CNC machines use a high speed electric motor that is guided in the X, Y and Z direction by stepper motors. It’s like an under-control RotoZip. It takes a different mindset to use than 3d printing, but you can achieve precision results. A small, inexpensive CNC machine can easily mill to a .05mm accuracy. We have a small 300x180x40 mm all metal body machine. It is controlled by the computer using CAM (computer aided manufacturing) software. I use EstlCAM, but there are many different programs available for running CAM machines. Go over to our “The LAB” section to see more information about the machine.

A milled logo in pine wood. That’s a 1×2 piece of wood.
The key was broken off, so I ordered an aftermarket replacement shell and blank key. The electronics fit in the shell fine, but the key needed to be re-cut on the blank. I scanned the original key piece and then fed the image to the CAM software after having Inkscape convert it. It wasn’t perfect the first time, but a working key was successfully cut from a scanned picture!