Have you recently contacted a CNC machining service provider to inquire about their services, or have you stumbled upon a CNC machining service page? If so, you must have read something along the lines of “Our CNC machines offer high precision and precision, and can meet tight tolerances.”
While Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines do offer these advantages and more, many CNC shops overuse the terms “accuracy,” “precision,” and “tolerance” without explaining it to their customers.
What Accuracy, Precision and Tolerance Mean in Manufacturing
Today, various software programs are used with CNC machines to generate accurate circuit diagrams. However, the actual parts are made by machines, which may or may not be automated. So the question here is how close we are to achieving the level of accuracy and precision that software-aided design can achieve. The following points will help you understand it better.
accuracy
Each organization follows its own set of standards or benchmarks. In addition, they need to comply with standards set by official agencies or government organizations. In this context, accuracy can be described as the degree to which a player can conform to a known or set standard or value. When we talk about the accuracy of a CNC machine relative to a computer-generated design, it means that if the metal workpiece is 20mm long by design, an accurate CNC machine will be close to 20mm (maybe +/- 0.0001mm difference) , without any other errors.
accurate
Consistent repeatability is the precision when producing multiple parts with the help of CNC machines. CAD tools are easy to generate and repeat many times with the required precision. However, this is a challenging aspect for manually controlled machines, as human error is bound to occur no matter how well done. Consider a shooting range where you need to shoot at the same point repeatedly, it may or may not be a bullseye. However, it is important to reach the same point. That’s what repeatability and consistency are all about when the highest level of precision is required.
tolerant
We can safely say that tolerances balance extreme precision and accuracy. This means that any machine or object has some degree of vibration. Therefore, they will never be exactly the same, and there will be some differences in the values of precision and accuracy. Tolerances pave the way for the amount or limit of acceptable deviation or variance in each part produced. Precise computer-aided design will make room for such subtle differences. Acceptable tolerance values really depend on the application.
CNC Machining Services China
If you have any questions about part tolerances for CNC machining or want to learn more our CNC machining services, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with a member of our manufacturing team or If you’re ready to start your next project, please contact us today for a quote.