1. Purpose and importance of milling grooves, elongated slots and break-throughs

Grooves, elongated slots and break-throughs can be made in different shapes and in different ways by the technique of milling.

Figure 1 - Examples of grooves, elongated slots and break-throughs

(1) rectangular groove
(2) T-slot
(3) dovetail groove
(4) radius groove
(5) fitting key slot
(6) disk key slot
(7) elongated slot
(8) break-through

Grooves, elongated slots and break-throughs are produced or made for the purpose of

- receiving fitting keys and feathers to ensure or transmit torques (power transmission) when mating an inner member (shaft) with an outer member (bore hole), e.g. when connecting a shaft with a toothed gear;

Figure 2 - Groove in shafts Rectangular groove in plane surfaces

- setting various spacings, e.g. in the case of change-gear quadrants; to tension belt drives and to ensure different setting ranges for assembling constructional elements of different order or magnitude;

- receiving clamping elements (e.g. clamping bolts in T-slots) or receiving tongues for determining the position of workpiece clamping means and workpiece;

Figure 3 - Rectangular groove

Figure 4 - T-slot

- providing the necessary space for receiving or passing through of other workpieces or assemblies or making openings for the insertion of control elements (switches, levers, handwheels etc.).

Machining or producing of grooves, elongated slots and break-

- throughs is possible on horizontal and vertical milling machines and on groove and slot milling machines.

What kinds of grooves exist on a milling machine?
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On what kinds of milling machines is it possible to produce grooves, elongated slots and break-throughs?
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