Using CNC Router service and buying a CNC router machine are the two mainstream machining methods of the current woodworking industry. Using CNC router service is equivalent to outsourcing the product machining process. You don’t have to spend a fortune to buy a CNC wood router, nor hire a worker to operate the machine. CNC machine service providers may provide you with better and cheaper CNC router projects, provided that you can find a qualified CNC routing service provider.
Buying a CNC router is gradually being accepted by more and more factories. Because users believe that the benefits the CNC router machine will bring will be far more than its investment.
This article introduced the advantages and disadvantages of choosing a CNC router service and buying a wood CNC router. It also gives several tips for how to choose the CNC router service and a CNC router.
What is CNC router service
CNC router service refers to the services that CNC machining companies provide to cut and engrave products with various CNC machines based on their customers’ requirements. It belongs to a kind of management strategy. When a company requires certain CNC routing projects but it is unable to carry them out by itself, the emergence of the CNC router service perfectly solves this problem.
As a computer controlled processing, the CNC machining service may provide cutting and engraving parts with high precision and accuracy in a short time. Most of the CNC machining companies are able to process various types of materials, such as wood, plastic, foam, composite, metal and alloy. But you still need to confirm if a CNC router shop can process your CNC router projects in advance.
Who would choose CNC router service
You can see, from the above, that the nature of CNC routing service is business outsourcing. Simply put, a company needs some CNC routing projects or CNC router designs, but it can’t do them by itself. So It is likely to choose the CNC router service. The company will sign a contract with the CNC machine service provider. The service provider is obliged to provide CNC routing service based on the company’s requirements and the company shall pay the related service fees.
In short, a company that requires CNC router projects but has no CNC router machine or no ability to make them by itself often choose the CNC routing service.
Why choose CNC router service
The market witnesses the emergence of many CNC router service providers, which also reflects the popularity of the CNC routing service. Here’s the reason why choose the CNC routing service.
1.Meet your customized requirements
It may seem as if operating a CNC wood router is easy but the engineering, design, and construction to execute a project can be quite complex. The CNC router service providers can handle all of that for you and are readily available for any of your custom CNC machine service needs.
You can provide the CNC machine service provider with DXF, DWG, STL, PDF, JPG or any other files in the format that the service provider supports. In case that you don’t know how to design such files, you can also tell your needs to the CNC router providers. Because some CNC router service providers also offer design services with additional charge.
2.Save your time
The CNC router service providers can produce your desired CNC router designs quickly. This leaves you a period of time that you can use for other work. For example, you can use this time to look for other potential customers, or upgrade your own company service.
3.Save money
If you choose the CNC router service, you don’t have to spend a fortune to buy and maintain a CNC router machine. Neither to specially hire an operator to do the cut and engrave work. This could save you thousands even tens of thousands of dollars of machine investment and an amount of labor cost.
4.Professional and extensive industry applications
CNC router service providers can help take your design from idea to engineering through fabrication. Many CNC machining service providers have several years of CNC routing service experience. They have CNC equipment of various types and functions to meet the CNC routing needs of various industries. With its precision and high speed, large scale art production, custom sign fabrication, furniture, and set design is made possible with a shorter completion time.
Why not choose CNC router service
There are also some shortcomings or not appropriate reasons for not choosing CNC router services.
1.Pay expensive processing fees or other fees
Although choosing the CNC machine service can save plenty of money, you still need to pay certain processing fees and other fees to the CNC router service provider. The professing fees depend on the machining time. The average processing cost is usually $80 to $100 or even more. In addition, if you need design services or your project is hard to cut or engrave, you may need to pay additional fees.
2.Wait for delivery
After receiving your orders, the CNC router service provider will arrange the processing projects. When the service provider is not available right now, you may need to wait for their schedule. Besides, if you choose an online CNC machining service provider instead of a local one, it also takes time to send or ship your projects to your place. This may also incurs additional transportation fees or freight.
3.Pay attention to unqualified processing quality
There are so many CNC routing service providers, and their processing quality is uneven. So it requires you to spend time and energy choosing a CNC router shop that provides qualified CNC router service. Sometimes, you may pay for some poor-quality products to learn the performance of a CNC machine service provider.
Advantages of buying a CNC router
The CNC wood router has become an indispensable equipment in the modern woodworking industry. This has close relations to the powerful advantages of CNC router machines.
High efficiency
The highly automated wood CNC router can cut and process products automatically and tirelessly. what’s more, the upgraded automatic functions or devices, like auto tool change, auto loading & unloading platforms ,and auto labeling device, can also improve the working efficiency of the woodworking CNC router.
High flexibility
Compared with buying the CNC router services, one of the largest advantages of buying a wood CNC router is the flexibility. For instance, if you feel that there is a need to adjust certain parameters to produce better results during the processing, you can stop the processing at any time and adjust the parameters. Or you can conduct a test cutting on various types or sizes of materials.
With a woodworking CNC router, what to process, when to start and how long the work takes all depend on your decisions.
Reduced waiting time
When you have a CNC wood router, you can start the product design and machining at any time. So you don’t have to take time to choose a suitable CNC router service provider, check its schedule and wait for your CNC router project to be sent or delivered.
Accelerated investment return
Although you spend a lot in purchasing the CNC wood router, you can carry out the CNC wood cutting based on your requirements in a flexible manner. The more products you make and sell, the more revenue you earn. It can accelerate your initial investment.
Shortcomings of buying a CNC router
Need initial investment
It requires a sum of money to buy a CNC router machine. The mini CNC routers, like 6090, 6015, 1212, etc., requires at least $1000, let alone those with larger effective working size and more complete functions. This could cost you twenty or thirty thousand dollars. Small or home workshops usually can’t afford this investment.
