Internal corner radius
Sharp internal corners are not possible to produce using conventional machining techniques. Therefore all internal corners need to have a (small) fillet/chamfer on them.
- Minimum corner radius: 1 mm
- Preferable corner radius: 1.5 mm or larger
Slot width
Due to tool rigidity and chip evacuation, there is a practical limit for thinnest slot that can be milled.
- Minimum slot width: 2 mm
- For shallow slots, this can be lowered to 1 mm
Aspect ratio
Same as with the slot width, in order to produce designed features, there need to be enough clearance for chips to evacuate the cutting zone and longer the required tool is, the more it is prone to chatter and breakage.
- Maximum aspect ratio: 1:3
Wall thickness
Thinner walls are easily deformed during the machining process (and are more prone to vibrations etc).
- Minimum wall thickness: 1.5 mm
Hole size
Limits for hole sizes.
- Minimum hole size: 0.8 mm
- For meticulously well designed parts, this can be lowered to 0.5 mm
Threading
Limits for threading.
- M2 - M12, maximum threaded length is 3 * diameter (eg. for M4 it's 12 mm)
- M3 or larger preferable
- M1.4 and M1.6 are in the realm of possibility
- For blind holes, bottom 30% will not be threaded
Overall size
Limits to the overall size.
- Maximum size: 400 mm x 300 mm x 50 mm
- For parts thicker than 10 mm, the delivery time will be longer
Edge chamfer
Placing a small chamfer on all edges that are not strictly required to be sharp is a good idea. If the actual dimensions of the chamfering are not relevant, this can be specified as "break all sharp edges" when ordering the part.
- Available angle: 45deg
- Maximum width: 5mm
- If necessary, other angles can be machined using 3D-interpolation (not suggested)
Tolerances
Final dimensions are a combination of machining tolerances and part geometry (large thin areas are more likely to warp etc). Tighter tolerances also result in longer manufacturing time and increased price per part.
- Two tolerance classes: +-0.1mm and +-0.05mm
- If tighter tolerances are required for some holes (bearings etc), they can be bored or reamed to size
Materials
Material list is non-exhaustive, if more exotic material is really needed, don't hesitate to contact us.
- Aluminum 5754 and 6082
- POM-C
- PMMA
- PC
- PTFE
- Laminated foam (Vikupor)
- Foamed plastic
- Brass
- Copper
- Mild steel
- Stainless steel