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    What is a milling machine? What is the difference with number of different axes?

    Milling machines are widely used for metal cutting which is one of the common machine tools. They are divided into various types according to different machining methods and are also divided into vertical and horizontal types according to the position and direction of the spindles. The most common machine tool is a three-axis machining center, however, as the requirements are getting higher and higher, it has begun to develop into four-axis and five-axis machining centers to meet the requirements of various complicated machining.

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    What is a milling machine?

    A milling machine is a machine tool, usually used for metal cutting. The most significant difference from a lathe is the rotation of the cutting tools, rather than relying on the rotation of the workpiece. Three-axis milling machine is equipped with X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, they also have additional axes of rotation, if needed, such as a five-axis, which has three linear axes and two rotary axes, allowing the cutting tools to operate on a 180-degree hemisphere or more.

    The milling machine is used to cut the surface, it can mill out the formed surface, the spiral groove, or the tooth profile of the gear through the special-shaped milling cutter. During milling, the workpiece is mounted on the worktable or the indexing head, and the milling cutter performs the cutting motion in a rotating way. The cutting motion is supplemented by the feed motion of the worktable. This method of machining the surface of the workpiece with a milling cutter as a tool is what we call milling.

    Types of Milling Operations

    • Vertical Milling Machine Processing

    In this type of processing, the tool spindle is in a vertical position, and the rotary tool head is set in a vertical plane. The quill axis can also make short-distance up and down movements, which is advantageous for layered milling. Some machines even have rotating attachments or worktables, allowing the milling of circular grooves or parts for continuous small-scale production.


    • Universal Milling Machine Processing

    This type of milling machine is the most versatile and can perform longitudinal, transverse, and vertical movements. It can also rotate in the horizontal direction by 45 degrees on each side, along with three directions of feed on the table, enabling the use of various milling cutters to meet different conditions and requirements.


    • Horizontal Milling Machine Processing

    This machine is used for milling large workpieces and accurately reproducing surfaces and contours. It employs longitudinal motion and feeds the rotating milling cutter at an appropriate speed to remove a large amount of material.

    Different Types of Milling Machines

    Milling machines can be classified into various types based on the type of processing, such as bed-type milling machines, plain milling machines, and specialized milling machines. As mentioned above, they can be further categorized into vertical and horizontal milling machines based on the position and direction of the spindle.


    • Three-Axis Milling Machine: Conventional machine tools have three axes, and three-axis machining is performed using the linear feed axes X, Y, and Z. The X-axis and Y-axis allow the workpiece platform to move left and right (1 axis) and forward and backward (2 axes), while the spindle head (3 axes) is used for cutting the workpiece.


    • Four-Axis Milling Machine: In four-axis milling machines, a CNC rotary table is installed on a versatile machining center, allowing all four axes to operate simultaneously.


    • Five-Axis Milling Machine: Five-axis milling is one of the most suitable methods for machining freeform or compound surfaces. With increasing demands for complex geometries and high-precision manufacturing of turbine blades, precision molds, and other components, traditional three-axis, and four-axis machines may not meet the precision requirements. Therefore, multi-axis machining is becoming a trend for the future. In five-axis machining, the feed axes X, Y, and Z are combined with the rotary axes A, B, C, and linear interpolation is performed among these five axes, enabling optimized tool movement along the entire path. The tool can simultaneously undergo linear motion and maintain cutting conditions throughout the entire path.

    Comparison of differences in milling machines

    Main image photo by Adobestock

    Reference Market-Prospects

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