Looking for advice on the designs of these components for 3 axis CNC milling.

[Neil C]

This is part of a product I’ve been working on for the last year or so and I am at the point of making up a prototype. Part of the design requires 13 or 17 of these joints. They are aluminium and I’ve tried to design them in such a way they can be cut on a three axis CNC mill.

So now I’m looking for someone with a three axis CNC or who uses a CNC to look over the drawings and point out any problems or ways that the designs may be improved so they are easier to produce.

There are 4 different designs and one set is 17 units. X2 x4 x7 x4, though there are some small variations like different counter bore depths for the bearings.
I presumed that when cutting them you would cut several from the same length of bar at once. Is that possible? And is there anything I need to take in consideration in the design to make this easier?

I’ve designed them so all the parts can be milled from the same square bar but at the moment most are 42 x 42mm and it may make it easier to make them all 44.45 x 44.45mm, so they can be cut strait from bar bought off the shelf, 1 ¾ inch. It would mean some compromises in the design but if it made them much cheaper to produce it might be worth it.

I’ve made them so they all have two sides to cut with a flat base to lay them on and parallel sides to clamp them but again it would be a real help to have some who is used to 3 axis CNC milling look them over.

And then also I’m looking for someone in the UK who would make up this first set.
Any advice welcome, all the best, N.