over fewer parts, which means the expense is higher per part. For example, if the non-recurring costs for a job are $5,000, and the production quantity is 100 parts, then each part will have a burden of $50 for non-recurring expenses. On the other hand, if that same job is ordered for a quantity of 200 parts, this would result in a non-recurring burden of just $25 per part, a potentially significant cost delta. The good news is that you can minimize CNC machining costs for shorter production runs by optimizing your part designs.

Design tips for short production runs

To maximize your time and budget, try these design tips for short production runs:

Use standardized, simple designs

Keep your design as simple and standardized as possible. Overly complicated part designs can require multiple manual rotations and repositions, more expensive CNC systems, or specialized tools. With this in mind, it may be worthwhile to break up a complex piece into simpler components that can be assembled later.

You’ll also want to:

• Design standard-sized holes: The deeper the hole, the more complex the metal chip evacuation process, and the more expensive your part. Try to make each hole’s depth no more than five to six times the drill’s diameter to ensure your machinist can quickly evacuate the metal chips. Also, make sure to use standard drill sizes when designing your holes or you may end up needing to purchase a custom tool, which can drive up costs and overall production time further.
• Use standard threads: As with drill sizes, using standard thread depths and diameters can save time and money. In practice, this means simply using an existing thread class instead of creating a custom thread via CNC machining or 3D printing. Try to use the H2 thread tolerance, since H3 is tighter and more expensive to create. Also, it’s best to keep your thread depth no deeper than required by your part’s functional and structural specifications.
• Design with standard stock sizes in mind: You can also cut costs and machine times by designing your parts to align with standard stock sizes. Instead of ordering a larger piece of material only to have to machine it down, your machinist will be able to buy a standard stock piece and then make few (if any) changes before starting on your part. Beyond choosing standard stock sizes, it’s also a good idea to allow a large enough tolerance so that the outside of the part does not need to be machined.
• Use loose tolerances: Tight tolerances can require specialized manufacturing processes or secondary operations, and can increase set-up, machining, and inspection time and cost. With that in mind, your part’s tolerances should only be as tight as required by functional and structural constraints.

Avoid thin walls, tall walls, and narrow pockets

CNC machining can be a delicate and time-intensive operation, especially if you have thin walls, tall walls, or narrow pockets.

Since they can increase the risk of cutter deflection, deformation, compromised surface finishes, and part failure, and make it difficult to meet specified tolerances, thin walls are generally less stable and more expensive to machine. Beyond those considerations, your machinist may need to take numerous passes over a part to create a thin wall without accidentally fracturing or snapping it with excessive vibrations, which will, of course, further drive up machining times and costs.

There are options for addressing the increased machining times, higher production costs, and fracture risks associated with thin walls. For example, if you have a metal part, try to design walls that are at least 0.8 mm thick. For plastic parts, try to aim for walls at least 1.5 mm thick. Similarly, you’ll want to avoid including tall walls, deep cavities, and narrow pockets in your part, since these features require longer cutting tools and the removal of more waste material. Like the problems associated with thin walls, these issues can lead to increased cutting tool deflection, chatter, inaccuracies, reduced tool life, and sub-par surface finishes, all of which drive up the final part cost.

Avoid unnecessary text or finishing processes

Adding text to your part will enable you to clearly number components, include a description, or apply a company logo. While machined text looks aesthetically pleasing, and can be functionally useful, it’s an expensive and time-consuming process since you’ll need to trace each character with a small ball end mill or engraving tool. Unfortunately, including raised text on a part is even slower and costlier since even more material will need to be milled away from the part to achieve the effect.

As an alternative to machining, if your part requires text, lettering, or a logo, you may be able to save time and money with a post-production surface finishing method. For example, silk screening, laser marking, rubber ink stamping, and painting will all enable you to add text to your parts faster than direct engraving. Of course, given that adding any CNC finishing process will increase your parts’ turnaround time and overall costs, it’s best to avoid text and other non-critical finishing processes whenever possible.

Choose the proper material

Material selection is important in both long and short production runs since using the wrong metal or plastic for your parts can drastically increase project costs. Some materials are more difficult to machine than others, which means longer turnaround times and higher machining costs. Even if two materials are equally machinable, the chances are that one will be more expensive than the other.

For example, while titanium is ideal for aerospace applications, it’s expensive and difficult to machine. On the other hand, softer, less costly metals, such as aluminum, are easier to machine and strong enough for everything from airplane parts to architectural components. Similarly, if you want to create a plastic part but don’t require the strength or high heat resistance of polyetheretherketone (PEEK), you can save money by using acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) or another high-performance engineering thermoplastic.

