Back to Home Page of CD3WD Project or Back to list of CD3WD Publications

		Setting-up and Operating of Horizontal or Vertical Milling Machines - Course: Techniques for machining of material. Trainees' handbook of lessons (Institut für Berufliche Entwicklung, 25 p.)
			(introduction...)
			1. Purpose and importance of milling
			2. Types and design of milling machines
			3. Preparation for setting-up and operation of horizontal or vertical milling machines
			4. Setting-up and operation of horizontal or vertical milling machines
			5. Maintenance and servicing of milling machines

2. Types and design of milling machines

The types of milling machines or their names, respectively, are attributable to their application or construction.

Basic types:

- Knee-type milling machines (horizontal or vertical)
- Ram-type (or saddle-type) milling machines
- Piano-milling machines
- Keyway and slot milling machines
- Form copying and engraving millers
- Thread milling machines
- Gear milling machines
- Special milling machines.

Knee-type milling machines are the most popular machines among the above-mentioned types since, in conjunction with additional attachments, they have a wide field of application. For example, the following additional attachments are available: vertical milling head, universal milling head, rotary indexing table, universal indexing head, slotting attachment.

Knee-type milling machines consist of three main units:

- Frame: base plate, column, overarm, counter bearing, knee, saddle and machine table.
- Drive: milling/spindle drive, feed drive and other drives for special attachments between milling cutter and workpiece.
- Control: elements and devices to control the relative movements between the cutter and workpiece.

Figure 8. Horizontal milling machine

1 base plate, (base) 2 column, 3 knee, 4 saddle, 5 machine table (table), 6 overarm, 7 counter bearing, 8 screw nut for knee movement, 9 coolant return line, 10 cutter arbor (long arbor), 11 main control console (control panel), 12 auxiliary control console, 13 main switch, 14 selector switch, 15 main hand adjustment, 16 auxiliary hand adjustment, 17 guideways, 18 guideway covers, 19 speed selector lever, 20 speed dial scale, 21 feed selector lever, 22 feed dial scale, 23 directions movements (X, Y, Z axes)

Figure 9. Vertical milling machine

1 top of column (angled towards the front), 2 milling spindle head (swivel type)

Up to the A-B-C plane the frame of the vertical milling machine is similar to that of the horizontal milling machine.

Above that level, the column (1) is angular towards the front and provided with a mount for the swivel-type milling spindle head (2). Thus the milling spindle head can be swivelled to the left and right by 45 degrees each.