A milling machine is a versatile tool room machine which is used to remove undesirable metal from the sheet metal to give a specific shape to an object. The first milling machine was invented by Eli Whitney for producing interchangeable Musket Parts. After that, there were many developments brought in a milling machine which has made it a special kind of tool room machines. Due to these developments, the metal can be removed now with more speed and accuracy. The developments brought in versatile features in a milling machine as so now a milling machine can not only perform metal cutting but it can also used for boring, slotting, circular milling dividing, and drilling. Different types of milling machines were developed with versatile features which are briefed below:-
Types of Milling Machines
Basically, there are two types of milling machines, horizontal milling machines and vertical milling machines. Further they can be classified into plain or universal and manually or digital controlled milling machines. A milling machine for your workshop can be considered based on its specifications, features you require.
Horizontal & Vertical Milling Machines
- The horizontal milling machine and vertical milling machine differs from each other in terms of spindle axis orientation. The vertical milling machine is commonly used because it is an affordable milling machine. Moreover, a horizontal milling machine provides clean operations by enabling the metal chips to fall away from the cutting area.
Plain Milling Machine
- A plain milling machine can be used for limited operations, whereas a universal milling machine can be used for versatile operations by fitting different attachments in it. Some of the commonly used attachments in universal milling machines are rotary table, indexing fixture, rack cutting attachments and table swivel housing.
Mechanically Controlled Milling Machine
- A mechanically controlled milling machine are commonly used in the workshops but if you require more precision and speed in the cutting or drilling of a sheet metal, then there are suppliers of tool room machines who also provide CNC milling machines which are computer operated milling machines and provide best quality output.
Some of the most common milling machines which are the combination of all the above machines are all geared universal milling machine, all geared vertical milling machine, universal geared drive and turret milling machines.
How to Use a Milling Machine for Perfect Accuracy?
- Before starting a project, make sure that the workpiece, table, taper in the spindle and arbour or cutter shank are all free from chips and are clean.
- Never choose a larger diameter miller cutter than required.
- Always keep miller cutter sharp.
- While milling machine is in operation, never change the feed or speed of the machine.
- When clamps are being used to secure the workpieces, make sure that they are tight and the workpiece is held properly so that it doesn’t vibrate or spring while cutting is in process.
- All the safety measures should be followed and the job should be planned properly to achieve perfect accuracy.
Factors to be Considered While Buying a Milling Machine
The foremost factor to be considered while buying a milling machine is of course the type of project to be performed on the machine. The success of any sheet metal job depends on the machine selected for that particular job. Milling machine is considered to be the most versatile metal working machine and if chosen carefully, can accomplish many jobs at your workshop which will limit the use of the resources and can be profitable for your business. So, before selecting a milling machine for your workshop consider the complexity of the job to be done and determine the number of axis variants required. Some milling machines come with inbuilt milling accessories, whereas some need to be purchased and attached with the milling machine. So, just don’t go for a cheap milling machine, you need to consider cost-effectiveness also. This doesn’t mean that you buy an expensive milling machine with lot many inbuilt accessories which are of no use to you. Always determine your requirements properly and go for a milling machine just suitable to that.