To put it simply, if you don’t really need the properties of an expensive and/or rare material, you should use a less expensive and/or more common material. As an added benefit, using a more readily available material also likely means a reduction in your parts’ overall lead time. It’s worth applying this mentality during the prototyping phase, too; for example, if you only need to create a proof-of-concept model, you should use the least expensive plastic that will still demonstrate the feasibility of your idea.

Additive manufacturing as an alternative for short production runs

While designing with CNC machining lead times in mind can help reduce turnaround and cut costs, depending on your material requirements and the size of your run, additive manufacturing might represent a better option

In contrast to CNC machining, which is a subtractive process that involves cutting away material to shape a final product, the additive manufacturing process builds parts layer by layer. Additive manufacturing is typically far less labor-intensive than CNC machining, sometimes only requiring limited mid-production repositioning and limited post-processing to enhance a part’s functionality, or to achieve a desired finish. Like CNC machining, additive manufacturing can be used to make metal parts, but plastic additive manufacturing is far more common. In fact, many of the plastics used in additive manufacturing are mechanically equivalent to those used in injection molding. 

Generally, additive manufacturing is a better choice for extremely low-volume production runs or for projects in which finished parts or prototypes must be delivered fast, and where tolerance requirements are not tight. By contrast, CNC machining is more appropriate for low-volume production runs with part quantities in the higher double digits or low hundreds, or in projects that have high tolerance requirements.

Working with an experienced manufacturing partner

Each of our design tips for short production runs can help you ensure that your production process is as smooth, cost-efficient, and fast as possible. However, there’s a lot to keep track of when optimizing parts for low-volume production, so working with a trusted manufacturing partner is also a valuable opportunity to take some of the weight off your shoulders.

From design through fulfillment, when you work with SyBridge, our team of experienced engineers will provide you with the support you need to make your project possible. Our cloud-based tools are designed to help you pinpoint design flaws, determine optimal order quantities, and find the right material for your part’s specific application. Simply create an account and upload your part files. We can generate instant quotes for both additive manufacturing and CNC machining projects, which means you can get started making your new parts and products today. Contact us today.

The post Design Tips for Low-Volume CNC Machining Production Runs appeared first on SyBridge Technologies.

In 2021, the global Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine market size was $56.40 billion. Given how fast, precise, and automated this manufacturing technology is, it’s hardly surprising that the global machine market is expected to grow in the coming years. As the demand for CNC machining grows, the demand for Swiss machining, a manufacturing process that falls under the overall umbrella of CNC machining, will also rise.

As with traditional CNC machining, Swiss machining is used with metal and plastic, offers fast production times, and can produce complex parts with tight tolerances. It’s an incredibly efficient, precise, and repeatable manufacturing process, though it differs in several ways from traditional CNC machining.

In this guide to CNC Swiss machining, we’ll go over what you need to know to decide whether Swiss machining is best for your project.

What is Swiss Machining?

Originally developed to produce intricate watch parts for the Swiss watchmaking industry in the late 19th century, Swiss screw machines required a skilled operator who could turn handles and push levers to form the desired part. However, thanks to today’s CNC technology, Swiss machining is highly automated and can repeatedly produce complex geometries at tight tolerances with extremely fast cycle times.

As a subset of turning machines, also known as lathes, Swiss machines have stationary tools and a workpiece that can turn and move along the Z-axis, allowing for the creation of round and cylindrical parts. However, its sliding headstock and guide bushing set Swiss machines apart from other turning machines. The sliding headstock feeds the bar stock through a guide bushing, which supports and stabilizes the bar stock near the cutting point. This helps prevent workpiece distortion and enables the machine to accurately create different diameters, complex holes, hex edges, slots, and threads without the need for multiple setups or additional equipment.

When it comes to making parts, Swiss machining is the ideal production method for manufacturing high volumes of small components that require complex turning. Swiss machines are also better suited for machining long parts than traditional CNC turning machines, as they are less likely to cause deflections. 

Key Differences Between Traditional CNC Turning and Swiss Machining

The main difference between traditional CNC turning and Swiss machining is that Swiss machines have a moveable headstock that enables the workpiece to spin and move along the Z-axis, whereas the workpiece remains stationary when using conventional lathes.

Additionally, traditional CNC lathes generally have two, three, or four axes, but Swiss machines often have five, seven, or more axes, enabling operators to quickly machine even the most complex parts. Instead of performing multiple operations or using several setups on numerous machines, manufacturers can often do the job with one Swiss machine and fewer setups. It’s also worth noting that many Swiss machines can perform several tooling operations simultaneously, whereas traditional lathes usually complete one operation before moving on to the next, which can help further accelerate production.

