What is the difference between a lathe and a milling machine?

1. Different processing methods

Lathe: A machine tool that mainly uses a turning tool to turn a rotating workpiece. Drills, reamers, reamers, taps, dies and knurling tools can also be used on the lathe for corresponding processing.

Milling machine: mainly use milling cutters to process various surfaces of the workpiece. Usually the milling cutter mainly moves by rotation, and the movement of the workpiece and the milling cutter is the feed movement. It can process planes, grooves, various curved surfaces, gears, etc.

2. The processing range is different

Lathe: Wide range of machining objects, wide adjustment range of spindle speed and feed rate, capable of machining the inner and outer surfaces, end faces, and inner and outer threads of the workpiece.

Milling machine: processing plane (horizontal plane, vertical plane), grooves (keyway, T-slot, dovetail groove, etc.), gear parts (gear, spline shaft, sprocket), spiral surface (thread, spiral groove) and various Kind of surface.

3. Different classification

Lathes: ordinary lathes, turret and rotary lathes, automatic lathes, multi-tool semi-automatic lathes, profiling lathes, vertical lathes, shovel lathes, specialized lathes, combined lathes, saddle lathes, etc.

Milling machine: According to the structure, it can be divided into desktop milling machine, cantilever milling machine, ram milling machine, gantry milling machine, plane milling machine, profiling milling machine, lifting table milling machine, radial arm milling machine, bed milling machine, special milling machine, etc.