Minimum wall thickness for 5-axis CNC machining
The minimum wall thickness for 5-axis CNC machining is 0.8 mm. That is the value we guarantee without added risk; thinner is often possible, but only after engineering review and an explicit agreement on distortion risk.
- Below 0.8 mm risk rises quickly: in machining the wall chatters under cutting force, which costs you dimensional accuracy and surface finish. In printing, the chance of warping and breakage during depowdering and post-processing grows.
- Practical rule of thumb: keep the height of a thin wall under roughly 15× its thickness, and distribute material into ribs rather than one tall thin wall. You keep stiffness without driving up price.
- Our automatic DFM check measures this at upload and warns before the quote, not later on the shop floor.
Frequently asked questions
- Can it go thinner than 0.8 mm?
- Often yes, but not as standard. Send your CAD file: we assess the span, height and function of the wall, then confirm whether it is feasible and at what surcharge.
- What happens if my wall is too thin?
- The DFM check flags the part at quote time. We usually propose a local thickening, a rib or a different process — far cheaper than a rejected first batch.