Metalworking Equipment And Machine Tools

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Metalworking equipment, also know as machine tools are used in all the processes of creating parts or structures from metal. Machine tools are the machines that make all other machines. Everything from printing presses, to ships, to cars, to watches and cell phones involve some sort of metalworking. Because of this wide variety of finished products, many different types of metalworking equipment are available. From cutting to forming, metal working tools come in all shapes and sizes. Some typical metal working tools are:

Metal cutting bands saws work by employing a flow of liquid over a sharpened blade. This liquid acts as a lubricant. It not only keeps the cutting blade cool, it prevents smearing or encrustation of the blade. It also increases the life expectancy and accuracy of the cutting blade. Some band saws employ brushes to remove excess material at the blade finishes its cut. Metal cutting band saws are either horizontal or vertical. Both Manual and automatic models are available. Some smaller and simpler machine shop band saws are gravity fed. Others use a hydraulic cylinder to adjust the rate of descent. Recent ...
... advancements, including computerized controls and new blade pitches and geometries have allowed the production rate of band saws to be increased.

Metal cutting lathes work by turning a part while a sharp tool is pressed against it to cut into the rotating part. This allows the operator to make cylindrical parts like gear blanks, winch drums, crankshafts and the like. Special attachments permit operations like tapering or threading the part which can be useful in final assembly of these parts into a finished product.

Drill presses are the most common machine tool. They hold a drill and rotate it and allow it to be fed down into a work piece to make a hole. Hole making is the most common metal machining operation and the science of drilling holes faster and deeper is extremely complex in todays computer controlled machine tools.

Cold saws use a process in which the heat normally generated by metal cutting is transferred from the blade and the material being cut to the chips that are created by the blade itself. This is unlike an abrasive saw that creates heat in both the metal being cut and the blade. Cold saws use circular saw blades that are either tungsten carbide-tipped or created from solid high-speed steel. Cold saws also produce very little burr marks, create no sparks or dust and do not discolor the material. They are used to machine both ferrous and non-ferrous alloys.

The bench grinder, also known as a pedestal grinder is used to power one or more abrasive wheels. These wheels may be used to roughly shape metal alloys for fitting or welding. They may also be used as a sharpening implement for drill bits or lathe tools. The bench grinder, when used in conjunction with a buffing wheel or wire brush can also be used to polish or clean metal pieces.

Sheet metal shears are used throughout the metal working industry to make fast straight cuts in metal. Light gauge shears are often used by roof sheeters and air conditioning duct suppliers while heavy industrial shears can cut steel up to 1" think for thinks like dump truck bodies and fork lifts.

Nibblers are used to cut sheet metal and work much like a punch and die. They are generally powered, typically by compressed air, although manual models are available. Nibblers are especially usefully when a curved cut is needed.

A press brake is used to bend sheet metal. Hydraulic, pneumatic and mechanical models exist.

Roll formers are used to bend a section of metal. This is accomplished by passing a long section of metal through several stands. Each of these serves to make a small bend in the metal. This process is popular for long pieces with complicated cross sections.

These are but a few examples of metalworking machines, there are literally thousands of different types of machines used to cut and form metal. In addition to all those types, there can be dozens or hundreds of different manufacturers and sometimes scores of different models of each type of machine. Without metalworking machinery modern life as we know it could not exist. Literally everything we take for granted, from toilet paper to cell phones to cereal box on our breakfast table requires machine tools to make the machines that produce those products.