Milling is a machining method in which a milling cutter is used as a tool to process the surface of an object. When working, the tool rotates and the workpiece moves. The workpiece can also be fixed, but at this time the rotating tool must also move. Milling machines include horizontal milling machines or vertical milling machines, as well as large gantry milling machines. These machine tools can be ordinary machine tools or CNC machine tools. Cutting with a rotating milling cutter as a tool. Milling is generally carried out on a milling machine or a boring machine, and is suitable for processing planes, grooves, various forming surfaces (such as splines, gears and threads) and special shapes of molds.
Milling covers a wide variety of different operations and machines, from small individual parts to large, heavy-duty combined milling operations. It is one of the most common processes for machining custom parts to precise tolerances.
Milling can be done with a variety of machine tools. The original machine tool category used for milling is the milling machine. After the advent of CNC(computer numerical control )Â in the 1960s, milling machines evolved into machining centers: milling machines added automatic tool changers, tool magazines or turntables, CNC capabilities, cooling systems, and housings.
Milling is a cutting process that uses a milling cutter to remove material from the surface of a work piece. The milling cutter is a rotary cutting tool, often with multiple cutting points. As opposed to drilling, where the tool is advanced along its rotation axis, the cutter in milling is usually moved perpendicular to its axis so that cutting occurs on the circumference of the cutter. As the milling cutter enters the work piece, the cutting edges (flutes or teeth) of the tool repeatedly cut into and exit from the material, shaving off chips (swarf) from the work piece with each pass. The cutting action is shear deformation; material is pushed off the work piece in tiny clumps that hang together to a greater or lesser extent (depending on the material) to form chips. This makes metal cutting somewhat different (in its mechanics) from slicing softer materials with a blade.
The milling process removes material by performing many separate, small cuts. This is accomplished by using a cutter with many teeth, spinning the cutter at high speed, or advancing the material through the cutter slowly; most often it is some combination of these three approaches.[2] The speeds and feeds used are varied to suit a combination of variables. The speed at which the piece advances through the cutter is called feed rate, or just feed; it is most often measured as distance per time (inches per minute [in/min or ipm] or millimeters per minute [mm/min]), although distance per revolution or per cutter tooth are also sometimes used.
Most CNC milling machines (also called machining centers) are computer controlled vertical mills with the ability to move the spindle vertically along the Z-axis. This extra degree of freedom permits their use in diesinking, engraving applications, and 2.5D surfaces such as relief sculptures. When combined with the use of conical tools or a ball nose cutter, it also significantly improves milling precision without impacting speed, providing a cost-efficient alternative to most flat-surface hand-engraving work.
CNC precision parts custom manufacturer
There is a company specializing in the custom machining of precision parts -Â Shanghai Languang Precision Machinery Co., Ltd., with a wide range of machining services such as CNC turning, milling, drilling and surface treatment, providing the most cost-effective solutions. If you want to learn more about CNC precision machining, or need custom parts, you can visit Shanghai Languang Precision Machinery Co., Ltd. website to contact us.
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