Business requires us to take calculated risks. One of the safest of those risks is investing in aluminum machining. Here is why.
We live in a world of wanton opportunity. More than ever before, there is a vast wealth of opportunities to explore and profit from. The emergence of technologies of many kinds have greatly driven advancements in manufacturing as well as product and service delivery.
Of these advancements, aluminum machining stands as one of the most noteworthy. Human kind yearned for ways to product goods faster, more accurately, and more efficiently. Modern aluminum machining methods have made these advantages not only possible, but a ubiquitous mainstay of modern manufacturing. Serving a growing global population that will increase even further, modern aluminum machining methods are a necessity as much as they are a luxury. It truly is a great time to be alive.
CNC machining is perhaps the most cutting-edge method of aluminum machining and so, for the purposes of this article, we are going to focus on this method in particular.
Simply put, CNC aluminum machining harnesses the computing power of a central unit to control the machining actions of a host of machining. Spelled out, the acronym means Computer Numerical Controlled machining. Having been around in its current form for less than 20 years, the breakthrough method is the backbone of modern mass production. Aside from metals like aluminum, CNC is also used to machine other materials such as plastic and wood.
As a business, CNC machining stands as one of the most profitable technical businesses that anyone can start. CNC shops with established reputations can turn profits of more than 60% of total revenue. In this piece, we are going to discuss a few reasons why you should start an aluminum machining shop (or invest in one).
There are two different ways to look at these reasons – from a purely business-oriented or from the technical side. We will begin with the former.
Aluminum machining is crucial to a multitude of industries worldwide: Many of applications of CNC machines, software, and personnel are channeled towards the manufacturing industries like the automotive industries i.e. trucks, large equipment, heavy machinery, agro implements, and things of the sort. Aside from these of course, spare parts for these same industries also collect a large swathe of the share of raw materials.
There is a relatively low barrier to entry: Compared to other similar fields of endeavor (those that have high industrial input requirements), aluminum machining has a low barrier to entry. Skilled workers are easy to find and even easier to train. Yes, there is a cost, but it is not as prohibitive as people think.
Reduced operation/labour costs: Because machines run pretty much everything, there is a greatly reduced labour requirement. This means that resources that would be hitherto spent on all kinds of skilled technicians can be better invested in other areas such as management and marketing.
That is it for the business side of the whole equation. Next, we move on to the more technical aspects.
CNC machining inherently allows for Material Versatility: A CNC machine can work on Almost any material. All it depends on is the application that the manufacturer intends for the finished product. Metals that shine under CNC machining include aluminum, brass, copper, steel, titanium, wood, foam, fiberglass, as well as different plastic materials.
It also allows for Fast production: The speed, efficiency, and repeatability of CNC machines makes it so that CNC services are able to manufacture high quality output at a rate that far outstrips conventional means and methods of production. This means that companies can scale their production to accommodate otherwise overwhelming mass-market demand.
Modern aluminium machining allows for increased Precision and accuracy: The level of precision and accuracy that CNC machines possess in processes like boring, drilling, and grinding are unmatched by human hands or even other methods of machine-intensive production – and this serves a major advantage.
It can also be applied to a variety of use cases: This is a large one to unpack. You see, aside from the other mass-market applications to aluminium machining, there are other niche, more artisanal use cases that sometimes, prove more exciting than just taking orders from carmakers.
One of these less common use cases is engraving and customization. Customizing personal items and possessions has never been as popular as it is now and with that said, CNC machining allows this to be possible. Imagine – you have a metal MacBook that with just the apple logo and it looks awfully dreary and boring. You can play with a variety of designs for the outer shell. Better still, you can build a business around doing that same thing for other peoples’ gadgets and charging them good money for it. This is just one of the many (more quirky) applications that fall completely under the purview of modern aluminum machining.
You see, aluminum is an extremely versatile material. As such, it happily lends itself to undergoing extreme stress in order for it to be worked into intricate shapes, finishes, and textures. This is perhaps why large companies in the aerospace, automotive, and consumer electronics niches love incorporating aluminum into their products wherever possible.
With a perfect material density, manageable melting point, conductivity, and malleability, aluminum is tailor-made for use in parts manufacturing. There are multitudes of independent parts manufacturers that turn over millions of dollars by simply taking outsourced orders from large manufacturers. A reputation is extremely crucial to the business, as most large clients will only deal with shops with which they have a good running relationship, or at least one that has an excellent reputation, pedigree, and general goodwill.
There you have it, if you are on the fence regarding whether or not to look into aluminum machining as a viable business option, you should hop off and get actually invest. With the right combination of skill, management, and customer service, your aluminum machining business can create immense wealth for you and value for your customers.
