Machining

The preamble of machining includes a series of Production methods, which are characterized by the machining of workpieces for producing a desired shape.

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How does cutting work?

During cutting, material is continuously removed from a blank through a tool cutting edge, whereby the named chips are produced as a waste product. The machining is one of the most widely used manufacturing processes, which has gained great importance in the metalworking industry.

In machining, a distinction is made between tools with defined and undefined cutting edges. In defined-edge machining—such as milling or turning—the shape of the cutting edge is known. In undefined-edge machining—such as grinding—only a statistical description of the tool geometry is possible.

In the metal-processed industry today, in addition to conventional manual machines, state-of-the-art CNC machine tools with extensive automation of the work processes are used. These are distinguished by high efficiency and precision and are particularly suitable for series production of metallic workpieces.

Overview of spanning manufacturing processes
In the metalworking industry, the three cutting manufacturing processes are widely used: turning, drilling and milling. In addition, there are a number of other methods which are used in the post-processing of workpieces. Below you will find an overview of the most important processes in the area of machining. These are divided into the groups of geometrically determined and geometrically indetermined processes.

Geometrically Defined Cutting Methods	Geometrically Undefined Cutting Methods
Turning	Grinding
Drilling	Honing
Milling	Lapping
Countersinking	Abrasive Jet Machining
Reaming	Mass Finishing
Shaping
Broaching
Sawing
Filing
Scraping

Drilling

During drilling, the tool is displaced into a circular cutting movement and simultaneously executes a feed movement in the direction of the axis of rotation. Depending on the desired bore contour, various drilling methods such as drilling into the full material, drilling, rubbing, tapping and profile grinding are used. Since heat is produced during the drilling process, a cooling lubricant is frequently used in the process.

Turning

The turning is a cutting method which is used primarily for the production of rotationally symmetrical components. During rotation, the workpiece to be machined is set into rotation, whereby the tool moves the contour to be produced and thereby transfers material. The manufacturing process is used in the metal processing industry, for example, for the production of shafts, bolts, spindles, hubs and axles.
More to turning

Milling

Milling is used, for example, for the production of grooves, steps, pockets, contours or surfaces. In contrast to turning, the tool and not the workpiece are moved during milling. During milling, a distinction is made between the counter-running milling and direct-running milling depending on the direction of the feed movement.
More to milling

The three main processes are explained in more detail below:

Turning and milling part of Schoch Edelstahl GmbH

Turning and milling parts from Gröbmer GmbH

W.R.P. Precision Turning Parts

Advantages of cutting

Spanning has a number of decisive advantages and therefore enjoys great popularity in different industries. The main advantages at a glance:

Quality: Depending on the method, very narrow dimensions and shape tolerances can be maintained during chipping.
Flexibility: Thanks to the large number of cutting methods, users can find a suitable machining technique for almost any geometric requirement.
Automatization: The chipping can be automated to a high degree and is therefore excellently suited for the cost-effective production of components in series production.

Materials for chipping

The most widely dispersed material is steel. Steel is characterized by a carbon content of less than 2% and can be combined with various alloying elements to facilitate machining. In addition, chipping is also used for further iron materials such as cast iron and also for non-ferrous metals such as aluminum, titanium, magnesium and copper. In addition to the metal processing industry, chip-bearing processes are also used in wood and plastic processing.

Modern CNC machines for cutting

More and more modern CNC machining centers are used today, especially in the field of series production. CNC machine tools are equipped with a table and are able to machine the workpiece independently and automatically. All processing steps, including the required tool change, are carried out independently without personnel use and can be reproduced as often as desired.

CNC machining of Schüco International KG

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