Estimated reading time: 2 mins
In modern manufacturing, you only need two machines to be able to start making products to sell; a computer and a CNC machine. These devices can be used together to create a wide range of different products. Along with some items you can buy off of the shelf, this sort of setup is enough for most small businesses looking to break into manufacturing. But, how exactly do you start a process like this? It can be hard to know exactly what you need to do; before you start manufacturing. To help you out, this post will be going through some of the most important aspects of this journey to consider.
To start, you can’t run a factory; if you’re not going to make anything. A lot of new plants like to go down the route of making things for other people. But, with your limited resources; this could be too much to do at the start. And, instead, you need to make something you can sell after it’s been made. For example, a lot of computing enthusiasts like to have precise cable management inside their computers. To achieve this, machined parts are often used as a way to make things look tidy. Selling cable tidies for this purpose could be a great way to start. Or, if you already have a business; you should make something related to it.
A CNC machine can’t work without a computer. And, the sort of computer you need for this sort of work will be a powerful one. Running 3D CAD software will use a lot of your computer’s resources. So, you need something with plenty of power to get the job done. A computer with a graphics card is best; this enables the computer to 3D objects in much greater detail. Along with this, a recent generation i7 or i5 from Intel, paired with at least 16gb of RAM, should be plenty for your machine. Most people will buy a prebuilt computer for this job. But, if you want to save a little bit of money; you could attempt to build one yourself.
Once you have a good computer in order, you need to choose the machine you’re going to use. This decision will largely be based on your budget; you’ll be trying to get the very best machine for your money. To do this, it can help to look at the second hand options around you. Once you find something, you should look at reviews for the product when it was new. If you can’t find anything this way; you may have to look at companies like Mills CNC lathes which offer finance. This sort of resource is great for those who want to get started; but, don’t have the money to buy their tools straight up.
Hopefully, this will inspire you to start working on your own home factory. A lot of people don’t realise how easy it can be to get into the manufacturing world, nowadays. This sort of business is booming, too. And, of course, it isn’t set to disappear anytime soon.
