Jusheng

Ever stared at a precision part with a deep hole? Traditional approaches typically require disassembly and reassembly, which is time-consuming and strength-degrading. The 5 axis CNC technology can complete the overall processing of complex structures with one clamping, achieving excellent precision and reliability.

Because of its greater technical intricacy, the expense has been questioned more often than not: Why does it cost more? Where does the money go?

This manual will help you master the key to assessing the reasonableness of a 5 axis CNC machining quote. It will discuss cost-affecting factors, illustrate how to reduce costs through collaborative design, and present JS's intelligent quoting system and realistic cases. Finally, you can reasonably judge whether a quote is reasonable and understand how to reduce machining costs.

Core Answer Summary

Why Trust This Guide? 5 Axis Quotation Made Easy By JS Team

To determine whether a quotation is reasonable, you must first have identified a reliable reference. Why can you trust this guide Because it is based upon JS team's decades of hands-on experience, not armchair speculation.

JS team has much experience in 5 axis CNC machining, having produced 5 axis CNC machining parts for numerous industries, including medical devices, aerospace components, and precision molds. They are familiar with the machining characteristics of most materials like titanium, aluminum, and stainless steel, and have resolved hundreds of cost-increasing problems caused by poor design.

This book is a product of the team's research and distillation of such first-hand experience. Each suggestion is tested on actual machining conditions so that you can be certain that it will help you make the reasoning of your quote.

If you require a reliable quote for 5 axis CNC machining parts, you're guaranteed experience of the JS team. Simply email over a part model, and we'll provide an initial assessment on our hands-on experience to help you take the first step in receiving your quote.

Outside 3 Axis: The "Circle Of Capabilities" And "Forbidden Zones" Of 5 Axis Machining

Having understood the honesty of the guide, now we must understand initially the ability and limitation of 5 axis machining. This is the foundation in selecting whether a quote is acceptable—for one, to have a 5 axis machine perform the function of a 3 axis machine will definitely be more expensive.

Capability Circles vs. Forbidden Zones

Summary of Major Differences

• Complex components (e.g., artificial joints): 5 axis CNC machining can be clamped with a single clamping, while three-axis machining requires multiple clampings and is most likely to shift and tedious.
• Preintuitive components (e.g., flat metal plates): 5 axis CNC machining price is 40%-60% more than three-axis machining and has an extremely low cost-performance ratio.

To machine complex 5 axis CNC parts when you need it, JS can accurately understand the boundaries of 5 axis CNC machining to avoid cost-prohibitive. Simply specify your part requirements, and we will recommend a suitable machining solution to enable you to control costs.

Quotation Analysis: 5 Key Factors Influencing 5 Axis Machining Prices

Now that we have a knowledge of 5 axis machining abilities, let's step through an analysis of the quote itself—what should it contain in a good quote? The following five significant factors directly influence your bottom line cost:

1.Equipment Cost: The startup investment price of a 5 axis machine tool is 2-3 times more than the price of a three-axis machine (entry-level 5 axis approximately $150,000, while a three-axis approximately $50,000). Annual maintenance cost is $20,000-30,000 higher, which is all factored into the cost of the part.

2.Labor Cost: The 5 axis operator makes 30%-50% more per hour than the three-axis operator ($25/hour for a three-axis machine, $35-40/hour for a five-axis machine), and programming time for complex parts is over 50% longer.

3.Material Cost: The cost of raw material and loss in machining (loss rate of titanium alloy is two times that of aluminum alloy, 10kg of titanium alloy can only be machined into 4kg of finished product). This loss cost is covered by the price.

4.Machining Time: While a 5 axis machine conserves setup time, it could end up taking more time to machine intricate parts (e.g., For medical bearings, 5 axis cutting takes 10 hours, three-axis cutting takes 8 hours, and the total time for 5 axis is 2 hours shorter), more extensive cutting time translate to greater depreciation expenses for equipment.

5.Post-processing Cost: Because complicated parts require more grinding and inspecting (e.g., a dot matrix part requires an additional 3 hours of grinding, and 5 additional points of inspection, each of which costs an extra $10).

