What Is a Milling Machine? Parts of a Milling Machine

Machines that remove material from workpieces, usually with linear feed motion, using a cutter that has multiple cutting edges, are called milling machines.

Milling machines are used for purposes such as machining flat and angled surfaces, cutting slots, and making linear or circular divisions (cutting gears).

Parts of a Milling Machine

The parts of a milling machine can be examined in three separate areas: main parts, heads, and accessories.

Main Parts of a Milling Machine

Column: This is the main component of the machine, made of cast steel, which carries the gearboxes. It’s resistant to impacts and doesn’t flex. In addition to the column, some milling machines also have a gearbox in the head.

Knee: This is the part that can move up and down and carries the saddle on top of it. 

Saddle: Using a slide-and-guide system on the knee, it moves in the cross-feed direction together with the table mounted on top of it.

Table:This is the flat-surfaced part with T-slots cut into it so workpieces can be clamped down. The table, which can move longitudinally, is guided on the saddle via a dovetail slide on its underside.

Heads

The heads of a milling machine are the parts that set the positioning of the milling cutters.

Milling Machine Accessories

Arbors

An arbor is a collared shaft that mounts milling cutters to the machine and lets them rotate to remove material. There are long and short arbors for horizontal and vertical heads.

A long arbor with a module milling cutter mounted on it

Video of mounting cutting tools onto the arbor on a milling machine (above)

Dividing Head and Tailstock Center

 Universal dividing devices used on a milling machine to divide workpieces into equal or unequal linear or circular spacings are called dividing heads. On milling machines, mounting straight cylindrical workpieces and short and long shafts with a center hole on their end faces is done between the dividing head and the tailstock center.

Rotary Table

 There are horizontal and vertical types available depending on the job.  It has “T” slots on its table so parts can be clamped to it. Rotary tables are used for die sinking, circular milling of internal and external surfaces, marking out and machining cam profiles or surfaces, and cutting large-diameter internal and external spur gears.

Vises

Flat, straight parts are usually clamped using vises.  Especially workpieces that need to sit at a true 90°, are clamped in position using vises. In addition, swivel-base vises make it possible to machine angled surfaces by rotating to the desired angle value.

For detailed information, see: Types of Vises

Clamping Blocks

Workpieces that are too large or oddly shaped to be clamped with vises are secured with the help of clamping blocks/step blocks.

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