Machining & Grinding

There are many types of machining tools, and they may be used alone or in conjunction with other tools at various steps of the manufacturing process to achieve the intended part geometry. The major categories of machining tools are:

• Boring tools: These are typically used as finishing equipment to enlarge holes previously cut into the material.
• Cutting tools: Devices such as saws and shears are typical examples of cutting implements. They are often used to cut material with predetermined dimensions, such as sheet metal, into the desired shape.
• Drilling tools: This category consists of two-edged rotating devices that create round holes parallel to the axis of rotation.
• Grinding tools: These instruments apply a rotating wheel to achieve a fine finish or to make light cuts on a workpiece.
• Milling tools: A milling tool employs a rotating cutting surface with several blades to create non-circular holes or cut unique designs out of the material.
• Turning tools: These tools rotate a workpiece on its axis while a cutting tool shapes it to form. Lathes are the most common type of turning equipment.

Grinding is the common collective name for machining processes that utilize hard, abrasive particles as the cutting medium. The grinding process of shaping materials is probably the oldest in existence, dating from the time prehistoric humans found that they could sharpen their tools by rubbing them against gritty rocks.