What are CNC mills?

Sep 17, 2015

Let’s begin at the beginning: Much older than the practice of CNC milling is the concept of milling itself. Milling is the process of removing extraneous pieces from blocks or slabs of solid raw material to create a product of some kind. Those who did the work were called millers, the equipment they used came to be known as mills and milling machines.

Milling is usually meant to describe the process of cutting heavier materials which have ductile qualities, such as metal. As opposed to lighter and more brittle materials like wood, heavier materials are drawn out in the cutting process, which usually involves lower RPM, higher power requirements, and some form of “flooding” at the cutting tool to reduce heat and friction and remove debris during the cutting process.