The milling machine is one of the most important tools used in modern manufacturing processes. Skilled metalworkers use milling machines to create metal parts used in many products, as well as some finished products.
How It Works
A milling machine works by cutting material away from the surface of an unshaped block. By carefully carving the surface of the blank material, the milling machine can create parts for machines or engines, basic tools like bolts and screws, or finished items such as molds used for creating items out of plastic or other materials.
Milling machines work by applying a rotating cutting head to the surface of a piece of raw material. The cutting head is shaped to have a succession of teeth, which cut and scrape away at the material to form the desired shape. The milling process is not entirely different from the way a carver works on a piece of wood, using special knives and other tools to cut and carve the surface of a block of wood to form a specific item. Material is removed a little bit at a time until the final shape is correct. Using a range of different cutting tools, milling machines can make either vertical or horizontal cuts, can drill large or small holes into the raw material, engrave the surface, create a smooth or curved surface, or cut threads. The machines are frequently designed so that both the cutting head and the raw material can be moved on any axis, giving the operator a high degree of control over how the raw material is milled and allowing cuts to be made either vertically or horizontally. This makes milling machines useful for producing a wide array of items.
Powerful, Flexible Production Tools
Milling machines can also be adjusted in numerous ways to work with different materials. They can be sped up or slowed down to work with softer or harder metals, as well as fitted with different cutting tools to work on different metals. The height of the cutting surface can be carefully controlled as well, down to thousandths of an inch or less, which also increases the operator’s control and the range and quality of items that can be produced. Milling machines range in size from tabletop designs perfect for a small metal shop to huge industrial machines that support large factory processes.
Milling machines also take advantage of computerized control for both greater precision and faster manufacturing. CNC systems, short for ācomputer numerical controlledā systems, increase milling productivity while maintaining quality. On a CNC milling machine, the design to be milled is created on a computer, usually via a CAD program. Once the design is finished, the program breaks it down into a series of instructions for the milling machine. The entire process of milling is then completed with the computerized machine following these instructions. Using a CNC milling machine means that even complex milling processes can be completed correctly every time, reducing the chance of operator error and often speeding up the production process. Even a CNC milling machine needs a skilled operator to oversee the process, however, to make sure that the machine is set up and functions correctly and to spot any problems and fix them.
Milling machines are some of the most powerful, flexible tools available for the modern metal shop. They are useful for creating all kinds of tools and parts, from simple bolts to a complicated reproduction part for a car engine. Any job that requires shaping, drilling, cutting grooves or threads, or engraving can be done using a milling machine.