Wondering if your 5 axis CNC machining price is reasonable? JS will clearly break down the above-mentioned 5 important factors for you, making all spending clear. After you upload your part model, our quote will break down all costs.

The "Hidden Tax" Of Materials: How Does Your Material Selection Quietly Consume Your Budget?

Among the expenses, material costs can easily impose a "hidden tax"—your choice of material not only affects the price itself, but also quietly contributes to machining expenses. Many times, budget overruns are due to not considering this factor.

Material Processing Cost Difference Table

"Hidden Tax" Specific Manifestations

• Stainless steel: The increased hardness elevates tool wear rate to three times the rate of aluminum alloy. For producing 100 parts, an additional tool change (for $50 a change) must be performed, which amounts to an additional $50 cost.
• Titanium Alloy: Due to its low heat transfer and slow speed cutting, time is more than twice, and equipment and manpower costs increase.
• JS Precision Manufacturing Solutions: Propose cost-saving materials based on part usage (e.g., titanium alloy composite materials for medical parts meet performance requirements while saving 15% on costs) to save money from "Hidden Tax".

Collaborative Design: How To Save 30% On Engineer Communication Costs

Once you've selected the right materials, communication during the design process can also save a lot of money—in most cases, only one productive communication session between engineers saves 30% of costs. This is the power of collaborative design.

To take advantage of this decrease in cost, you can have these four rules to adhere to:

1. Clear Priorities: Make engineers aware of key dimensions and accuracy. Engineers can then modify parameters to minimize the precision machining time and lower the cost by around 8%. If this is not clear, machining can be done to the highest accuracy, which will cost more.

2. Allow Rounding of Corners: Replacement of acute corners with a radius of R0.5mm or larger allows the usage of greater diameter tools (2mm compared to 5mm), reduce 40% of machining time, and reduce tool wear. Acute corners require successive passes with a diminutive tool, which is labor-intensive and susceptible to tool fracture.

3. Use Cost-Effective Materials: Replacement of titanium with aluminum alloy for non-load-bearing parts (e.g., housings) saves 60% of the material cost, reduces machining complexity, and conserves total costs by over 40%. Discuss with engineers the operational environment of the parts and the forces.

4. Supply Design Intention: Establish the intent of the design. The weight-saving holes can be re-designed to provide a waisted look so that it is simpler to machine and it saves time by 25%, otherwise, the initial design may be forced to be processed, incurring more costs.

Wish to save 30% through co-designing? JS's engineering team will engage with you dynamically, implement these four principles, and fine-tune your custom 5 axis CNC machining manufacturing solution. Simply provide your design drawings and your planned use, and we will offer optimization suggestions in a timely manner to help speed up project development.

What Is JS's Intelligent Online Quotation System?

With an optimised design, the second thing is to get a correct quote within no time. JS's intelligent online quotation system can help you overcome issues of slow and inexact quotes. The entire process is transparent and efficient and involves five steps:

• One-click uploading: Upload a 3D part model (e.g., STL or STEP format) with no manual input of parameters. The system itself derives dimensions and structure within less than a minute.
• Second-level analysis: Internal algorithms conduct a machinability analysis (detection of hard-to-machine structures like too deep holes and too small corner radii) in 10 seconds, in addition to pre-calculating material requirements and machining time.
• Intelligent parameter selection: The system will provide automatic selection of tools and cutting parameters from the part material/structure (e.g., titanium alloy carbide tools, 300mm/min cutting speed), guaranteeing efficiency and accuracy.
• Accurate big data-based pricing: Combining JS's decades of machining experience (e.g., a 10mm thick, 100mm diameter aluminum alloy disc is approximately $50) to provide an exact 5 axis CNC machining prices.
• Secondary engineer check: After the system returns an initial quote, there is a check on the system's first price by a professional engineer. We check your order within hours (e.g., to check incomplete post-processing steps) to give precise quotes.

