Milling vs Turning
Written by webtechs

Milling vs Turning

The manufacturing industry uses lots of machining processes to create workpieces out of raw or half-formed materials, some of the most typical of which comprise of milling and turning. Similar to other machining processes, each of them necessitates the utilization of a machine. Through milling and turning, a machine is used for removing material from a workpiece, as a result altering the shape and size of it. So, what are the differences between milling and turning?

What Is Milling?

Milling is a machining process in which a machine — usually a milling machine — takes away material from an immobile workpiece with a spinning cutting device. The canon behind this machining process is like turning: a cutting tool is pressed toward a workpiece, therefore taking away material from it. The primary differences between these two machining processes lie in their use of spinning. In turning, the workpiece spins. In milling, the cutting device spins.

There are two primary categories of milling processes: face and peripheral milling. Face milling is attributed to a cutting process at or near the corners of the cutting device. By comparison, peripheral milling is characterized by a cutting process along the diameter of the cutting device. Whether or not it’s face or peripheral, nevertheless, all milling processes entail the spinning of the workpiece. The cutting device used in milling processes doesn’t spin. Instead, it always stays stationary.

What Is Turning?

Turning, in contrast, is a machining process in which a machine — usually a lathe — takes away material from a spinning workpiece with a cutting device. Through turning, the workpiece moves where in which the cutting device stays fixed.

Boring is one other process that entails using a lathe. With each boring and turning, the lathe’s stationary cutting device gets pressed toward a spinning workpiece. The dissimilarity is that turning is designed to take away material from the outside of a workpiece, conversely boring is designed to take away material from the inside of a workpiece. Boring, for example, can be utilized to expand pre-bored holes in a workpiece by taking away material from the holes inside walls

In Closing

Milling and turning are two general machining processes that take away material from a workpiece with the assistance of a cutting device. However, they use different processes to achieve this objective. Turning drives the workpiece to spin, where in which milling drives the cutting device to spin. Using different mechanisms, they each provide unique advantages when used in the manufacturing industry.

East Valley Precision – Custom Machinery Specialists

East Valley Precision offers custom CNC Turning in the Chandler, Arizona and surrounding areas. When you need precision CNC turning and milling contact East Valley Precision. Call us at 480-288-6601 for more information or use our form for a quote.

CNC Turning
Written by webtechs

What is CNC Turning?

Are you thinking about different manufacturing methods to make your part(s)? Want to learn more about CNC turning to determine if it’s suitable for your application?

CNC Turning is a method of manufacturing in which bars of material are kept in a chuck and “turned” while a device is fed to the piece for removing material to create the required shape. A turret, with a device attached is programmed for moving the bar of raw material and eliminates material to create the pre-programmed result. This is also known as “subtraction machining” due to it involving material “subtraction”. If the machine shop has both tuning and milling abilities the rotation can be stopped for allowing the milling out of additional shapes.

Meaning of CNC Turning

CNC Turning can be broke down into 2 parts:

  • CNC” is an acronym for computer numerical control and portrays the mechanization of a machining method.
  • Turning” is a method in which the workpiece turns whereas a single pointed cutting device removes material.

The initial material, though usually round, can be other shapes like hexagonal or squares-shaped raw materials.

Subject to the bar feeder, the length of the bar can differ. This impacts how much handling is needed for high-volume jobs.

CNC lathes or CNC turning machine shops have tools installed on a turret in which is controlled via computer. The more tools that the turret can accommodate, the more choices are available for intricacies on the part.

CNCs with “live” tooling choices, can stop the bar rotation and add additional features like drilled holes, slotted and/or milled areas.

Many CNC turning shops have a single spindle, allowing work to be done all from one side, whereas other turning shops, have two spindles, a primary and sub-spindle. A part can be partially machined on the primary spindle, moved to the sub-spindle and have added work done to the other side of this configuration.

CNC Turning

There are many various kinds of CNC turning shops with different types of tooling and spindle options, outer diameter restrictions in addition to speed and power capacities that impact the types of parts that can be inexpensively made on it.

Turning is an adaptable machining method capable of making a wide variety of profiles subject to the turning method used. The usefulness of lathes and turning shops allows for straight turning, knurling, taper turning, external grooving, boring, threading, and drilling.

Overall, lathes are limited to more simple turning operations, such as straight turning, external grooving, threading, and boring processes. The tool turret on turning shops allows the shop to finish all the operations of a lathe in addition to more complex operations, like drilling off the rotation axis.

East Valley Precision – Custom Machinery Specialists

East Valley Precision offers custom CNC Turning in the Chandler, Arizona and surrounding areas. When you need precision CNC turningand milling contact East Valley Precision. Call us at 480-288-6601 for more information or use our form for a quote.