By using a Swiss machine, companies can enjoy a reduction of secondary operations and tool changes, reduced labor costs, and faster turnaround times, all without sacrificing part quality. Since the bar stock is firmly supported, tolerances are tight and complex parts with thin walls or delicate features can be repeatedly manufactured.

Industry Applications for Swiss Machining

Swiss machining was initially used to create the tiny, intricate parts used in watches, and it’s still used to create long, small, or slender turned components across various industries. Its speed, accuracy, and relatively low costs have kept Swiss machining popular.

For example, Swiss machining’s high level of accuracy makes it an ideal manufacturing technology for the defense sector, where small, complex geometries with tight tolerances are often required for military hardware. 

Swiss machining also has plenty of applications in the medical industry, where manufacturers can use Swiss machines to produce everything from electrodes to anchors to surgical tools.

In the aerospace industry, Swiss machining can produce components that meet the extreme precision required by the industry’s rigorous demands. The technology can be used to create everything from mechanical components for spacecraft motors to the cockpit controls’ electrical components.

Similarly, Swiss machining’s ability to produce quality and precise parts makes it a popular manufacturing process in the automotive industry. Here, companies use Swiss machines to fabricate bushings, pins, brake system and suspension components, and more.

Essentially, Swiss machining is an excellent production method for manufacturers who need to quickly produce a high volume of small, accurate parts with complex geometries and high-quality finishes for a relatively low cost.

Design Tips for CNC Swiss Machining

While CNC Swiss machining differs from traditional CNC machining, many best practices should still be kept in mind when designing your part to reduce machining time and costs as much as possible. For example, make sure you remember to:

• Ensure your drawings are accurate and clear: You need to have legible and precise drawings to ensure your operator can quickly and correctly understand and machine your part. Include dimensions, tolerances, and material and finish information.
• Use standard-sized holes: Incredibly small or deep holes can make machining more difficult and expensive, so it’s best to use standard-sized holes whenever possible.
• Avoid sharp corners: Whether you’re using a traditional CNC lathe or a Swiss machine, your drill bits will be round, which means it will be incredibly difficult to produce sharp inner corners. While you can achieve sharp inner corners using methods like electrical discharge machining, this can be expensive and time-consuming. Thus, it’s best to always design your parts with rounded corners, as the drill bit will automatically leave an inside corner radius. To avoid chatter and premature tool wear, make sure your corner radius is slightly larger than the common trade sizes of tool diameters, such as 3 mm or ⅛ inch, for example.
• Only include the necessary tolerance: Including unnecessarily tight tolerances can drive up machining time and overall part costs, so it’s best to only assign strict tolerances to areas where they truly matter.
• Pay attention to wall thickness: While it’s possible to machine thinner walls with Swiss machines, it’s still best to avoid designing your parts with thin walls, as they can cause chatter, resulting in less-accurate parts with reduced surface quality. When it comes to plastic parts, thin walls can also result in warping and softening.

CNC Swiss Machining with SyBridge

Swiss machining is a fast, accurate, and cost-effective manufacturing method that’s ideal for creating large quantities of small parts that require complex CNC turning. However, as with any CNC process, it’s best to keep the above tips in mind when designing your parts to ensure your machining time and costs are as low as possible.

Whether Swiss machining is the ideal manufacturing process for your parts or traditional CNC turning is better-suited for your needs, working with an experienced manufacturing partner like SyBridge can help you make the right decisions to get better quality parts faster. Start making the precision-machined parts you need today — contact us to get started.

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Since its development in the mid-20th century, polycarbonate (PC) has been an increasingly popular material in manufacturing. Today, around 2.7 million tons of polycarbonates are produced each year globally. Over the years, various companies have created different formulas for polycarbonate, so there are several industry grades of polycarbonate to choose from. Some forms have more glass fiber reinforcement, while others have additives like ultraviolet stabilizers for protection against long-term sun exposure.

Strong and versatile, this amorphous thermoplastic is resistant to heat, impact, and many chemicals. As such, polycarbonate is ideal for components that need to be tough or repeatedly sterilized and is often used in the automotive and medical industries.

How Polycarbonate is Manufactured

Each company manufactures polycarbonates slightly differently, but polycarbonate materials have traditionally been created via the condensation polymerization of bisphenol A and carbonyl chloride. However, many companies have started to use diphenyl carbonate instead because carbonyl chloride is extremely toxic.

