Comparison of turning and milling

Turning and milling are two typical types of cutting operations. Cutting is a method of using tools to cut and machine various materials such as metals, plastics and wood into a desired shape. It is a processing method to remove chips from the base material and belongs to “removal processing”. During cutting, the tool scrapes the material by moving the tool relative to the material.

When moving the tool and material relative to each other, rotating the tool or material enables high-speed and efficient machining. Turning uses a device called a lathe, a method of rotating the material to transfer and contact the tool for machining. Milling uses a piece of equipment called a milling machine, a way to feed and apply a fixed material by rotating the tool.

A comprehensive overview of CNC machining centres

Lathe machining excels at machining round objects

The elements that make up a lathe are the spindle that holds the material and rotates it, and the tool holder that moves the cutting tool. There is an auxiliary push rod to dampen the material runout. Since lathe machining is performed by rotating the material, the part being machined is machined as a cylindrical, conical or spherical shape.

The elements that make up a lathe are the spindle that holds the material and rotates it, and the tool holder that moves the cutting tool. There is an auxiliary push rod to dampen the material runout.

Since lathe machining is performed by rotating the material, the part being machined is machined as a cylindrical, conical or spherical shape.

There are several types of lathes, and they are selected according to the diameter, length, weight, and required machining accuracy of the material.

The image of a lathe is that the material is mounted horizontally for machining, but there are also types of lathes that are mounted vertically. It is a lathe for heavy workpieces called vertical lathe, which has the feature of not being easily affected by gravity.

To improve the machining accuracy of the lathe, the material must be centered when clamping it to the spindle. The material does not necessarily have to be round and can be held in a four-chuck chuck, but it takes time to center it. Machining with an eye to mass production requires initial costs, but by preparing a dedicated chuck, the machining time per part can be reduced.

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