Video CNC Machining Milling

Hello. Today we’re at MDV (ACI group), to talk all things milling.

Milling is a sub-process of the machining family. It consists of subtracting material chips from a solid block of material until the final product is made.

In practice, unlike additive manufacturing, this is a subtractive process. Milling involves positioning a solid block of material—mainly metal or plastic—in a milling machine. This is to remove chips by rotating the cutting tool, known as milling cutters, and moving the block of material forward for machining.

Most milling machines are 3- and 5-axis. This indicates the number of directions in which the cutting tool and machining part can move. Milling can be conventional or computer-assisted, which is a numerically controlled machine, also known as CNC milling. Milling offers multiple benefits. First, it enables machines to accurately produce all types of shapes, including complex ones. Another benefit is the various axes we can use to machine our part.

Traditionally, milling is linked to several industries, ranging from automotive to aerospace and defense through to electronics.