Machine shops use various machining tools in order to manufacture metal components via machining. Machining is a process where metal or any other raw material is carefully removed to create a desired shape. This process can be simple or complex depending on the shape required. The tools used in the process are designed to cut, shear, grind or boar various materials with the goal of refining the existing shape or revealing a new shape from the given material.
Today most machines are controlled by computers and a careful sequence of code allow them to operate with high levels of precision. Various techniques are used to remove unwanted metal when making or shaping parts to end up with the desired results. There are many tools used in this process, some of which are listed below.
Types of Machine Shop Tools
- Milling machine — used in machining solid materials.
- Grinding machine — used for grinding where an abrasive wheel is used as the cutting tool.
- Planer — uses straight or linear movement between the single-point cut tool and work piece to machine a straight tool path.
- Lathe — used to rotate a work piece on its axis to perform various operations like boring, drilling, facing, growing, parting off and threading.
- Shaper — uses straight or linear motion between the work piece and a single-point cutting tool in machining a linear tool path. This is the same with the planer only that it is smaller and comes with a cutter that moves above a fixed space.
- Broaching machine — uses a broach or a toothed tool to remove material. This tool can use two kinds of broaching: rotary or linear.
Oher types of tools used by machine shops include threading machines, saws, drill presses and gear shapers. If you are looking to have parts machined, contact our offices in San Jose, CA and Santa Clara, CA to meet all your machining needs.