NTRODUCTION

In Industry it is not efficient or profitable to make everyday

products by hand. On a CNC machine it is possible to make
hundreds or even thousands of the same items in a day. First a
design is drawn using design software, and then it is processed by
the computer and manufactured using the CNC machine. This is a
small CNC machine and can be used to machine woods, plastics
and aluminum. In industry, CNC machines can be extremely large.
CNC means Computer Numerical Control. This means a
computer converts the design into numbers which the
computer uses to control the cutting and shaping of the material.

Work Coordinates vs Machine Coordinates

When you start up the machine, it doesn't necessarily know anything about your preferred
coordinate system. What it does know is something called "Machine Coordinates". This is a
fixed coordinate system that is baked into the machine. When you "Home" the machine, or
"Reference the Axes", you are causing it to use its Home Switches to accurately locate itself
relative to machine coordinates. If your machine doesn't automatically home when you start it
up, it's a good idea to get used to the idea of homing it before you do much else. If you crash or
emergency stop, it can also be a good idea to home the machine so it can pick up its lost position.
"Work Coordinates" are the coordinates you want to think about. In other words, Work
Coordinates are the ones where the machine is at Part Zero when its display shows X0 Y0 Z0.
For that reason, Part Zero may also be called Work Zero. You can establish Work Coordinates in
a variety of ways. By "establish", I mean you can tell the machine how to equate Work
Coordinates to Machine Coordinates.
A Work Coordinate system is something your machine will remember from one
invokation to the next, though you probably shouldn't count on that unless you
know for sure you can. Since I use the system of Part Zero matching a point on my
vise jaws, I can start the machine and Home it and I know the Work Coordinates are
what I expect. You also have the ability to establish multiple Work Coordinate
systems, which is convenient for a lot of reasons. We'll talk more about using
multiple Work Coordinate systems in a later article. For now, let's just focus on one

CNC Milling machines parts:

- Axis -- depending on the type of CNC milling machine it could have
anywhere from one to six axis which will also determine the size and what it
is supposed to do.
- Column -- the column is what travels along an axis that holds the part that
mills or cuts.
- Control panel -- the part that holds the computer keyboard (sometimes
small, other times
large) where you program the G-Codes into the machine.
- Cutting tool -- the cutting tool is attached to the column and is the part
that actually cuts the piece in the way that the operator specifies.
- Spindle -- the spindle holds the cutting tool in place.
- Coolant supply tubes -- these are the tubes where they coolant is pumped
through in order to keep the metal cool and the cutting tool lubricated.
- Table -- the table is the area that the workpiece will be attached to either
using a clamp or a vacuum. This is where the workpiece will sit while being
milled.
-base-- Thebasegives support and rigidity to the machine and also acts as a
reservoir for the cutting fluids
-knee--Thekneeisattached to the column face and may be moved vertically
on the columnface either manually or automatically. It houses the feed
mechanism.
-Overarm / Head --Theoverarmprovides for correct alignment and
support of the arbor and variousattachments. It can be adjusted and locked
in various positions,depending on the length of the arbor and the position of
the cutter.

There are several different types of milling machines that can be found and they are small
or large depending on what they do. Here are a few:
1. Vertical CNC mills have a vertical spindle axis. This means that the cutters that do the
milling are held vertically in the spindle and they rotate on the spindle's axis. In this type
you can extend the spindle or the table to make drilling or plunge cuts. Bed mills and
Turret mills fall into this category.

2. Horizontal CNC mills have the same type of table as vertical CNC mills but their cutters
are mounted on an arbor that sits across the table horizontally.