The US entertainment industry is worth nearly $650 billion annually, covering concerts, conferences, film, television, digital streaming, live stage performances, speaking events, theme parks, and other events. The CNC machining industry has quietly become an increasingly important player within this vast sector. Performances of all types require equipment and rigging that depends on the accuracy provided by CNC machining. Industry insiders in the entertainment sector understand how CNC technology has become a vital yet largely unnoticed part of many performances and events.
Where the CNC Machining Industry & Entertainment Meet
CNC machines can form items from many different materials with incredible detail and precision, making them vital elements for stage and other entertainment events. For an array of parts used in various equipment and systems, the CNC machining industry has become integral for making components for the entertainment industry. Programmable CNC machines can readily reproduce items for events management as well as film and television productions. Additionally, CNC machines can work with alloys and metals, composites, plastics, or other materials to suit any production need.
Some of these entertainment industry applications include:
- Camera tripods
- Communications equipment
- Crowd control barricades
- Lighting, projection, sound, and video systems
- Modular stage risers
- Parts for fog, pyrotechnic, rain, smoke, snow, wind, and other special effects machinery
- Permanent stage platforms
- Rigging apparatus
- Slip hinges and other hardware used for stage scenery
- Stands for microphones
While digitized or 3D-printed props have their place in the entertainment sector, the CNC machining industry’s capabilities can streamline prop production. Its versatility makes it a go-to technology for all types of entertainment events and productions. CNC equipment like EDM(electrical discharge machining) and 5-axis milling machines provides an efficient means to fabricate molds for mass-producing injection-molded prop items, offering greater accuracy than those made with 3D printing.
CNC Machining Industry in Film Production & Management Events
Various movie productions have additionally relied on CNC machining over the past few decades. In 2014, for example, CNC machines were used to fabricate sets and props for Interstellar. The CNC machining industry is involved in more technical aspects of filmmaking as well, helping to bring a character’s action to life. The SnorriCam rig that attaches to an actor requires complex components with tight tolerances made by the CNC machining industry to create unique and dynamic visual effects. 
CNC technology often hides in plain sight in events and productions. Precision machining of brackets, housings, mounts, and other complex components used in lighting systems ensures stage events go off without a hitch. Audio/visual equipment parts, like projecting devices or speaker casings, often require tight tolerances that other types of production, like 3D printing or injection molding, just can’t achieve.
Many of the components for the entertainment industry are made from less expensive metals like aluminum or its alloys. Aluminum is used not just due to economics but because it’s lightweight yet strong and is also suitable for CNC machining. In the entertainment industry, this work is often done with 5-axis CNC machines, which can produce large volumes of complex components quickly. These high-tech CNC machines need fewer setups, with their operation supporting longer tool life, closer tolerances, and better surface finishes.
The Staub Difference in CNC Machining for the Entertainment Industry
Staub Precision Machine Inc. provides a wide range of services. This includes CNC machining for the entertainment industry. Staub’s automated setup makes us especially adept at large-scale production, for which we can assist in the design phase through production, including finishing work. Staub can make a wide array of components for the equipment used for stage performances, political events, major concerts, and other large live events. To learn more about our capabilities, contact the machining experts at Staub today.
Last updated on June 9th, 2025 at 01:41 pm
