Milling can mean different things in different industries. When it comes to machining of parts, milling refers to the use of specific types of rotary tools to cut away material to create the desired shape.
The Advances
Milling has been done in different ways across time. Today, CNC precision milling is considered the gold standard, allowing for extremely precision removal of the material from the workpiece to create amazingly detailed shapes that would not have been possible in the past.
With the new generation of CNC precision milling, extremely tight tolerances can easily be maintained across a few parts to large orders of thousands of parts. Additionally, since the machine uses directions from the software to create the shape, there is never any deviation from the original computer drawing.
Another change that has occurred with this advancement in the technology is the ability to turn the basic milling machine into a full machining center. This allows both milling (which involves advancing the workpiece at an angle with the tool axis) as well as machining and turning.
Types of Equipment
To complete specific applications with CNC precision milling, there are two different configurations or types of machines in use. One is the vertical milling machine, and the other is horizontal. Both offer the same high levels of accuracy and precision for both small as well as large parts.
The vertical mill has the cutters held on spindle axis that is designed to orient to the vertical. The horizontal mill has the cutters mounted with a horizontal orientation. Generally, because of the design, vibration and movement of the workpiece are easier to control with the horizontal milling machine, allowing for faster and more significant removal of material.
Both types of systems can be a good option. Typically, the desired shape, amount of material to be removed and the complexity of the shape will make one option a better and more effective choice for a project than the other.
