Custom CNC’d Products Memo

            The idea of custom CNC’d products for customers has many benefits as well as hurdles. Many people could benefit from having the option of having products they are interested in, customized and tailored for them. It gives them the option of having exactly what they want instead of settling with what they can find available. However, with this customization comes some hurdles with it as well. For instance, the equipment needed to customize can get expensive, and the quality, durability, and flexibility of the machine’s is proportional to the cost of the machines. There is also the issue of time, for learning the software involved, as well as the time it takes to digitally create that custom product, and then finally the time it takes to physically make the product.

            There are a lot of people looking for custom CNC’d products, even if they do not know it yet themselves. These products can include, but not limited to, custom cabinet drawers, precision engraving on nearly any type of surface, and 3d carvings such as pictures, portraits, etc., of which can be done from companies like the one’s listed in the article, TOOLING/CNC PRODUCTS by CabinetMaker+FDM. It can be made relatively affordable compared to something you could buy off the shelf, depending on what it is they want customized. It also allows the customer to have something unique, which a lot of people really love having something that they can hold onto that can be sentimental to them. Although there are hurdles, they can be tiered into steps to make it affordable and allow for upgrades of the equipment as the business becomes more successful. There is learning to the software, however it is straightforward as the basic concepts are understood and there are tutorials online that cost nothing and can be fun to learn. As long as the time it takes is accounted for in the cost of the custom product, it can be recouped, as well as the more it is done, the more it can be fine tuned and be done in a shorter amount of time.

            The initial CNC machine will be made by buying the parts individually and designing it myself, which allows for better customization of the machine and allows for it to be easily upgraded as the funds become available. I will be utilizing my 3d printer that I already have for most of the brackets and custom parts needed to build the machine, and can then use the CNC to eventually upgrade itself with more robust parts, further improving its accuracy, durability, and flexibility for what can be done with the machine. I already have a shop with all necessary tools that has enough room for the initial machine and will be eventually upgrading the size of the shop once we move in a year or two, which will allow for a greater sized machine allowing for easier production of products, as well as warehousing of those products.

            As I already have a 3d printer, the software for 3d modeling is the same and I am already intermediately skilled in designing 3d models, which will allow for less learning time of the software. The software I use also already has CAM software built in, which is what tells a CNC machine what to do with the material put into the machine. One benefit to a CNC is once everything is setup and after any errors in the process and system for a product are worked out, the material can be put in and the machine will do the rest, which gives more time to work on other aspects of the products.

            Although CNC machines are becoming more readily available and there are more people doing them, it is still rare and hard to find someone that has the equipment and skills to customize a product as such. The market and demand are out there for custom CNC’d products and if done correctly, can be very profitable. As you can see the hurdles that are associated with this can be overcome relatively easily, and as the business grows, so will the amount of customization and equipment on hand, further increasing the products available. The time it takes to make products will also decrease as I become more skilled at doing so. Overall, the benefits to this service heavily outweigh any problems associated.