What’s the Difference Between CNC Router and CNC Mill?

CNC router and CNC mill are pretty much the same, except when it comes to the materials they work on.

However, an expert machinist knows the difference and can spot them from a mile away.

Both CNC router and CNC mill are computer operated.

However, CNC router is only used to mill non-metal objects like wood and plastic.

CNC mill, on the other hand, is used to mill metals and other harder objects.

Let’s take a look at the main differences between these two CNC machines:

Design

CNC routers come with gantry style design. They are made up of a variety of materials such as plywood, plastic, aluminum, and steel.

The harder the material the tougher the machine will be.

CNC mills are much stronger than CNC routers.

Typically, they are made up of steel and cast iron.

CNC mills are also smaller in surface area compared to CNC routers.

Cutting Area

CNC routers have a larger cutting area compared to CNC mills.

Since CNC routers are used to mill non-metal materials, they come with larger cutting area and beds.

And since CNC mills work on metal stocks, they need concentrated milling and thus they have a smaller cutting area.

Z-axis Travel

Another significant difference between CNC mill and CNC router is the travel distance on Z-axis.

CNC routers have smaller Z-axis travel and CNC mills have larger Z-axis because are required to deep cuts.

Spindle Speed

CNC routers have faster moving spindles compared to CNC mills.

Nevertheless, CNC mills have high torque as they need to cut through heavy-duty metals.

Materials

As we mentioned earlier, CNC routers are used to mill softer materials such as plastic and plywood.

CNC mills are used to mill harder objects and heavy-duty metals.

Accuracy

CNC routers are less accurate as woodworking does not require utmost precision.

CNC mills are more accurate as metalworking requires the exact same specifications.

Conclusion

CNC routers and CNC mills are both great machines to practice your machining skills.

Nevertheless, they can be quite expensive.

If you are looking to hone your machining skills using a CNC machine, we suggest you convert your old machines into CNC using a CNC conversion kit.

For more information, reach out to CNC Conversion Plus.

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