Created on: Mar 8, 2007 3:52 AM by
admin
- Last Modified:
May 29, 2008 3:25 PM
by admin
Machining is the process by which material is precisely removed by mechanical means in a controlled manner. Companies that perform machining are called machine shops. You will often hear the terms manual machining and cnc machining when people speak of machining.
Manual machining refers to the process by which a machinist would manually operate machine tools such as milling machines, lathes, drills or saws to perform various machining operations. Manual machining is suitable for small lot runs with minimally complex geometry.
Computer Numerically Controlled machining (CNC Machining) refers the machinist using CNC controlled equipment to perform the machining operations. These machine tools are called machining centers, turning centers, Wire EDM (Electrical Discharge Machining), machines, etc. The vast majority of machine shops today utilize CNC machining technology. The CNC machines are programmed by converting part geometry in Cartesian coordinates (X,Y, Z) and formatting those coordinates into a programming language such that the CNC controller can interpret them move the axes of the machine tool to automatically remove the required material from the work piece to form the finished machined component. CNC machining produces parts in a very consistent manner and is ideal for large quantity part runs and parts with complex geometry.
Machine shops automate the programming of CNC machines by utilizing CAD\CAM (Computer Aided Design \ Computer Aided Manufacturing) systems. The part geometry is transferred from the CAD system to the CAM system and the machinist can apply and visualize various machining strategies in a virtual on-screen environment. Once the machinist is satisfied with a particular machining strategy, the CAD\CAM system will output the CNC code, commonly referred to as g-code post processed and ready to load into the controller of the machine tool that will be used to actually perform the machining operations.
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