MILLING MACHINE

Introduction
A milling machine is a machine tool that removes metal as the work is fed against a rotating
multipoint cutter. The milling cutter rotates at high speed and it removes metal at a very fast rate
with the help of multiple cutting edges. One or more number of cutters can be mounted
simultaneously on the arbor of milling machine. This is the reason that a milling machine finds
wide application in production work. Milling machine is used for machining flat surfaces,
contoured surfaces, surfaces of revolution, external and internal threads, and helical surfaces of
various cross-sections.
Type of Milling Machines

Milling machines can be classified into different categories depending upon their construction,
specification and operations. The choice of any particular machine is primarily determined by
nature of the work to be done, its size, geometry and operations to be performed.
The broader classification has three categories and each category has its sub-classifications given
below :

Column and Knee Type Milling Machine

(a) Head milling machine

(b) Plain milling machine
(c) Universal milling machine
(d) Omniversal milling machine
(e) Vertical milling machine

Fixed Bed Type Milling Machine

(a) Simplex milling

(b) Duplex milling
(c) Triplex milling
Special Type Milling Machine

(a) Rotary table milling

(b) Drum milling
(c) Planetary milling
(d) Tracer controlled milling

Column and knee type milling machine

1. Base 2. Elevating screw 3. Knee 4. Knee elevating handle 5. Cross feed
handle 6. Saddle 7. Table 8. Front brace 9. Arbor support 10. Cone pulley
15. Telescopic feed shaft
 1. Principal Parts of a Milling Machine

Generally columns and knee type milling machine is considered as typical milling machine.
Principal parts of a typical milling machine are described as below.

Base

It provides rest for all parts of milling machine including column. It is made of grey iron by
casting.

Column

It is a type of rigid vertical long box. It houses driving mechanism of spindle; table knee is also
fixed to the guide ways of column.

Knee

Knee can be adjusted at a height on the column. It houses the feed mechanism of the table and
other controls.

Saddle

Saddle is placed at the top of the knee. Saddle provides guide ways for the movement of the
table.

Table

Table rests on the saddle. It consists of ‘T’ shaped slots for clamping the work piece. Movements
of the table (feed motions) are given in very controlled manner be lead screw.

Overhanging Arm

Overhanging arm is mounted on the column and serves a bearing support for the arbor. This arm
is adjustable so that the bearing support may be provided near to the milling cutter. There can be
more than one bearing supports to the arbor.
Arbor

It holds rotating milling cutters rigidly and mounted on the spindle. Sometimes arbor is
supported at maximum distance from support of overhanging arm like a cantilever, it is called
stub arbor. Locking provisions are provided in the arbor assembly to ensure its reliability.

Front Brace

Front base is an extra support fixed between the knee and overhanging arm to ensure further
rigidity to the arbor and the knee. The front brace is slotted to allow for the adjustment of height
of the knee relative to the overhanging arm.

Spindle

Spindle is projected from the column face and provided with a tapered hole to accommodate the
arbor. Performance of a milling machine depends on the accuracy, strength and rigidity of the
spindle. Spindle also transfer the motive power to arbor through belt or gear from column

Milling Cutters
Milling cutters are classified into different categories depending on different criteria as described
below :

According to the Construction of Milling Cutter

(a) Solid milling cutter

(b) Inserted teeth cutter

(c) Tipped solid cutter

Solid cutter consists of teeth integral with the cutter body. In tipped cutter, teeth are made of
cemented carbide or satellite tips which are brazed to steel cutter body called shank. Inserted
teeth cutter are larger in diameter, teeth of hard material are inserted and secured in the shank.

According to Relief Characteristics of the Cutter Teeth

(a) Profile relieved cutter

(b) Form relieved cutter

In case of profile relieved cutter, a relief to cutting edges is provided by grinding a narrow land
at their back. In case of form relieved cutters a curved relief is provided at the back of the cutting
edges.

