Vertical Machining Center

Rotating Spindle — The Spindle, which is perpendicular to the working surface or table, can hold a variety of cutting tools (or mills as they are sometimes called). The spindle cartridge is mounted in a housing that moved up and down—this direction of motion is called the Z-Axis.

Table — The Table is a platform on which to mount workpieces—either directly or through a variety of fixtures like milled aluminum plates or hard clamping vises. The table has a motion of left and right, which we call the X-Axis, and front to back, which is called the Y-Axis. These two axes of motion, coupled with the Z-Axis, allow for virtually unlimited contouring across the planes of motion.

Tool Changer — A tool changer greatly increases a VMC's productivity by allowing for the automatic, computer-controlled selection of tools for a variety of tasks from rough cutting to fine hole boring.

Coolant System — To keep parts and cutters cool and lubricated, most VMCs employ some sort of recirculating coolant system; which is usually a mix of soluble oil and water but can be a variety of other liquids as well.

Chip/Screw Conveyor— To evacuate the chips from the work zone, a variety of chip conveyors and chip augers may be employed to increase productivity and reduce downtime from manually shoveling out waste chips.

Full Covers/Enclosures— These can be added to reduce the splash/splatter caused by milling operations and protect the operators and environment from the machining process.

Rotating Tables — Adding additional Axes to the machine can greatly increase its productivity by turning a simple three-axis machine into a four- or even five-axis system capable of machining complex components with varying surfaces (such as turbine blades).

Quick Loading Loaders — Another great addition to significantly increase productivity is the use of shuttle tables or other automatic part loading systems. These can decrease downtime and greatly increase the spindle “ON” time of most VMC systems.