Reap Rewards From CNC Machine Investments

So you’re considering investing in a new CNC machine for your company. A purchase of this type is not one that should be made in haste or without careful planning and research before proceeding with a decision. Companies often make new equipment or technology investments only to discover that shortly afterwards, their business environment has changed, and they’re now faced with a totally different challenge or need. Imagine, making a big investment only to find you’re soon facing a competitive disadvantage or can’t meet a customer’s new requirements. You can avoid this! Here are some steps you can take to prevent shortsighted decisions and reap the rewards of your machine tool investment.

Begin With the End in Mind

Consider the functional specification for the CNC machine you’re considering. Is the specification you’ve chosen one that will support your needs not only today, but well into the future? What jobs might you encounter in the years to come that may require additional capabilities from this machine tool? For example, if you’re looking at a Machining Center you may want to consider making an initial investment in optional items such as Spare M Codes, High Pressure Coolant systems, an automatic Touchsetter with tool breakage detection, or a part probing system. These are all items that can provide not only immediate returns on your investment, they can also give you greater flexibility in the future to automate or support processes that you may currently be doing manually or not at all.

Reduce Your Total Cost of Ownership

Another example to consider is the spindle specification and ATC size. Will they support not only the materials being machined today but also have capabilities that may be required if you were to win new business that may involve an aerospace alloy or higher speed materials? Do you have enough tool capacity to allow the CNC machine to perhaps be integrated into an automated cell in the future when it may be required to machine a wide variety of parts? You’ll find that your total cost of ownership is actually less if you make these decisions in advance of your purchase rather than a more costly purchase of a retrofit and the required labor and parts to add options in the future.

Who is Behind the Technology?

Modern CNC machines offer a wide array of functions that allow them to work seamlessly with other factory equipment as well the organization’s manufacturing software systems. It’s critical to completely understand how a new piece of equipment will fit into your existing systems. Does the builder offer their own interfaces and software functions to support these activities or do they rely on a third party solution? Consideration should also be given to the number of installed systems they have in place and a visit to an existing user should be planned. You’ll find that candid conversations can take place that will expose both strengths and weakness in the product offering. Beware of technology products that can only be demonstrated in a simulated or non-factory environment. Research the company that is offering the product to determine if they have adequate staffing and technical support available in your area. When problems arise and you have to wait for support this can mean lost revenue and thus profits.

Know Your CNC Machine Supplier

When making a major capital purchase, relationships really do matter. Are you buying from someone you trust? Have they represented the product they are selling for a considerable amount of time? Do they live and work in the same community as your organization? Is the supplier one that has been in business and under the same ownership for a substantial amount of time? Do they possess and demonstrate in depth knowledge of the CNC machines they’re selling, or are they just pushing iron? Is the service and engineering support needed for their products evident? Does the staff that is supporting the product conduct themselves in a professional manner and show pride in representing the product or service? How do they speak of their competitors? Someone who does not respect their toughest competition as offering a reliable and capable product should not be rewarded with your business.

Reap the Rewards of Your Investment

Before making a final purchase decision you should re-visit all the proposals you’ve received and put together a team to do a review of the data and provide input on the final decision. Keep in mind that while a CNC machine or service may offer superior performance on a spreadsheet, it will become a moot point quickly if what you’ve chosen is not really a good fit for you organization. Is your staff ready and capable of taking on the new technology that you’re adding? (If not, see this story of how a shop helped their employees ramp up to new technology quickly.) Does your engineering staff have support for a new machine post? Do you have workholding and tooling that is capable of handling the performance capabilities of the new equipment? Is the staffing in place to maintain current production requirements while allowing resources to get the new equipment into operation?

As with all major capital purchases there are other factors to consider. I’ve touched on just a few that will assist you in putting together a sound plan to guide the decision on your next investment. Once you’ve done all your homework, feel confident that by following a well thought out decision-making process you’ll reap the rewards of your investment and it will carry you into the future and even greater competitive advantage.

Gary Snow is Principal Engineer, Okuma America Corporation.