Pointers to Make a CNC Drawing

Posted On: June 19, 2020

CNC machining has been used in manufacturing units across industries for several years now. It is a machine-based process used to make various parts, components, or assemble a final product made usually of metal or plastic. These machines run and are controlled with the help of certain computer programs. Plastic or metal sheets undergo the required transformation through processes such as cnc milling, forming, grinding, cutting, and so on. So, CNC machining is an important part of several manufacturing processes dealing with plastic or metal parts. But, the most important part of this entire process is the product design and that of each component. An accurate design prevents the chances of flaws or bugs at later stages in the manufacturing process. Various 2D and 3D software such as CAD and Solidworks are available to make these designs. This post focuses on the process of making a CNC drawing for CNC machining.

Making CNC Drawing with the Help of a Computer Program and Design Software

CNC machining has been used in manufacturing units across industries for several years now. It is a machine-based process used to make various parts, components, or assemble a final product made usually of metal or plastic. These machines run and are controlled with the help of certain computer programs. Plastic or metal sheets undergo the required transformation through processes such as milling, forming, grinding, cutting, and so on. So, CNC machining is an important part of several manufacturing processes dealing with plastic or metal parts. But, the most important part of this entire process is the product design and that of each component. An accurate design prevents the chances of flaws or bugs at later stages in the manufacturing process. Various 2D and 3D software such as CAD and Solidworks are available to make these designs. This post focuses on the process of making a CNC drawing for CNC machining.

More About Creating Actual Drawings

You can create 2D as well as 3D drawings. However, initially you need to create a 2D design to get the required length and width. For 3D, you need to add thickness. After all these three parameters, the pattern comes into picture, as in some parts may require holes, while other may need lines at specific angles. Through G-code or your own algorithm, you need to give the required pattern-related instructions to your CNC machine. The code file will be saved and the part will be produced once the program is run, and this cycle will continue till the required number of parts is produced. 2D designs are created instantly; however, 3D designs might take time depending upon the complexity.

Steps to Create a Technical Drawing

Here are steps to create a technical drawing needed for CNC machining:

• CNC drawings are important as they offer technical clarity, and helps facilitate communication between the design engineer and CNC machinist or operator.
• Along with the size and type of the part, a good drawing also includes details regarding threads, surface finishes, tolerances, and so on.
• The CAD design offers inputs to the machine, while these details serve as references to the machinist. Also, these details throw light on the actual manufacturing costs.
• It is a good practice to create three to four different files, wherein one has the technical details, and a CAD design with two to three different views.

You can make the technical drawing in three to four parts:

• A title block containing the entire design or a bird’s eye view
• A pictorial view for ease of understanding the details
• An orthographic view which represents a 2D view of a 3D design to understand the exact dimensions
• A section view for internal detailing of each section of the part
• There is also a detailed view which is a magnified version of the orthographic view. It helps identify the difficult dimensions and is coded with letters or numbers which are in context with the main drawing. For example, letter A may denote a detailed portion of the main drawing with the same letter.


• Ideally, the most important section views and their orthographic view should be placed in the center.
• Clarify the symmetry axes, planes, center marks, and so on with the help of construction lines for all section views.
• Next, add the dimensions and specific details about tolerances, thread lengths, size, location, and so on.
• Lastly, make sure you fill in the title block properly and mention details especially for non-standard sizes, colors, surfaces, or parts.

If you are OEM manufacturing plastic parts, toys or similar products, mechanical or electromechanical products, printed circuit boards, and so on, you might likely be using CNC machining for production. While most players accept or designs or drawings in certain file formats, the CNC machining service provider can do it for you as well. Ensure you partner with a reliable player such as BDE who would understand your component requirements. BDE Manufacturing Technologies offers all kinds of CNC machining services, and is totally focused on achieving the required quality and precision.

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