CNC Machining in Automotive Industry

Last Updated on June 23, 2022 by Leizi

In the industry of automotive, the upgrading of products and technologies is faster than before. That’s why so many car companies would choose to make a few prototypes to test their ideas and then put them on the market. Prototyping can accelerate the process of product development greatly. At the same time, CNC machining is an effective and high-precision way to make functional car prototypes.

4 Reasons to apply CNC machining to make car prototypes instead of other processing:

(1) Customizable machining. Your manufacturing partners would make the program according to the 3D files you sent. Then, the data will be input into the computers. CNC machines will work according to the program. That’s you can get the exact car prototypes as to your drawing. During this process, you can control almost everything including the size, machining way, and surface treatment.

(2) Precise. CNC machining has been characterized as one of the most precise processing to make parts in the wide industry. By using lumpy plastic or metal materials, we can use CNC machining to create car prototypes with tight tolerance.

(3) Efficient. Compared to other ways, CNC machining is the processing of a relatively shorter production time.

(4) Consistency. Because CNC machining is also highly automated. It can reduce the errors caused by labor and keep the finished components of high consistency.

Applications of CNC machining in the automotive industry:

1. Interior parts: panels, steering wheels, and consoles.
Most interior car components are produced by lightweight and wear-resistant plastic. CNC machining can also process plastics (including PP, PMMA, and PC) to make car parts. Through CNC machining, we can make prototypes of car parts with high precision in a short time, and measure their accuracy, color, wear amount and other aspects.

These measurements can not only confirm the feasibility of the design, but also make changes one by one for imperfections. When assembling, it can also ensure that all kinds of car parts can be matched with each other. This is a very important step for the entire design project, which can greatly shorten the entire cycle of product launch.

2. Exterior parts: cylinder heads, drive shafts, gearboxes, and wheels.

One of the biggest features of CNC metal processing is its high precision. For exterior parts, CNC machining can achieve tolerances of nearly ±0.002mm. For example, gearboxes and small gear parts have high requirements on tolerance.

If they have some small errors, it may lead to failure on the part. That’s why we apply drilling and milling to produce these parts. Among them, the metals commonly used for machining car parts are aluminum alloys with various levels.

Ruitai has more than 15+ years of experience in CNC machining to create car prototypes. If you want to see some samples we made before, you can click here to know more details about our CNC car machining service.