CNC & Precision Machining

CNC machine tools and machining practice: axes, spindles, feeds and speeds, G-code, offsets, CAM, tooling and tool wear, surface finish, tolerances, inspection and machine-tool data access.

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60 terms

5-Axis Machining5-axis machining uses three linear axes plus two rotary axes to orient the tool relative to the workpiece, either locked at fixed angles…
Automatic Tool Changer (ATC)An automatic tool changer exchanges tool holders between the spindle and a tool magazine on command from the CNC program, allowing one…
Backlash (Reversal Error)Backlash is lost motion that occurs when a machine axis reverses direction, caused by clearances and elasticity in the drive train such as…
Ballbar Test (Circular Test)A ballbar test checks a CNC machine's contouring performance by running a circular interpolation path while a telescoping ballbar measures…
Built-Up Edge (BUE)Built-up edge is workpiece material that welds onto the cutting edge under heat and pressure, forming an unstable false edge that grows…
Canned Cycle (Fixed Cycle)A canned cycle is a single G-code command that makes the CNC perform a standard multi-move operation, such as drilling, peck drilling…
Chatter (Machining Vibration)Chatter is unstable, self-excited vibration between tool and workpiece during cutting. It produces a characteristic noise and visible…
Chip Load (Feed per Tooth, fz)Chip load, or feed per tooth, is the distance a milling cutter advances during the engagement of each cutting edge. It sets the chip…
Climb Milling and Conventional MillingClimb milling and conventional milling describe the direction of cutter rotation relative to feed. In climb (down) milling each chip…
CNC Axis Nomenclature (X, Y, Z, A, B, C)CNC axis nomenclature is the convention, defined in ISO 841, for naming machine motions: linear axes X, Y and Z in a right-handed…
CNC ControllerA CNC controller is the computer and software that interprets a part program, plans and interpolates tool motion, commands the servo…
CNC Lathe (Turning Centre)A CNC lathe rotates the workpiece in a spindle while a turret-mounted tool moves along the X (radial) and Z (axial) axes. Turning centres…
CNC Machine (Computer Numerical Control)A CNC machine is a machine tool whose axis motions, spindle and auxiliary functions are controlled by a computer that executes a stored…
CNC Machine MonitoringCNC machine monitoring collects data such as machine state, program, part count, spindle load, overrides and alarms from CNC machines…
CNC Program Verification and SimulationCNC program verification checks a part program before and during first use, by simulating material removal and machine motion to find…
Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM)Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software turns a part's CAD geometry into toolpaths for chosen tools, operations and cutting…
Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM)A coordinate measuring machine measures the geometry of a part by recording points on its surfaces with a probe moving along precise X, Y…
Cutter Radius Compensation (G41, G42)Cutter radius compensation makes the CNC offset the tool path by the tool's radius, so the program can follow the part contour. G41…
Cutting Speed (Surface Speed, Vc)Cutting speed is the relative speed between the cutting edge and the workpiece surface at the point of cutting, usually given in metres…
Cutting Tool MaterialsCutting tool materials range from high-speed steel and cemented carbide to cermets, ceramics, cubic boron nitride (CBN) and…
Depth of Cut (ap and ae)Depth of cut describes how much material a tool engages in one pass. In milling, axial depth (ap) is measured along the tool axis and…
Dimensional ToleranceA dimensional tolerance is the permitted variation of a size, the difference between its upper and lower limits. It tells manufacturing…
DNC (Distributed or Direct Numerical Control)DNC connects CNC machines to a central computer or server so part programs can be sent, received and managed over a network or serial…
Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM)Electrical discharge machining removes material from an electrically conductive workpiece with rapid, controlled sparks between an…
FANUC FOCASFOCAS (FANUC Open CNC API Specifications) is FANUC's function library that lets PC software communicate with FANUC CNCs over Ethernet or a…
Feed RateFeed rate is the speed at which the cutting tool advances relative to the workpiece, programmed with the F word. Milling usually uses…
First Article Inspection (FAI)First article inspection is a complete, documented verification that the first part made by a new or changed production process meets…
G-codeG-code is the common name for the word-address programming language used by most CNC machines. Each block combines letter addresses and…
Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T)GD&T is a symbolic language on engineering drawings that defines the allowed variation in form, orientation, location, profile and runout…
