Now that we are past the halfway mark of 2020, we can look back and see how far CNC machining has come in the past decade, and predict what trends might come next for the industry.
Industry experts have already predicted that the CNC machining sector stands to make in the neighborhood of $5 billion in 2020.
But just like every other industry, the CNC Machining industry has also been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Since the pandemic hit, businesses who were forced to shut down were also given the time to assess their weaknesses and strengths. Many companies sold off CNC machines they didn’t need anymore and purchased machines where they saw an opportunity to grow. Coming up for the rest of 2020, in areas where we see the pandemic continue to expand we may also see businesses shut down again and the cycle continues,” explains Tom Kohm, President & CEO of Premier Equipment, the largest seller of used CNC machines.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the top 4 trends for CNC machining in 2020.
1. Personnel; putting the right people in the right place. There seems to be some suggestion that current technology is approaching a point where human employees will no longer be needed. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
The truth is however, that CNC machining has advanced to the point of doing the job of several employee positions. This is not meant to be a threat, but rather a situation that should be embraced with open arms. All of this modern CNC machining equipment will need some very tech-savvy individuals to make sure that these machines stay updated and well maintained.
2. Upgrading out-of-date software. This is by far the single most important trend of CNC machining in 2020 and beyond. The new CNC devices have improved production of precision parts, and these machines can do the work of 4 or 5 operators with much more accuracy and speed. Keeping machine software current will be important in 2020 and for years to come.
3. Smaller equipment. CNC equipment has done exactly what every other device has done; become more small and more compact over the years. As technology moves forward through 2020 this trend will continue with smaller CNC machines.
4. The use of 3-D printing. 3-D printing will continue to be one of the biggest CNC trends for 2020. Using 3-D printing technology, an exact replica of the part can be copied by the CNC machines. 3-D printing will probably see its biggest gain in popularity in 2020.
Hopefully these trends will give you some great input on how to streamline your CNC machining services. The future is definitely a bright one for CNC machining.
