What is 5 axis CNC machining

Before understanding 5 axis CNC machining, you'll have to understand what a normal 2 axis and 3 axis CNC machining is.

A 2 axis CNC machining system has the ability to modify objects on a plane. This plane has only two coordinate systems, the x and the y axis.

Objects can be moved on a plane. If the plane is upright then an object can be modified top to bottom and left and right or forward and backward.

On a 3 axis CNC machine, an object can be modified in space. It can be modified, left and right, top to bottom, and forward and back. You may be wondering, isn’t a 3 axis CNC machine enough to handle any given object.

Since it can modify an object in space then it must be able to transform an object at any given point. All this is correct but there is still a need for 5 axis CNC machining. Why?

On a 2 axis CNC machine, you can modify objects in a plane. On a 3 axis CNC machine, you can modify objects in space. On a 4, 5, 6, and so on and so forth axis CNC machine, you’ll be able to modify an object on several axes. Modifying an object on the x, y, and z planes may not be enough to create a perfect sphere.

Maybe a 45 degree angle axis will help in smoothening out the sphere. Going further an opposite 45 degree angle axis may also help do the job and so on and so forth.

The more axes on a CNC machine translates into a more complex piece of equipment. For 5 axis CNC machining equipment, you can take advantage of the extra two axes aside from the x, y, and z planes. If you are making a piece of art, you can rotate the object in two more ways than the usual x, y, and z movements.

The extra axes may be a circular axis, a diagonal axis, or whatever. As long as the extra axes help in the production of the final product, you can always have a 5 axis CNC machining tool handy.

The extra axes on a 5 axis machine are commonly called the Q and the B axis. The Q axis is normally associated with the rotation of the product whilst the B axis is associated with the tilting of the product. This is the nomenclature that is used in many 5 axis machines but it can always vary from machine to machine.

If you are having a hard time picturing what 5 axis CNC machining is all about then thinks of an airplane. Imagine the number of ways it can move in the air. First, think about the plane moving forward in the forward-backward plane.

This is the first movement and your first axis. Second, think about the plane going up and down in the altitude plane. This is the second movement and your second axis. Third, think about the plane turning left and turning right. This is the third movement and your third axis. Here comes the tricky part. Now you have to imagine the plane rolling like a barrel. This is the fourth movement and your fourth axis. When a plane rolls from being upright to being upside down, its axis is entirely different from the other three.

The fifth movement is even trickier. When a plane lands, imagine the nose tilting upward but not increasing in altitude. This is the fifth movement and it is your fifth axis. The 5 axis CNC machining equipment can modify an object in the same manner that the plane moves around space.