Advances made in Computer Numerical Control or CNC technology have impacted virtually every process in the manufacturing industry, especially in the field of boring milling machines. The more powerful processors have enhanced data flow, reduced processing times, and made it possible for larger programs to be created. The CNCs are so high-tech that they promote designing and creating more accurate tools and boring milling equipment is no exception. This allows the end-users of boring milling machines to produce parts that are more accurate and eliminate rework while producing complicated parts a lot faster than before.
Moreover, both the peripheral tools of the machine, including the milling head and rotary table can be controlled by CNC, making more accurate axes movements. This means a part can be milled in a lesser time than it used to be using traditional boring mills. In addition to CNC controls, better programming for boring milling machines also fostered greater productivity and efficiency with this equipment. Working together with the machine operation, programming requires the operator’s understanding of the entire manufacturing process to be capable of changing speed, feed, and tool offsets as needed.
While boring mills are not really so complex, they are so huge that creates unique manufacturing problems caused by their big size. This is where the design for manufacturability has become part of the whole thing for boring milling machines to work as expected. This concept is so vital in machining a workpiece on a boring mill as it would be on other machines.
The idea of programming with this equipment is the same as most machines today. The machine will be programmed offline and then the program will be transmitted to the machine through a wireless network. While there are still some machining shops that perform this right at the machine, the industry is seeing a trend to do it in a dedicated office while any tweaking is done at the machine.