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Mechanical Engineering vocabulary · Manufacturing Processes

Milling

Meaning in mechanical engineering, with examples

/ˈmɪlɪŋ/nounCommon term

In mechanical engineering, milling means: A machining process in which a rotating cutting tool with several teeth removes material from a workpiece to make flat surfaces, slots, pockets and complex shapes.

In Turkish: frezeleme, freze ile işleme

How it is used

Used in machine shops and CNC manufacturing. Parts are milled on a milling machine (a mill) or a machining center. Machinists talk about face milling, end milling, cutting speed, feed and depth of cut. In turning, by contrast, the workpiece rotates instead of the tool.

Example sentences

  1. The pockets are finished by milling with a 10 mm end mill.

  2. Milling the housing takes much longer than turning the shaft.

Common collocations

  • CNC milling
  • face milling
  • milling machine
  • end mill
  • milling cutter
  • machiningShaping a part by cutting away material with tools, for example by turning, milling, drilling or grinding, usually on a lathe or a CNC machine.
  • CNCShort for computer numerical control: machine tools such as lathes, mills and routers whose movements are controlled by a program instead of by hand.
  • drillingMaking round holes in a workpiece with a rotating cutting tool called a drill or drill bit, on a drill press, on a CNC machine or by hand.
  • surface finishHow smooth or rough a surface is after it has been made, usually given as a roughness value such as Ra 1.6 µm.

More terms: Manufacturing Processes

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