How to start a CNC machining business

Machine choice follows market

A benchtop mill serves prototypers and hobby markets; a used VMC ($15-40k) serves real job-shop work; a router serves signage and furniture. Decide who you will invoice before deciding what you will bolt to the floor.

Know your hourly cost before quoting

All-in machine rate = (purchase price / useful hours) + maintenance + tooling averages + energy + floor space share. A $30k VMC over 10,000 hours is $3/hr in depreciation alone - most one-person shops land at $30-60/hr all-in before labor and margin.

Win work against bigger shops

Speed and communication beat scale in the under-$5k-order market. Same-day quotes, honest lead times and photos of finished work convert customers that big shops ignore. An instant-quote page on your site captures the buyers who will not wait.

The capacity trap

One machine at 40% utilization pays for itself; the second machine bought too early sinks cash flow. Raise prices and add unattended hours before adding spindles.