Chapter 01
Bench layout for repeatable test cuts
Centurion Lab is aimed at prototype work, light milling, and test parts that need to match from one run to the next. The setup keeps the CNC footprint compact while leaving practical space for tooling, measuring, and material handling.
Centurion Lab is set up around small-run prototype work where dimensions need to stay consistent across repeated passes. Typical materials include MDF, plywood, plastics, and light aluminium, with space kept aside for measuring tools, stock offcuts, and cutter changes. In South African workshops, dust load, chip control, and power interruptions often shape how a compact CNC station is arranged.
A photo of the machine area before changes helps show where workholding, extraction, and material flow are getting in the way. That record is useful later when a spoilboard is resurfaced, a vice is moved, or tooling is swapped for another test series. Notes kept near the machine also help different operators return to the same datum and setup checks.
Chapter 02
What the lab brief should cover
The Centurion Lab brief should pin down the material in use, the kind of parts being tested, and the tolerance that matters on those parts. It should also show how the bench is being used now, including measuring space, clamping method, and any recurring issue during runs. For light milling, a simple setup that can be repeated matters more than extra accessories with no place on the bench.
Before expanding the setup, compare the current machine area with the test parts you need to produce and note where handling or measurement breaks the flow. Describe finished samples, failed cuts, and the bench itself. If chatter, cutter wear, or stock movement is part of the problem, write that into the brief with the materials and tolerances.
- Compact CNC layout for prototype parts
- Bench photos showing clamping and measuring space
- Related: compact Systems, prototype Labs, and datum-check Insights
- Test-part details, materials, and tolerance notes
Chapter 03
Workshop conditions around Centurion
Centurion Lab suits benches where prototyping, light milling, and inspection need to happen within one compact area. In Gauteng conditions, fine dust, hot afternoons, and stop-start power can affect how long runs are planned and how often rails and work surfaces are checked. If there is already a machine, fixture set, or metrology routine in place, that should form part of the project brief.
Material storage and chip handling matter when sheet goods, engineering plastics, and aluminium all pass through the same small workshop. Inland dust tends to build up on linear motion parts and measuring surfaces faster than many first layouts allow for. A useful review should test actual stock, actual cutters, and the repeatability needed on the finished part.
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Chapter 04
What to send with test parts
Send the Centurion Lab brief with test-part photos, tolerances needed, materials in use, and any chatter, tool breakage, or workflow issues already encountered.
Send the Centurion Lab brief with clear photos of the parts being made, the machine area, and any defect worth noting. Include target dimensions, acceptable variation, material type, cutter information, and whether breakage or chatter appears at a certain stage of the cut. That makes it easier to assess the compact CNC footprint against the work being asked of it.
