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Design Guide: CNC Machining

With all of today’s innovative CNC machining capabilities, it’s important to understand the strengths and trade-offs of this process. Download our guide for CNC manufacturability recommendations to optimize your designs, reduce machining time, and lower your costs.

Download the Guide

a part being CNC machined

When it comes to producing precision metal and plastic parts, CNC Machining offers unparalleled results. By subtracting from raw materials, rather than printing in layers, CNC Machining enables you to build market-testing prototypes and production parts with the material you need and the finish you want.

With all of today’s innovative CNC machining capabilities, it’s important to understand the strengths and trade-offs of this process. Download our guide for CNC manufacturability recommendations to optimize your designs, reduce machining time, and lower your costs.

A Look Inside at the Table of Contents

  • Overview
    - What is CNC Machining?
  • CNC Manufacturing Standards
    - General Manufacturing Standards
    - General Tolerances
    - Part Tolerances
    - Size Limitations
  • Design Guidelines
    - Part Complexity
    - Fillets
    - Holes
    - Pockets and Cavities
    - Wall Thickness
    - Threads & Tapped Holes
    - Embossed & Engraved Text
    - Undercuts
  • Materials and Post-Processing
    - Metal Materials
    - Plastic and Composite Materials
    - Inserts
    - Part Markings
    - Finishes
  • Additional Resources
    - Quick Design Reference Chart
    - Additional Resources at Xometry

About Xometry

Xometry is the industry leader in custom, quick-turn CNC machining services for rapid prototyping and production parts. Our online Instant Quoting Engine gives you a CNC machining quote within seconds. Then we make your machined metal or plastic parts and get them to your door in as few as 2 days. We inspect the parts and manage your order.

Our massive partner network means that whatever your part, we have a shop and a machine that can make it. We integrate seamlessly with over 3,000 vetted manufacturing partners in the U.S. including ITAR qualified facilities and we are ISO 9001:2015 and AS9100D certified.

With such a high volume of qualified shops and over 40 certified materials available, using Xometry takes the guesswork out of CNC part sourcing. Our partners support the latest in CNC machining and turning processes, can support a high level of part complexity, and provide exceptional surface finishes. We can also machine and inspect to any 2D drawing, always ensuring you have the CNC machined parts you need, at-quality and on time.