Regardless of whether carbonyl chloride or diphenyl carbonate is used, a bisphenol A solution in sodium hydroxide is required and then mixed with the carbonyl chloride or diphenyl carbonate solution in an organic solvent so polymerization can take place. When the polycarbonate forms, it will initially be in a liquid state. The solution will be evaporated to form granules, or ethanol will need to be introduced to precipitate the solid polymer.

Once created, polycarbonate is often sold in rods, cylinders, or sheets and can be used in various manufacturing processes. Polycarbonate is compatible with thermoforming, extrusion, and blow molding, but it’s most often used with injection molding. After all, as a thermoplastic, polycarbonate can be melted, cooled, and reheated without burning or significant degradation, making it an ideal injection molding material.

During injection molding, polycarbonate needs to be processed at a high temperature and injected into the mold with high pressure because polycarbonate is quite viscous. The melt temperature should be between 280°C and 320°C, and the mold temperature should fall between 80°C and 100°C. However, those numbers can vary depending on the grade of polycarbonate being used. For example, a high-heat polycarbonate will require a melt temperature between 310°C and 340°C and a mold temperature between 100°C and 150°C, whereas a PC-ABS (polycarbonate/acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) blend’s melt temperature only needs to be between 240°C and 280°C and its mold temperature can fall as low as 70°C and up to 100°C.

Properties and Mechanical Specifications of Polycarbonate Material

While there are several grades of polycarbonates, each with their own molecular mass, structure, and properties, all polycarbonates have a few things in common.

For one, they are known for their toughness and high impact resistance. As a result, polycarbonate is often used for applications that require reliability and high performance.

Despite their toughness and strength, polycarbonates are light weight, allowing for extensive design possibilities and relatively easy installation when compared to other materials.

Polycarbonates are also very resistant to heat and flames. A polycarbonate can maintain its toughness in temperatures up to 140°C, which means polycarbonate parts can withstand repeated sterilization. Polycarbonates also have light transmittance rates above 90% and good chemical resistance against diluted acids, oils, greases, aliphatic hydrocarbons, and alcohols.

A polycarbonate’s properties depend on its molecular mass and structure, so each material is slightly different. To give you an idea of what you can expect, here are some typical key characteristics and specifications:

• Specific gravity: 1.21
• Melt temperature: 295 – 315°C
• Mold temperature: 70 – 95°C
• Heat deflection temperature: 137°C at 0.45 MPa
• Tensile strength: 61 MPa
• Flexural strength: 90 MPa
• Shrink rate: 0.5 – 0.7%
• Rockwell hardness: 118R

As you can see, polycarbonate manufacturing has plenty to offer. However, there are a few things you’ll want to be aware of before selecting this material for a project. For example, its mechanical properties can degrade after prolonged exposure to water over 60°C. Polycarbonate is also susceptible to scratching, more costly to manufacture than many other materials, and vulnerable to diluted alkalis and aromatic and halogenated hydrocarbons. Additionally, the polycarbonate formulations without UV stabilizers can sometimes yellow over time when exposed to UV rays.

Common Uses of Polycarbonates in Everyday Life

Polycarbonate’s toughness and high impact resistance make it a popular material choice for automotive industry manufacturers, particularly when it comes to parts that must be clear or translucent and are subject to frequent impact, such as headlight and turn signal lenses.

In the medical industry, polycarbonate can be found in everything from incubators to dialysis machine housings. After all, polycarbonate is tough, resistant to heat, dimensionally stable, and able to withstand sterilization via FDA-approved methods including autoclaves and irradiation. Polycarbonate can be used in blood filters, reservoirs, and oxygenators, as well as surgical instruments. Plus, given its transparency, polycarbonate enables doctors to more easily monitor blood and track the administration of fluids.

Polycarbonate is also a material of choice in many household appliances, such as mixers, hair dryers, refrigerators, and electric razors. Other common uses for polycarbonate include exterior lighting fixtures, machinery guards, protective gear, bullet-proof glass, fuse boxes, television housings, roofing, skylights, greenhouses, suitcases, eyeglasses, and beverage containers, such as baby bottles, sippy cups, and refillable water bottles.

Getting Started With Polycarbonate

Polycarbonate is a strong and impact-resistant thermoplastic that’s used across a variety of industries. However, there are several different kinds of polycarbonate on the market, each with its own characteristics. Working with an experienced manufacturing partner like SyBridge can make all the difference for product teams who are unfamiliar with polycarbonate or are looking to manufacture parts and products with materials that may be more suitable for a specific application. Want to see if polycarbonate is the right material for your next project? Create an account and upload your part files or contact us today to get started.

