CNC Machining & Molding: Playing an Integral Role in Light Engineering Industrie

Posted by 4th Axis Machining on February 11th, 2021

The  Light Engineering Industry (LEI) is a vital sub-sector comprising of overall manufacturing sectors. The industry specifically refers to the production of less capital intensive products compared to heavy engineering and caters to the needs of end consumers and various manufacturing businesses. The sector is acting as the cornerstone for various other industries as it supplies basic elements, such as small capital machinery, spare parts, and accessories to major sectors.

Do you know that CNC machining plays a very important role in the growth of light engineering industries? Well, now you know.

CNC Machining

CNC machining uses pre-programmed software to control how and where factory machines move; thereby, making even the most complicated three-dimensional designs and tasks easier. At present, CNC machining is getting increasingly popular in the light engineering industry because, CNC is now used to manufacture most metal and plastic products with precision. CNC machining can fix several issues in production that cannot be solved easily with other processes. Immense improvements are noticed in the CNC machine tool production automation applications. Specifically, businesses that belong to metal and plastic production niches hugely benefit from CNC machining.

Injection Molding

On the other hand, Injection Molding is a process used in mass-production facilities where the same part is replicated thousands or sometimes, millions of times and each part must look and work the same. When plastic parts are needed in large volumes, injection molding is preferred. It saves a significant amount of time and energy while reducing waste and improving accuracy. Right from children’s toys to cell phone cases and automotive parts, application areas of injection molding are extensive and continuously expanding.

The Role of CNC Machining and Molding in LEIs

Light engineering industries comprise of various small businesses that produce items like spare parts for automobiles, railways, mills, and factories; castings and moldings; oil and gas pipeline fittings; plastic baby toys; and more.

According to the experts, most of the light engineering industries in developing countries have lack of modern technologies like modern heat treatment, material testing, and magnetic crack tester and various types of advanced machinery, such as lathe machine, grinding machine, shaper, planer, milling, etc.

Australia is one of the most developed nations in the world that provides easy accessibility of modern technologies and machines, like 3-axis and 4-axis CNC machines. As such, CNC machining and molding service providers are more able to serve various light engineering industries and support them by providing high-quality CNC machined parts and prototypes and molds for rapid production.  

Since precision matters a lot in various LEIs, component failure can be a big issue. CNC machining and molding allows businesses in LSIs to achieve the necessary level of precision. Though many people associate machining with metal, CNC machinists can successfully machine parts made from other materials too, such as MDF (Medium-Density Fibreboard), solid timber, plywood, CFC (Compressed Fibre Cement), acrylics, and so on.

By using the right machine and material for the job, CNC machinists are serving a wide range of light engineering industries.