Glossary CNC milling

CNC milling is a machining production process in which materials such as metal, plastic or wood are machined with the help of a CNC lathe.

During milling, the workpiece (also known as the semi-finished product) is firmly clamped in the machine table while the tool rotates. It is pressed against the workpiece by a feed movement in such a way that a chip is lifted off. This feed is created by moving either the machine table or the milling tool.

CNC milling machines are computer-controlled (CNC = Computerized Numeric Control), which means that complex milled parts can be produced automatically with high precision in up to 5 axes.

For the best quality in CNC milling, various parameters must be coordinated. The most important of these are the cutting speed and the feed rate.

The ideal cutting speed depends on the material in question, and the desired surface quality of the finished milled part or the wear on the tool are also important factors.

A sensible cutting speed is therefore always a compromise that takes into account the desired properties of the finished milled part, the target costs and the time required.

The same applies to the feed rate, which determines how many millimetres per revolution the tool works its way into the workpiece. If the feed rate is too high, this leads to increased tool wear and quality defects.

These two examples alone show that quality in CNC milling can be controlled within wide limits and that high quality can hardly go hand in hand with the absolute lowest prices.

High-quality CNC milling requires experience, especially when it comes to machining special materials – including milled parts made of titanium, Hastelloy, Kuprodur, stainless steel or other materials.

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