Require labor cost or other costs
In case that you don’t know how to operate a CNC router machine, you may need to take time to receive some CNC machining training or to hire an operator. This requires you to pay additional CNC machining training fees or labor fees.
Besides, you need to leave enough space to place the machine. And the machine operation consumes energy and requires regular replacement of worn parts, incurring energy costs and maintenance costs.
Require certain CNC knowledge
As mentioned above, if you don’t want to hire an operator additionally, you need to master certain CNC router machine operating skills. This may include the use of CNC router software, and CNC machine basic knowledge.
CNC router service or CNC router, which to choose
Has it become easier to choose between the CNC router service and a CNC router machine, after seeing the advantages and disadvantages of the two? The following tips may give you a hint.
When you are not good at CNC machine processing, and have small demands on the CNC router designs, you can find a CNC router service provider and tell it your needs.
In case that your company just needs the CNC router projects occasionally and doesn’t require frequent wood CNC machining, the wood CNC service can satisfy your demands.
There are few materials you need to process. It is not worthwhile to buy a wood CNC router, but the CNC machining service could be a better choice.
If you don’t have enough budget or you feel that it would be a very long time to gain profit after buying a CNC wood router, the CNC router services may be your most cost-effective choice currently.
When your company doesn’t live on selling CNC router projects or isn’t engaged in the CNC machining industry, the CNC routing service could be good assistance.
However, except for the above circumstances, buying a CNC router machine seems to be the best choice. For instance, you need to process a large number of parts, require frequent CNC machining, or take the CNC router cutting as the primary business. If you are a cabinet manufacturer, whole house custom furniture making manufacturer, wood signs, acrylic letters, artworks, craft and gift workshop, only buying your own woodworking CNC router can meet your large-scale, long-term and multi-purpose machining demands.
How to find a qualified CNC router service provider
1.Make clear your machining requirements
Knowing what products you need helps you determine the type of CNC router service you require. Nowadays, most CNC routing service providers can provide custom CNC routing service across various sectors. From a small traveling souvenir to personalized advertising signs, to large traditional furniture or a large lightbox, CNC machining service can meet all your demands.
2.Investigate the information of the CNC router service provider
This step requires you to take time and energy to investigate and check if the CNC router service provider is qualified from the following aspects:
Experience
CNC machining companies that have served for long have the much-needed expertise to ensure some quality work is down. You’ll find those that have been offering CNC machine service for more than ten years. Going for one that has rich experience in CNC machining service will guarantee you some top-quality work.
Equipment used
Checking what CNC router machines a CNC router service provider uses can also help you understand its service and product quality. Many wood CNC service providers do not use up-to-date machines for CNC wood cutting or engraving. So the product precision or custom requirements may not be guaranteed. It’d better choose the CNC router shop having relatively late or up-to-date CNC router machines.
Service provided
The services offered by a good CNC router service provider include but not limited to product and delivery management, quality control, upgrading of equipment, complete customer service, etc. If all the material type and size, machining options, tolerances, support equipment, production volume and application industries meet your requirements, it may be a suitable CNC router shop for you.
3.Customers’ reviews and referrals
The customers’ reviews can reflect a company’s service and product quality to some extent. In addition, you can get recommendations from other people who have had the chance to seek CNC router services from these companies. They have an idea of them and will recommend you to those that are considered the best. Do not forget to ask important questions on some of the things you may need to know about these services. This may include the price, type of equipment used, and even the quality of services rendered. Getting referrals will give you a variety of options to pick, and you will settle for the best.
How to buy a suitable CNC router
1.Make clear your processing needs and tasks
Whether buying CNC router service or a CNC wood router, the very first thing is to figure out your own processing requirements. You should know that buying one CNC router machine can not solve all types of wood works. Different models of CNC routers aim to solve different machining tasks.
2.Select appropriate specifications and models
If your business mainly involves the production of 3D signs, acrylic letters, double-color plates, badges, crafts, etc, the advertising CNC router can meet your requirements. For example, 6090 CNC router, 1212 CNC router, etc. Such advertising CNC router is quite suitable for engraving work of high precision.
However, if you are a cabinet, door, bed or panel furniture manufacturer, the big size CNC router with ATC, auto loading & unloading platform, auto labeling platform, rotary device, drilling head or other upgraded components can best suit your needs.
3.Find a right CNC machine manufacturer
The internal structure of CNC router machines made by various CNC machine manufacturers is basically the same, but the machine quality can be quite different. So it is necessary for you to spend time looking for a qualified CNC machine manufacturer. You can investigate from such aspects as professionalism, production capacity, brands of parts and components, delivery ability, service ability and customer reviews.
4.Sign a contract
The first thing to do is to sign a contract after deciding to buy a CNC wood router. The contract shall specify the model, specifications, price, delivery time and method, guarantee terms, way of payment and other rights and obligations of both parties.
5.Receive after-sales service
After accepting the CNC wood router, you need to simply install and debug the machine and run a test cutting. You can communicate with the CNC machine manufacturer to ask for solutions in case of any problems occurred during this process. A good CNC machine manufacturer should have a complete service system and try its best to solve all problems not caused by human factors.
Conclusion
Although it’s hard to see which one is better, choosing the CNC router service and buying a CNC router machine have their own appropriate circumstances. In summary, CNC router service is convenient and suitable for rush CNC routing requests or temporary CNC wood cutting needs. However, if you want to take CNC machining as a long-term investment, buying a CNC router machine is better. By owning a wood CNC router, you can make CNC router projects in a more flexible and efficient way, and accelerate the return on the initial investment.
The above article lists the respective pros and cons of buying the CNC machining service or buying a woodworking CNC router. I hope it can be helpful for you to choose between the two.