Machine types
How each industrial machine works, the work it can do, its typical sizes, advantages and limits.
- VMC (vertical machining centre)What a vertical machining centre (VMC) is, the work it can do, typical sizes and specifications, advantages and limits, and how it compares with an HMC and a CNC lathe.
- CNC latheWhat a CNC lathe (turning centre) is, how it works, the main types (2-axis, live tooling, Y-axis, sub-spindle, Swiss-type), sizes to check and what it can make.
- HMC (horizontal machining centre)What a horizontal machining centre (HMC) is, how its rotary table and pallet changer work, what parts suit it, pallet sizes, and how it compares with a VMC.
- Wire-cut EDM machineHow a wire-cut EDM machine cuts hardened steel with an electrically charged wire, its accuracy, finish, thickness and taper limits, and what it is used for.
- Fibre laser cutting machineHow a fibre laser cutting machine cuts sheet and plate, what power and bed size mean, the assist gases, accuracy, and which materials and thicknesses it handles.
- Press brakeHow a press brake bends sheet and plate, what tonnage and bending length mean, CNC back gauges, punches and V-dies, and tips for designing bent parts.
- Power pressWhat a mechanical power press is, C-frame and straight-side types, tonnage and strokes per minute, the work it does with press tools, and the safety guards it needs.
- 5-axis machining centreWhat a 5-axis machining centre is, 3+2 versus simultaneous 5-axis, trunnion and head designs, the parts it suits, and how it compares with a 3-axis VMC.
- VTL (vertical turning lathe)What a vertical turning lathe (VTL) is, why large and heavy round parts are turned vertically, typical table sizes, and the work it does.
- Surface grinderHow a surface grinder finishes flat surfaces with a grinding wheel and magnetic chuck, its accuracy and finish, typical sizes, and what it is used for.
- Spark EDM machine (die sinker)How a spark (die-sinking) EDM machine burns shaped cavities into hardened steel with a copper or graphite electrode, what it is used for, and how it differs from wire cut.
- Hydraulic pressHow a hydraulic press works, four-pillar, H-frame and C-frame types, tonnage and stroke, and the work it does compared with a mechanical power press.
- Induction hardening machineHow an induction hardening machine heats only the surface of a steel part with a copper coil and quenches it, the parts it suits, hardness and case depth.
- Injection moulding machineHow a plastic injection moulding machine works, what clamping tonnage and shot weight mean, hydraulic versus electric machines, and how to match a mould to a machine.
More pages are being added. See also: Kinds of job work · Material grades
Have something that needs making?
Post your requirement free. Workshops that take your kind of work see it and get in touch. You only talk to the ones that fit.
Get started