The Differences and Classifications between Various Types of Machining Operations
There are various machining operations you can perform with the CNC machining or traditional machining methods, but the primary classifications of machining operations fall into three categories, which are turning, milling, and drilling. There are other categories that are just branches from these three operations, which you can put into the miscellaneous machining operations category. Here are the primary classifications of machining operations:
Turning
Turning is the machining operation that involves turning or rotating the workpiece using the lathe equipment to subtract various parts of the workpiece until you can get the final shape. In this process, the workpiece will rotate in continuous movements, while the cutting tools stay in their place.
Milling
Milling is the machining operation that involves cutting the material workpiece with various cutting tools that will move around the workpiece material. In this process, the cutting tools will have active rotating movements, while the workpiece will stay in its place. You will need to use milling equipment to perform this process and make the parts and sheet metalwork.
Drilling
Drilling is a machining operation that involves creating holes inside the material workpiece by drilling them using the drilling press, milling equipment, or lathe. In this process, a rotating cutter will cut through the material workpiece to create holes according to the design requirements.
Miscellaneous Machining Operations
Aside from the primary machining operations, there are also additional machining operations that fall into the miscellaneous category. These are the machining operations that use the same machining equipment as the three primary machining classifications, but these additional operations will give you different techniques and results for your production process. Here are some miscellaneous machining operations you should know:
Sawing
Sawing is a machining process that allows you to cut a large part of the workpiece with certain measurements, depending on what you need. You can use this process to cut the workpiece in half or cut only the sides of the workpiece to get the right length for your workpiece material.
Boring
Boring has a similar process as drilling, with the only difference being that boring will enlarge the holes in the material workpiece. Depending on the size of the hole you would like to get, you can use the boring process to achieve certain hole diameters.
Broaching
Broaching is the machining process you can use for precision machining, allowing you to remove certain material surfaces that are out of shape. You can also use this process to smoothen the surface finish of the workpiece material.
Shaping
Shaping means removing the excess length of the material workpiece by putting the workpiece stationary against the rotating cutting tools on both sides. The cutters will ram into the workpiece and cut the excess materials from it according to the design requirements.
Planing
Planing has a similar function like shaping, but the difference is that in planing, the workpiece will rotate, while the cutting tools will remain stationary. This process also has the goal of cutting excess materials from the workpiece to get your ideal material size.
The Differences between Various Machining Operations – Turning vs. Drilling vs. Milling
Turning Pros and Cons
Pros
1. You can use a wide range of materials for the turning process, which include steel, aluminum, copper, ceramics, magnesium, and many others.
2. You can complete the turning process as fast as possible for CNC prototyping, as it has a shorter lead time compared to other machining operations.
3. Anyone can operate the turning lathe equipment, and it doesn’t require any high-skilled workers.
4. You can get the best tolerance out of the turning operations, and you can also configure the material removal rate in each operation.
Cons
1. You might produce a large amount of scrap from the turning operations, which can be difficult for you to manage the material waste.
2. Turning lathe equipment is often very expensive for you to purchase, which can be another disadvantage of this process.
3. You can’t complete the turning process in just one operation, meaning that you will require several steps for you to achieve the completed product.
4. You can only create rotational parts with the turning process, so you will need to use other operations to create different hardware parts.
Drilling Pros and Cons
Pros
1. Drilling can provide you with accurate holes, so you can create narrow holes in the workpiece material with the best accuracy.
2. The drilling process is straightforward, as you just need to determine the spots you want to drill and get it done as soon as possible.
3. You can control the drilling feed with ease, which means you can apply certain drilling configurations with no hassles.
Cons
1. With drilling, you can only create small holes for the workpiece material, so you will need additional machining operations, such as boring, to create larger holes.
2. You can’t drill too deep with the drilling operation, so you will need to apply the boring process if you want to dig deeper holes.
3. The drilling machine has a retraction process that is not flexible, making it difficult for you to abort the operation once you start it.
Milling Pros and Cons
Pros
1. You can automate the milling process after programming the milling equipment, so it can help improve the efficiency in your production.
2. The hardware parts you produce with milling operations will have a high level of precision.
3. There’s a wide range of materials you can use in the milling process, which you can choose based on your preferences.
4. There are plenty of cutting tools you can use, making your production process faster and more efficient.
Cons
1. You will need to hire skilled engineers to program the mills, so it will add to your costs of production even more.
2. You also need to deal with bigger material waste when you use the milling operation, so you will need to put more effort to keep your milling operations friendly to the environment.
Conclusion
There are three primary classifications for machining operations, which are drilling, milling, and turning. Each has their own equipment, and each has their own advantages and disadvantages.
Also, there are additional or miscellaneous machining operations you can perform using the machining equipment from the primary classifications, which include lathe, driller, and milling machine. These additional machining operations can help you expand upon the primary machining operations to improve the quality of the hardware parts you would like to produce.
TEAM Rapid offers one-stop services for your rapid prototypes to volume production. CNC turning, CNC milling, and other machining methods are available at our end, we have helped many customers to make their parts and components successfully, contact us today to learn more now!
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