New Development Benchmarks in Milling

Modern milling, as a metal cutting method, originated in the late 18th century and quickly became one of the primary machining technologies. Today, it is hard to imagine any machine shop without milling machines on the shop floor. Milling is an essential process in manufacturing.

Milling is an integral part of machining technology, driven by the increasing demands of manufacturing. However, there are specific aspects that uniquely impact the advancement of milling. Today, we are witnessing significant changes in manufacturing that will have profound consequences on the development of directions of milling. These changes are driven by various factors, such as the increasing accuracy of metal shaping through precision investment cutting and precision forging, the widespread adoption of 3D printing, the growing usage of new composite and sintered materials, the need to enhance productivity in machining hard-tocut superalloys and titanium grades, and the strong focus on electric and hybrid cars in the automotive industry, contributing to these changes. In addition, advancements in multi-axis machine tools have opened up new possibilities for precise machining of complex parts and have enabled the implementation of new cutting strategies to improve productivity. In modern technological processes, there is a tendency to significantly reduce the amount of machining stock intended for milling operations, while simultaneously increasing the requirements for surface finish and accuracy.

Therefore, the advancement in milling is driven by the need for higher productivity, more precision, and sustainability in milling operations. Consequently, the main developments in milling can be characterized as follows:

• Fast metal removal focuses on boosting the metal removal rate (MRR) to achieve higher productivity by significantly increasing cutting speed or feed per tooth. This is achieved through techniques such as high speed milling (HSM) and, in rough operations, high feed milling (HFM).

• Precision milling provides higher accuracy in milling operations.