The post Know Your Materials: Polycarbonate (PC) appeared first on SyBridge Technologies.

The post-processing stage of a CNC machining project is arguably one of the most crucial, as it preps and puts the finishing touches on your part. There are numerous post-processing options available, and determining which is best for your part depends largely on what material it’s made of and the purpose of the part.

Passivation is one of many final treatment options for materials that can significantly improve the quality and performance of a machined part by creating a protective layer that safeguards the part against corrosion.

What is Passivation and How is it Used?

Passivation is a chemical finishing process often applied to materials such as stainless steel, but it may also be used on other alloys and metals, including aluminum. After being thoroughly cleaned to remove debris or other potential impurities, an oxidizing agent, typically nitric acid or citric acid, is applied to the material’s surface, creating a passive oxide film that strengthens its corrosion resistance.

While stainless steel is inherently corrosion-resistant due to its higher chromium content than other alloys, it is still susceptible to rust over time, especially if iron contaminants on its surface are exposed to water. This oxidation can create rouging, which displays as reddish-brown deposits on stainless steel. Etching, pitting, and frosting may also be signs of localized corrosion that should be addressed before they cause operational issues.

Passivation can help deter the development of rouging and rust, and when done correctly, it can even be used as a proactive measure to reduce the need for frequent maintenance.

Practical applications of passivation

The passivation of parts used in highly regulated systems in the aerospace and medical industries is vital due to the critical roles these parts often play. When there is little room for error, components must perform optimally, and passivation has a crucial role in enhancing the lifespan and operation of a part.

For example, the pharmaceutical and medical industries operate under strict regulations to ensure patient and product safety. Maintaining a pristine environment and using precise, high-grade tools are of the utmost importance. Therefore, many components must undergo passivation to decontaminate and to guard against rust and other corrosion.

Below are just a few other practical applications where passivation can be used to discourage corrosion:

• Food processing equipment
• Surgical instruments such as stents, forceps, and implants
• Pharmaceutical products such as inhalers
• Motor vehicle parts such as frames, bushings, and cylinder heads
• Electronic and microelectronic components
• Machine parts such as fittings, housing, and suspension arms

Passivation offers a way to control the quality of your end product so you can have confidence in knowing the parts you’re using will last.

Benefits and Drawbacks of Passivation

Passivation is a practical, precautionary measure that can extend the lifespan of parts and their systems. However, while there are not many, there are a few drawbacks to the passivation process to keep in mind:

• Passivation does not smooth out the metal, so if that is required for the final product, it will need to be addressed prior to treatment.
• Passivation requires a rigorous pre-cleaning process before treatment, which can marginally extend the time to complete the fabrication process.
• Passivation techniques can leave room for error when not applied professionally, rendering the treatment futile.
• If passivating a system regularly as part of a proactive approach to maintenance, downtime must be allotted for treatment application.

The main benefit of passivation is corrosion resistance, but there are a few other additional advantages:

• Passivation offers increased corrosion resistance, leading to longer-lasting machinery that can operate at peak performance for longer periods.
• Passivation reduces the frequency of maintenance as well as the degree of care needed.
• Passivation eliminates surface contamination that can seep into other parts of the system and even contaminate the final product.
• Passivation helps ensure the operating efficiency, quality, and safety of parts and systems over time.

Why Passivate CNC Machined Parts?

Passivation should be considered a post-fabrication best practice for CNC machined parts. While passivation does occur naturally in chromium-rich alloys such as stainless steel, welding, machining, and engraving during the fabrication process can introduce contaminants that compromise the metal. Passivation’s multi-step process involves rigorous cleaning to remove impurities such as free irons that can make the parts susceptible to corrosion.

For heavily regulated industries that require meticulous precision and tighter tolerances, such as the CNC machining of aerospace parts, passivation is not only good practice — it’s essential for increasing the durability, safety, and reliability of components.

Boost Your Parts’ Longevity with Passivation

Passivation can be necessary to ensure the resiliency of your parts, systems, and product quality. Working with a team of specialists who understand the passivation process and are meticulous about their services will ultimately determine the effectiveness of your passivated components.

At SyBridge, we understand that precision and reliability are critical. With our team of experts on your side and advanced digital tools that make manufacturing easier, your parts can go from design to delivery with accuracy and speed. To get started, create an account to put the power of cloud manufacturing at your fingertips or contact us to learn how SyBridge can optimize your manufacturing operations.

The post Passivation: Post-Processing for Rust and Corrosion Prevention appeared first on SyBridge Technologies.