High-Speed Machining (HSM)High-speed machining is a milling approach that combines high spindle speeds and feed rates with light, controlled tool engagement, aiming…
Indexable InsertAn indexable insert is a replaceable cutting tip, usually of coated carbide, clamped in a tool body. When an edge wears, the insert is…
Limits and Fits (ISO 286)Limits and fits is the ISO 286 system for specifying how mating holes and shafts are toleranced, using a letter for the fundamental…
Linear and Circular Interpolation (G01, G02, G03)Interpolation is how a CNC coordinates several axes so the tool follows a straight line (G01) or an arc (G02 clockwise, G03 anticlockwise)…
M-code (Miscellaneous Function)An M-code is a CNC program word that switches machine functions rather than defining motion, such as starting or stopping the spindle…
Machine Coordinate System (Machine Zero)The machine coordinate system is the fixed coordinate frame of a CNC machine, with its origin at a builder-defined machine zero or…
Machine Tool Positioning Accuracy and RepeatabilityPositioning accuracy describes how closely a CNC axis reaches commanded positions, and repeatability how consistently it returns to them.…
Machine Tool SpindleThe spindle is the precision rotating assembly of a machine tool that holds and drives the cutting tool on a mill, or the workpiece on a…
Machining Centre (VMC and HMC)A machining centre is a CNC milling machine with an automatic tool changer, usually enclosed. Vertical machining centres (VMC) have a…
Macro Programming (Parametric Programming)Macro programming extends G-code with variables, arithmetic, conditional logic, loops and access to control data, so one program can adapt…
Material Removal Rate (MRR)Material removal rate is the volume of material removed per unit of time, commonly in cubic centimetres per minute. It is the main measure…
Metalworking Fluid (Coolant) and MQLMetalworking fluids cool and lubricate the cutting zone, flush chips and protect parts against corrosion. They range from neat oils and…
MTConnectMTConnect is an open, royalty-free standard that defines a common vocabulary and HTTP-based interface for reading data from machine tools…
Position Tolerance (True Position)A position tolerance defines a zone, often cylindrical, within which the axis or centre plane of a feature such as a hole must lie…
Post-ProcessorA post-processor is the CAM software component that converts neutral toolpath data into G-code formatted for one particular machine and…
Spindle Speed (RPM)Spindle speed is the rotational speed of the machine spindle in revolutions per minute, set in a CNC program by the S word. It is…
Stability Lobe DiagramA stability lobe diagram plots the limiting depth of cut against spindle speed, showing which combinations are expected to cut stably and…
Surface Roughness (Ra, Rz)Surface roughness describes the fine, closely spaced irregularities of a machined surface. It is quantified with parameters such as Ra…
Tool Condition Monitoring (TCM)Tool condition monitoring detects tool wear, breakage and missing tools during or between cuts, using signals such as spindle load…
Tool Holder (CAT, BT, HSK)A tool holder connects the cutting tool to the machine spindle. It combines a spindle interface, such as a 7/24 steep taper or HSK hollow…
Tool Length Offset (G43)A tool length offset tells the CNC how far each tool's tip projects from the spindle gauge line, so tools of different lengths all cut to…
Tool Life (Taylor's Equation)Tool life is the cutting time, length of cut or number of parts an edge can produce before reaching a defined wear or quality limit.…
Tool Presetting and Tool SettingTool presetting measures a tool assembly's length, diameter and other dimensions, either offline on a presetter or on the machine with a…
Tool RunoutTool runout is the deviation of a rotating tool's cutting edges or body from the true axis of rotation, usually measured as total…
Tool WearTool wear is the progressive loss of material and shape from a cutting edge caused by abrasion, adhesion, diffusion, oxidation…
ToolpathA toolpath is the route a cutting tool's reference point follows through and around the workpiece, defined by a machining strategy…
Trochoidal and Constant-Engagement MillingTrochoidal milling moves the tool in overlapping circular loops while advancing, and constant-engagement (adaptive) toolpaths keep the…
umati (Universal Machine Technology Interface)umati is an initiative, started by the German machine tool builders' association VDW and promoted with VDMA, that establishes OPC UA…
Work Offset (Work Coordinate System, G54 to G59)A work offset stores the distance from machine zero to the chosen part zero, so the program can be written in part coordinates.…
WorkholdingWorkholding is the set of devices that locate and clamp a workpiece on a machine tool, such as vices, chucks, collets, fixtures…
Workpiece Probing (Touch Probe)Workpiece probing uses a spindle-mounted touch probe that signals the CNC when its stylus contacts a surface. The control records the…

CNC & Precision Machining

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