Case Study: Design-Manufacturing Cooperation For a Medical Spherical Bearing – Cost Reduction Of 40%

The initial dilemma

• Customer Requirements: A manufacturer of medical devices needed to machine bearings out of titanium alloy for surgical robots. The product design called for extreme lightweighting (internal lattice structure, 2mm cell size, 0.3mm wall thickness).
• Supplier Issues: Multiple suppliers rejected orders due to a very high risk of scrap (estimated >40%) or gave quotes of $2,000/unit and 8 weeks' lead time, significantly outside the customer's budget (less than $1,200/unit) and time frame (less than 6 weeks).

Collaborative optimization of JS

Design Analysis: When the model was inspected, JS application engineers discovered that there were two major flaws: 0.3mm thin-wall cutting tended to deform and 2mm lattice elements required a tiny 1mm tool to be machined using (slow and prone to breaking).

Optimization Recommendations: In a video conference with the customer's design department, three modifications were proposed:

• Thickness of the non-critical thin wall in the area from 0.3mm to 0.5mm to maintain rigidity at the cost of weight reduction.
• Increasing the lattice element size from 2mm to 3mm for accommodating a 2mm tool (tripling its life and enhancing efficiency by 50%).
• Clarify the non installation area of the bearing outer ring, widen the tolerance from ± 0.005mm to ± 0.01mm, and reduce the precision machining time.

Process Innovation: Introduction of a high-speed milling (HSM) strategy (increasing the cutting speed from 250mm/min to 350mm/min) along with a specialized titanium alloy cutting fluid (to rapidly absorb heat, reduce cutting forces, prevent thin-wall distortion, and enhance tool life).

A Win-Win Outcome

• Performance: The customer embraced the optimized solution with a practically zero impact on bearing performance.
• Cost: Reduced to $1,200 a unit, a reduction by 40% from the original high quote price.
• Turnaround time: Reduced to 4 weeks, as requested by the customer.
• Scrap rate: Remains at less than 8%, a significant improvement over the original 40%.
• Enhanced collaboration: The customer will approach JS first for consultation on design in future R&D projects, viewing JS as a key "manufacturing consultant."

Faced with the high difficulty of custom 5 axis CNC machining manufacturing requirements, JS can achieve cost reduction and efficiency improvement through collaborative optimization and process innovation. We customize a solution for you through online 5 axis CNC machining services and deliver it quickly after placing an order.

FAQs

Q1: Are part complexities important?

Part complexity is important because it has a direct correlation with the cost of 5 axis CNC machining. The greater the geometry complexity (e.g., lattice structures, thin walls, deep cavities, etc.), the greater the number of machining operations. Advanced tools and methodologies are also possible to use, which enhances machining time, labor, and equipment and tool wear and tear.

Q2: Will a design change affect the quote?

It will be determined by how large the change is. Small changes (like small tolerance refinements on non-critical dimensions) will typically have only a small adjustment in the cost, and no requote will be required. But dramatic changes (e.g., material change, core structure change) can make equipment selection, machining time, and material cost change. In these cases, you would have to requote for precision.

Q3: What if I find that the price is higher than my budget when I receive an online quote?

This is merit of our system! You can just click "Request Optimization Suggestions" on the quote details page. Our engineering team will thoroughly examine your part model and,actively provide one or two accurate, actionable cost-saving design modifications. These modifications could be material substitution or structural optimization, enabling you to reduce costs without compromising performance.

Summary

An estimate of 5 axis CNC machining is not a ballpark figure, it's calculated from a number of variables including the 5 axis machining capability, cost factors, and design optimization. An equitable cost of 5 axis CNC machining will balance part complexity so that you won't pay too much for "too much" 5 axis capability or overlook under-the-radar costs like material and machining time.

To obtain such a quote, you need to work with an expert team such as JS. If you are trying to determine if a 5 axis CNC machining price is affordable or need to process complex 5 axis CNC machining parts, JS can provide you with a professional solution.

You simply need to upload the part model, and we will complete the analysis, quotation, and review, so you can obtain high-precision, low-cost parts at ease. The whole process is lucid and efficient. We are your trustworthy associate.