How to Design Parts for CNC Machining

I this video, I will go over some of the top tips and tricks on how you can improve your designs and decrease cost while optimizing for manufacturing on a CNC milling process.

I’ll cover everything from fillets, chamfers, setups, drilling, tapping, undercuts and even text. Shortcut links are for everything below. Full article posted on my website below.

00:28 - CNC Milling Machine
01:06 - Common Cutting Tools
01:52 - End Mill Deflection
02:39 - Internal Fillets
03:05 - Fillet Specifics
03:37 - Dogbone Corners
03:45 - Feature Height
04:00 - Threads and Tapping
04:36 - Raw Stock Size
05:01 - Chamfers
05:31 - Setups
06:07 - External Fillets
06:28 - Isolate Tight Tolerance Areas
06:47 - Drilling
07:15 - Bottom Floor Fillets
07:38 - Edge Break Fillets
07:56 - Edge Drilling
08:21 - 3D Surfacing
08:41 - Undercuts
08:58 - Text
09:18 - Bad Example Part
09:47 - Fixing a Bad Part
10:09 - Price Comparison of Good and Bad Part
10:19 - Good Books for Going Further
10:33 - More Links for Learning

Good Books (Affiliate links, your help supports the channel):

CNC Online Quoting:

Finding Material:

Machining Videos:

[adrianhood]

As a newly graduated mechanical engineer, thanks for teaching what we actually wanted to learn!

[howardjones]

This has to be one of the densest and most useful 10 minute videos on YouTube! Thanks very much.

[swamppifi]

I work as a CNC programmer and the amount of times I get a cad models that people poorly design, and then expect to be able to machine, is just mind blowing. I often have to go back and make some suggestion on how to change the design to allow for easier machine. Thank you for this video...

[casemerasheed]

At this point im just going to comment every time I come back to this video, to reassure my self before I submit a design to be fabricated. This is an extremely informative video👍🏾

[shawarebs]

As a mechanical Engineer, this is one of the most helpful videos I've ever seen. I'd love for another video similar, but with more advanced topics (flatness, perpendicularity tolerances wrt features done on the same vs multiple setups ... etc). Great content!!

[TiMechOfficial]

I graduated as a industrial machinist in 2018 in Germany and changed my skill field to cnc machining in 2019 (DMG 50 1. Generation & 3. Generation + DMU600e + DMU800E) with self taught experience in fusion360/solidworks/inventor i have 4 years experience (3 years of learning not included) and THIS VIDEO IS ONE OF THE BEST DETAILED Tutorial ive seen in this niche! WELL DONE! i would add 1 thing: ALWAYS GO FROM STABLE FORM TO INSTABLE FORM (sorry for bad english -.-), so your part wont fly away ^^

[lephtovermeet]

Some good basic advice that I wish was still standard in many engineering degrees. That being said some of this is quite dated. For instance flat bottom holes are extremely common with helical milling, in fact that's the go to for many machinists, albeit the length and depth requirements still apply. Similar critique for thread tapping. It's not super common to use taps on a CNC. There's too many thread types and type styles, plus the break easily. If you're tapping on a mill, you're likely thread milling, which does have diameter requirements, but again is basically the go-to for many of not most machinists. Also chip clearing taps are super common. Also, t-slot cutting and undercutting are again super common, but you do have to work within the limits of your tools and common sense. Also never just put break edge. Someone is just going to hit it with a file after it comes off the mill. I've seen some real disasters. Finally, much of the increased costs when quoting with autoquoters is fairly arbitrary - they charge more because they can and that's what their algos and data have optimized for - especially xometry, they're a huge offender with really unreliable quality. They're actually just a re-sourcer, so you never know what you're going to get. If you are machining in house what drives up cost is having to buy more tools and holders for those tools, and added setups. If your CNC has a tool changer, it's common to leave 2 or 3 slots open to change in specific tools for the job. It usually adds very little extra time or cost to fabricating. But nice vid, thank you.

[casemerasheed]

Ima a self taught product engineer. Its amazing how many time i come back to this video, when designing parts. It literally answers 90% of what ever design flaws im making.👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾

[BenTheMagnifice]

Surprisingly great video to find on YouTube! Packed with accurate information and no fluff. Please make more!

[Omsip]

2:47 shouldn't the radius be LARGER than a third of height, like you show a few seconds later?

[NathMich]

if you know all about this you are in the 1 best pourcent of designer and you make cnc maschinist so happy and make his work easier. thk for this video from a french maschinist

[RadicDotkey]

You don't need to add forced vocal fry to sound pro. In some parts you sound normal and those are way easier on the ears.

[ChrisTrunek]

Watching this ten minute video just helped me save a lot of money. Excellent clear and simple information. Subscribed!

[russwizinsky]

What a fantastic video. As a machinist I thank you and will be forwarding it to my design team. Very much appreciated!!!

[joemac-qx]

I have spent the last 2 weeks trying to get to know about cnc designing and work and I unquestionably learned much more in your 10minute video than over the whole 2 weeks, !thank you!

[jensonhartmann]

These are great rules of thumb, a great foundation. well done!

[whynotanyting]

I've been meandering on YouTube hoping a video like this exists, and it's here!

[captainmurphy]

WHAT A TON OF GREAT INFO IN 11 MINUTES. THANK YOU SIR.

[runmycode]

Great video, i wish that all new part designers watch and learn from it

[StaleCookies]

As someone who is designing milled parts for product design this video is invaluable. Subbed👏