CNC machines are useful for creating all kinds of custom parts, including shafts. For a long time, shafts and bolts were a real problem for manufacturers because they needed to fit precisely inside a machine for it to work, but their irregular shape made them difficult to custom manufacture.
CNC shaft machining solved this problem by developing processes to make even cylindrical objects to custom specifications. Here’s a quick explainer of how it works.
CNC Shaft Machining Uses Rotation to Make Shafts
The main problem with custom machining shafts and similar objects used to be that they are cylindrically shaped, so a standard CNC machine can’t shape them. In shaft machining, manufacturers use CNC machines that rotate either their tools or the material itself to create a cylindrical shape. This includes CNC milling and CNC turning, both valuable custom CNC processes.
CNC Machining Can Create Custom Finishes
Once a CNC machine creates a shaft of the right length and circumference, it can shape the object to meet a customer’s precise specifications. Custom machining services also finish the shaft depending on a customer’s needs. The shaft can remain smooth, or be splined, threaded, keyed, or hollowed out so it can fit a machine.
To get the desired finish, shaft machining uses a few different processes, such as grinding, broaching, or thread rolling. The great thing about modern manufacturing is that there are so many different specialized machines and processes out there, you can get almost anything custom-made, even precise shafts.
