Machine Tools
Machine Tools — Wiki
How machine tools are built, specified and compared — from spindles and axes to choosing the right platform for the job.
25 entries in this group.
- Automatic Tool ChangerAn automatic tool changer swaps the tool in the spindle from a magazine in seconds — what lets a machining centre run many operations without an operator.Sep 7, 2026
- Ball Screw vs Linear MotorBall screw vs linear motor is the choice behind a CNC axis: a rotating screw and ball nut or a direct magnetic drive. Force and cost against speed and accuracy.Sep 7, 2026
- CNC RouterA CNC router is a light, fast gantry machine built for wood, plastic, composite and soft-metal sheet — high spindle speeds, big table, lighter cutting loads.Sep 7, 2026
- CNC SpindleA CNC spindle is the powered rotary unit that spins the cutter in a mill or the work in a lathe; its drive, bearings and heat set speed, torque and accuracy.Sep 7, 2026
- Coolant System & Chip ManagementA machine's coolant system and chip management deliver fluid to the cut and carry the swarf away — the plumbing that lets a machining centre run on.Sep 7, 2026
- EDM MachineAn EDM machine erodes metal with controlled electrical sparks instead of cutting it — the way to make deep mould cavities and complex shapes in hard steel.Sep 7, 2026
- 5-axis Machining Centre5-axis machining adds two rotary axes to the mill, letting the tool reach angled and contoured surfaces and cut a complex part in one setup.Sep 7, 2026
- Gear Cutting MachineGear cutting machines generate gear teeth: hobbing machines cut in volume, gear shapers reach shoulders and internal gears, and grinders finish hard.Sep 7, 2026
- Grinding MachinesGrinding machines finish parts with an abrasive wheel: surface grinders for flat faces, cylindrical grinders for round ones, on metal too hard to cut.Sep 7, 2026
- GuidewaysGuideways are the sliding bearings behind every moving machine axis: box ways for heavy damping, linear rails for speed and low friction.Sep 7, 2026
- Headstock & TurretThe headstock & turret are the two working ends of a lathe: the headstock spins the work in the chuck while the turret indexes the tools that cut it.Sep 7, 2026
- Machine ControllerThe machine controller is the CNC computer that reads the program, plans the tool path and drives the servos — the brain that turns code into cutting.Sep 7, 2026
- Machine Structure & RigidityMachine rigidity is how a machine tool resists deflection under cutting force: the structural loop, static and dynamic stiffness, and why it matters.Sep 7, 2026
- Machine ToolA machine tool is a powered machine that shapes metal by removal — rigid and accurate enough to make the parts that everything else is made with.Sep 7, 2026
- Machining CentreA machining centre is a CNC milling machine built for production — automatic tool changing, full guarding and often a pallet changer make it a complete cell.Sep 7, 2026
- Mill-turn MachineA mill-turn machine pairs a turning spindle with a full milling head, so one machine turns, mills and drills a complex part — finished in a single setup.Sep 7, 2026
- Milling MachineA milling machine shapes parts with a rotating cutter fed against a workpiece on a table; CNC milling machines automate it for prismatic work.Sep 7, 2026
- Pallet ChangerA pallet changer swaps the whole workholding table of a machining centre, so one pallet is cut while another is set up — and the spindle never waits.Sep 7, 2026
- Rotary Table, Trunnion & IndexerA rotary table, trunnion or indexer adds rotation to a machining centre — indexing the part to new faces or turning it as a fourth or fifth axis.Sep 7, 2026
- Servo Motor & EncoderServo motor & encoder basics: the servo drives each CNC axis and the encoder measures its position, closing the loop that makes a machine move accurately.Sep 7, 2026
- Swiss-type LatheA Swiss-type lathe feeds long, slender bar through a guide bushing and slides the whole headstock to cut — so delicate parts are machined without deflecting.Sep 7, 2026
- TailstockA tailstock supports the free end of long, slender work on a lathe so it does not sag or chatter — and carries a centre or a drill to the part.Sep 7, 2026
- Turning CentreA turning centre is a CNC lathe built for complete production: a turret of tools, live milling, a C axis and often a sub-spindle finish a part in one setup.Sep 7, 2026
- Turning MachineA turning machine — the lathe — spins the workpiece against a stationary tool; CNC turning machines automate this for round, axisymmetric parts.Sep 7, 2026
- Wire EDM MachineA wire EDM machine cuts profiles through metal with a thin charged wire — the precision way to make dies, punches and accurate shapes in hardened steel.Sep 7, 2026