The machine tool could be one of the following: lathe, milling machine, laser, plasma, coordinate measuring machine etc. A typical machine shop in Toronto will use these tools in the daily required work. Figure 3 shows that a right-hand coordinate system is used to describe the motions of a machine tool. There are three linear axes (x,y,z), three rotational axes (i,j,k), and other axes such as tilt (9) are possible. For example, a 5-axis machine implies any combination of x,y,z, i,j,k,and 6.
Lathes are machines that cut workpieces while they are rotated. CNC lathes are able to make fast, precision cuts, generally using indexable tools and drills. They are particularly effective for complicated programs designed to make parts that would be infeasible to make on manual lathes. CNC lathes have similar control specifications to CNC mills and can often read G-code as well as the manufacturer's proprietary programming language. CNC lathes generally have two axes (X and Z), but newer models have more axes, allowing for more advanced jobs to be machined at a machine shop in Toronto.
CNC mills use computer controls to cut different materials at a machine shop. They are able to translate programs consisting of specific numbers and letters to move the spindle (or workpiece) to various locations and depths. Many use G-code, which is a standardized programming language that many CNC machines understand, while others use proprietary languages created by their manufacturers. These proprietary languages, while often simpler than G-code, are not transferable to other machines. CNC mills have many functions including face milling, shoulder milling, tapping, drilling and some even offer turning. Standard linear CNC mills are limited to 3 axis (X, Y, and Z), but others may also have one or more rotational axes. In modern machine shops, CNC mills can have 4 to 6 axes.
Electric discharge machining (EDM), sometimes colloquially also referred to as spark machining, spark eroding, burning, die sinking, or wire erosion, is a manufacturing process in which a desired shape is obtained using electrical discharges (sparks). Material is removed from the workpiece by a series of rapidly recurring current discharges between two electrodes, separated by a dielectric fluid and subject to an electric voltage. One of the electrodes is called the tool electrode, or simply the "tool" or "electrode," while the other is called the workpiece electrode, or "workpiece."
This was about our machine shop in Toronto. Want more? Call today or visit our website.