CNC milling and purpose-built machines
Not every production task can be solved with a machine bought from a catalogue. Where the workpiece is non-standard, the batch is too small for a mass-production machine, or the process sequence exists only in one plant, the sensible route is a purpose-built machine designed around that specific job. Automation Dariusz Kulik, an automation integrator based in Poland with fifteen years in the trade, builds such machines from the mechanical concept through to the finished control software, and carries out precision milling of aluminium profiles and components to customer drawings.
The reference project for this service is a three-axis CNC milling machine for aluminium snap-in muntins, built for a window-industry client. It machines profiles 25 to 60 mm wide and up to 2500 mm long, with all axes on servo drives. That combination — long, slender aluminium sections, repeatable positioning over the full length, and an operator interface simple enough for production staff — defines the class of problem this service addresses. Projects are delivered throughout Poland.
Scope of the engineering work
A purpose-built machine is not an assembly of catalogue items. The mechanical design determines what the control system can achieve: frame stiffness, guideway selection, the way the profile is clamped and supported along its length, and swarf and coolant management all set the ceiling on attainable accuracy long before a single line of code is written. Drive sizing follows from the cutting forces and the required acceleration, not from a round number chosen for comfort.
Servo drives are used wherever position must be held under load or where the axis has to index repeatably to a taught coordinate. Experience from the semi-automatic shaver head assembly machine, where an Xinje DS2 servo drive holds accuracy to tenths of a millimetre, transfers directly to milling applications. The control system is built so that the process parameters an operator legitimately needs — lengths, hole spacings, feed rates, batch counts — are editable from the operator panel without a programmer being called out.
Safety and conformity of a purpose-built machine
A machine built to order is placed on the market by whoever builds it, which makes the safety concept part of the engineering, not an accessory bolted on at the end. Safety functions are implemented either by a safety relay or by a safety controller, and where the architecture calls for it, over an industrial safety network such as PROFIsafe, CIP Safety or FSoE. A hardwired circuit is not the only admissible option and has not been for some time.
One requirement is not negotiable. EN ISO 13850 requires the emergency stop to be a manually actuated device with a latching function and direct opening action. A touchscreen cannot satisfy this, whatever its specification, so every machine receives a physical emergency stop device in addition to whatever the panel offers. A further point worth noting for anyone machining in an atmosphere where dust or solvent vapour may form an explosive mixture: a standard operator panel is inadmissible in such a zone regardless of its IP rating.
Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 applies from 20 January 2027 and replaces Directive 2006/42/EC. It matters for existing machines too, because rebuilding one may amount to a substantial modification. The test is a change in risk, not a change in throughput or speed — a faster machine whose hazards are unchanged is generally not substantially modified, whereas a slower one with a new hazard may well be. A notified body becomes involved only for the high-risk categories.
Contract milling of aluminium
Alongside machine building, aluminium profiles and components are machined to supplied drawings. This suits clients who need a batch of parts before committing to a machine of their own, or who have a recurring operation that does not justify capital equipment. The same tooling and fixturing knowledge feeds back into the machine projects: a fixture proven on production parts is a fixture that can be designed into a machine with confidence.
Scope of work
- Site visit, analysis of the process and definition of the technical requirement
- Mechanical design of the machine: frame, axes, guideways, clamping and workpiece support
- Selection and sizing of servo drives, spindle and measuring systems
- Control cabinet, electrical design and installation
- Safety concept: safety relay or safety controller, guarding, emergency stop to EN ISO 13850
- PLC and motion software, operator panel visualisation with parameters editable by the operator
- Commissioning on site, trial machining and operator training
- Contract milling of aluminium profiles and components to customer drawings
Indicative budget and lead time
Figures below are indicative bands for planning purposes; a firm price follows the site visit. A single machine retrofit falls in the range PLN 30,000–50,000 (approx. EUR 7,000–12,000). A semi-automatic machine costs PLN 50,000–150,000 (approx. EUR 12,000–35,000). A robotic workstation costs PLN 150,000–500,000 (approx. EUR 35,000–115,000), and a production line retrofit PLN 80,000–400,000 (approx. EUR 19,000–95,000). Return on investment typically falls between 12 and 36 months, and between 12 and 24 months for a well-chosen first project. The cost structure behind these bands is set out in the article on the cost of production line automation and its ROI.
Lead times from contract to handover run 1–3, 2–4 or 3–6 months depending on the scale of the machine. Anyone at the stage of deciding what to automate first will find the reasoning in where to start with production automation, and the rebuild-or-replace question is examined in machine retrofit or new machine.
Example from our projects
The automatic three-axis CNC milling machine for aluminium snap-in muntins handles profiles 25 to 60 mm wide and up to 2500 mm long on servo-driven axes. The long-part geometry drove the mechanical concept: support and clamping along the whole length, and axis control accurate enough that a feature at one end of a 2500 mm profile matches the drawing as reliably as one at the other. A related control philosophy can be seen in the semi-automatic shaver head assembly machine, where an Xinje TG HMI and DS2 servo drive gave accuracy to tenths of a millimetre, a threefold throughput increase, zero defects, and settings changed from the panel without a programmer.
Frequently asked questions
Is a purpose-built machine worth it against a catalogue machine?
It depends on how far the task departs from the standard. Where a catalogue machine covers the operation, buying one is usually cheaper and faster. Where the workpiece is unusual — long slender profiles, an awkward clamping requirement, a sequence combining machining with another operation — the standard machine either cannot do the job or does it with fixturing and manual handling that erode the price advantage. A purpose-built machine also carries only the functions actually needed, which keeps the control system and the maintenance burden proportionate.
Can the machine be operated without a programmer on site?
Yes, and this is a design goal rather than an afterthought. Process parameters that change between batches are exposed on the operator panel as named, bounded fields, so a setter can enter a new length or hole spacing without touching the PLC program. The distinction matters: what belongs on the panel is the recipe, while the machine logic and the safety functions stay in the controller. Guidance on selecting a suitable panel is given in the article on how to choose an HMI operator panel.
Can the emergency stop be placed on the touchscreen?
No. EN ISO 13850 requires a manually actuated device with a latching function and direct opening action, and no touchscreen can meet that requirement. The stop function itself may be executed by a safety relay, by a safety controller, or across a safety network such as PROFIsafe, CIP Safety or FSoE, but the actuator the operator strikes must be a physical device.
Does rebuilding an existing machine trigger a new conformity assessment?
It may. Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, applicable from 20 January 2027 in place of Directive 2006/42/EC, treats the question as one of substantial modification, and the test is whether the risk has changed — not whether the machine runs faster or produces more. Each rebuild is assessed on that basis before work begins. A notified body is involved only for the high-risk categories.
Request a quote
Tell us what the part is and what the operation has to achieve, and we will come and look at it. If you have drawings, send them; if you have only a sample and a target cycle time, that is enough to start from. You will have a quotation within 48 hours of the site visit.
Call +48 796 019 414 or write to biuro@automation.net.pl. We work with clients throughout Poland. You can also send your enquiry via the contact form.