According to Method of Mounting the Cutters

(a) Arbor type

(b) Facing cutter

(c) Shank cutter

Arbor type cutters have a central hole and keyways for their mounting on arbor. Shank type
cutters are provided with straight or tapered shanks inserted into the spindle nose and clamped
there. Facing type milling cutter are used to produce flat surfaces. These are balled or attached to
the spindle nose or the face of a short arbor (stub arbor).

According to Direction of Rotation of the Cutter

(a) Right hand rotational cutter

(b) Left hand rotational cutter

A right hand rotational cutter rotates in an anticlockwise direction when viewed from end of the
spindle while left hand rotational cutter rotates in a clockwise direction.

According to the Direction of Helix of the Cutter Teeth

(a) Parallel straight teeth

(b) Right hand helical

(c) Left hand helical

(d) Alternate helical teeth

Parallel or straight teeth cutter consists of teeth parallel to axis of rotation of the cutter with zero
helix angle. In case of right hand and left hand helical teeth cutters, teeth cut at an angle to the
axis of rotation of the cutter. Teeth have opposite inclination in both the cutters. Alternate helical
teeth cutter has alternate teeth of right hand and left hand helical teeth cutters.

According to Purpose of Use of the Cutter

(a) Standard milling cutter

(b) Special milling cutter

Elements of plain milling cutter
Elements of Plain Milling Cutter
Body of the cutter
The body of the cutter left after the exclusion of teeth and portion to which teeth are attached
Cutting edge
The edge formed by the intersection of the face and circular land
Face
The portion of gash adjacent to the cutting edge on which chip impinges as it cut from work
Fillet
The curved surface at the bottom of gash which joins the face of one tooth to the back tooth
immediately ahead
Gash
The chip space between the back of one tooth and the face of the next tooth.
Land
The part of the back of the tooth adjacent to the cutting edge which is relived to avoid
interference between the surface being machined and the cutter.
Lead
The axial distance of the helix of the cutting edge in one complete revolution of the cutter.
Outside diameter
The diameter of the circle passing through the peripheral cutting edge.
Root diameter
The diameter of the circle passing through the bottom of the fillet.
Relief angle
The angle in a plane perpendicular to axis, which is the angle between land of a tooth and
tangent to the outside diameter of cuter at the cutting edge of that tooth.
Primary clearance angle
The angle formed by the back of the tooth with a line drawn tangent to the periphery of the cutter
at the cutting edge.
Secondary clearance angle
The angle formed by secondary clearance surface of the tooth with a line drawn tangent to the
periphery of the cutter at the cutting edge.
Radial rake angle
The angle measured in the diametric plane between the face of the tooth and a radial line passing
through the tooth cutting edge.
Lip angle
The included angle between the land and the face of the tooth.

MILLING PROCESS
Up milling

The up milling is also called conventional milling, is the process of removing metal by cutter
which is rotated against the direction of travel of work piece. The thickness of chip is minimum
at the beginning of cut and reaches to maximum when the cut terminates.

Down milling

The down milling is also known as climb milling, is the process of removing metal by a cutter
which is rotated in same direction of travel of work piece. The thickness of chip is maximum
when the cut begins and reduces to the minimum when the cut terminates.

Milling Machine Operations

(a) Plain milling operation

(b) Face milling operation

(c) Side milling operation

(d) Straddle milling operation

(e) Angular milling operation

(f) Gang milling operation

(g) Form milling operation

(h) Profile milling operation

(i) End milling operation

(j) Saw milling operation

(k) Slot milling operation

(l) Gear cutting operation

(m) Helical milling operation

(n) Cam milling operation

(o) Thread milling operation

Cutting Speed
The cutting speed of milling cutter is its peripheral linear speed resulting from rotation. It is
expressed in metres per minute.

V= πdn /1000 m/min, where

V=cutting speed in metre per minute, d=diameter of cutter in mm, n=cutter speed in rpm