5 Axis CNC Machining

What is 5-axis CNC Machining?

5-axis CNC machining is a mode of CNC machine tool machining.

According to ISO regulations, when describing the motion of CNC machine tools, a right-handed rectangular coordinate system is used; the coordinate axis parallel to the main axis is defined as the z-axis, and the rotation coordinates around the x, y, and z axes are A, B, and C respectively. The movement of each coordinate axis can be realized by the workbench or the movement of the tool, but the direction is defined by the movement direction of the tool relative to the workpiece. Usually five-axis linkage refers to the linear interpolation motion of any five coordinates among x, y, z, A, B, and C.

In other words, five axes refers to the three moving axes of x, y, and z plus any two rotation axes. Compared with the common three-axis (x, y, z three degrees of freedom) machining, 5-axis machining means that when processing parts with relatively complex geometric shapes, the machining tool needs to be able to position and connect in five degrees of freedom.

The machine tools used in CNC 5-axis machining are often called five-axis machine tools or five-axis machining centers. 5-axis machining is often used in the aerospace field to machine body parts, turbine parts, impellers, etc. with free-form surfaces. Five-axis machine tools can machine different sides of the workpiece without changing the position of the workpiece on the machine tool, which can greatly improve the machining efficiency of prismatic parts.

5-Axis CNC Machining Technology

• Complicated 5 axis CNC Parts Machining: Our 5-axis CNC machining service can handle complex part geometries and surfaces, delivering high precision and quality to meet your demands for precision 5 axis machined parts.

• Improved Production Efficiency: By simultaneously machining on multiple axes, we achieve faster and more efficient 5 axis CNC machining processes, reducing delivery time and enhancing production efficiency.

• Accuracy and Reproducibility: Our 5-axis CNC machining equipment features highly accurate control systems, ensuring machining precision and reproducibility for consistent quality of every 5 axis part.

• Wide Range of Applications: Our 5-axis CNC machining services cater to multiple industries, including aerospace, automotive, medical devices, and more, meeting diverse requirements for 5 axis part manufacturing.

• Process Flexibility: With extensive machining experience and expertise, we serve as a 5 axis CNC machining center factory and offer customized solutions to accommodate different machining requirements, ensuring customer satisfaction and successful delivery.

Advantages of Flourish Legend 5-Axis CNC Machining

• High-precision Processing: Our 5-axle CNC machines can process finely curved surfaces and complex geometries with high precision, ensuring 5 axis CNC machine parts meet strict dimensional and quality requirements. Our 5-axis CNC machining equipment offers superior positioning accuracy and machining control capabilities.

• Multi-angle Processing: Our technicians simultaneously rotate and tilt the workbench to achieve multiple angles of processing, thereby reducing the need for processes and fixtures, improving production efficiency and reducing costs.

• Efficient Cutting: Our engineers can use CNC 5 axis machining path optimization and intelligent tool path planning to minimize idle time and machining impact, increasing processing speed & efficiency and machining tool wear.

• Composite Processing: We can combine different machining methods and processing strategies, such as milling, drilling, boring, etc., to achieve the integration of multiple processing operations and improve the comprehensiveness and efficiency of processing.

• Advanced Simulation and Verification: We use advanced simulation software and process verification technology to simulate the 5 axis CNC machining process in advance and optimize tool paths and parameters to ensure the reliability & accuracy of machining and reduce the scrap rate.

What is the Difference between 3-axis, 4-axis & 5-axis CNC Machining?

a. Three-axis CNC machining

Three-axis CNC milling remains one of the most popular and widely used machining processes. In 3-axis machining, the workpiece remains stationary and the rotating tool cuts along the x, y, and z axes. This is a relatively simple form of CNC machining that can produce products with simple structures. It is not suitable for processing complex geometries or products with complex components.

Since cutting can only be done in three axes, machining speeds may also be slower than four- or five-axis CNC, as the workpiece may need to be manually repositioned to obtain the desired shape.

b. Four-axis CNC machining

In four-axis CNC milling, a fourth axis is added to the motion of the cutting tool, allowing rotation about the x-axis. There are now four axes - x-axis, y-axis, z-axis and a-axis (rotation around the x-axis). Most four-axis CNC machines also allow the workpiece to rotate, which is called a b-axis, allowing the machine to function as both a mill and a lathe.

If you need to drill holes into the side of a part or the curved surface of a cylinder, 4-axis CNC machining is the way to go. It greatly speeds up the machining process and has high machining accuracy.

c. Five-axis CNC machining

Five-axis CNC machining has an extra axis of rotation compared to four-axis CNC. The fifth axis is rotation around the y-axis, also called the b-axis. The workpiece can also be rotated on some machines, sometimes called the b-axis or c-axis.

Due to its high versatility, 5-axis CNC machining is used to manufacture complex precision parts. For example, artificial prosthetics or bone medical components, aerospace components, titanium components, oil and gas machinery components, military products, etc.