Best time to introduce CNC Automation

Being able to use CNC automation has been revolutionary in many processes, for example, those that are involved in the building of scenery. It provides the opportunity to keep up with the increasingly fast and digitally-driven approaches that competitors are using, and to simplify how demanding specifications are met. But when is the best time to introduce CNC automation?

It’s not a one-off process

Making the switch to CNC automation can be expensive and also time-consuming – and it’s not really a process that you want to get wrong. It’s rarely possible to make the shift in one go and simply hope that it all works out. There will necessarily be a trial period when you’re working with new equipment and techniques, as you get to know how everything operates and what is going to be the best approach for you. These periods of configuration are a key part of the process of ensuring that CNC automation is going to work for you in the long term so it’s vital that you make enough time for them.

Getting ready for CNC automation

Any process that you’re going to use CNC automation for needs to be well-grounded and appropriately designed, and you need to be fully familiar with output, performance and what – specifically – you’re going to be automating. As a result, if you’re thinking about introducing CNC automation then there may, necessarily, be a period of research and testing involved. You’ll also need to be clear about the equipment and tools that are going to be necessary when you introduce CNC automation – hardware, software and new peripherals could all be part of the process of introducing CNC automation. So, one of the key questions to ask will be whether you currently have all the equipment you need for automation – and, if not, how long it’s going to take you to acquire this.

Precision manufacturing requires data

The element of control is vital if you’re going to be successful with CNC automation. So, you need to ensure that you have as much data as possible when it comes to operations, equipment, performance etc. For example, do you have the available resources to measure the condition of your cutting tools before a project begins? Do you have the data to show what specific materials your CNC equipment can handle? You need to know as much as possible about a traditional CNC process before you start applying automation.

How much do you want to automate?

There will also be key questions to answer about whether you want to automate an entire process (hyper-automation) or whether there are individual tasks that it would be beneficial to do this too instead. Perhaps, like 28% of the manufacturing industry, you’d like to hyper-automate, or maybe you already know the specific areas that would benefit from a little automation help.

CNC automation is the future, whatever your industry. Our CNC machines have truly revolutionaised the way that scenery is built – find out more.