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Combination Turret Milling Machines

Optimise your workshop with combination turret milling machines. Industrial accuracy, versatility and reliability with personalised technical support included.

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Full catalogue in PDF
Full catalogue in PDF

Combination turret milling machines

Thanks to their many workpiece machining operations, milling machines can perform a variety of functions and work on metals as well as other materials such as wood, plastic or synthetics, on either flat or curved surfaces. Some of the techniques they carry out are cutting, facing, slotting and drilling, to obtain different shapes.

Combination turret milling machines are machine tools that work in the process known as metal cutting, vertically, with cuts perpendicular to the workpiece. This process consists of removing material from different parts to fit varied designs so that they can be used in other sectors such as mechanical engineering, shipbuilding or oil.

The machining carried out by this machine is made possible by the rotary movement of a part called a milling cutter, which has several cutting edges and which, on contact with the raw material, removes sections of it according to the established design.

How a combination turret milling machine works

Like every machine tool of this kind, the combination turret milling machine uses a cutting tool rotating at high speed to remove part of the material from the base workpiece being machined.

The combination turret milling machine is a type of vertical milling machine that combines the rotary movement of the cutting tool with feed and plunge movements applied to the workpiece being machined along the cross, vertical and longitudinal axes.

During the process, the tool is manipulated together with the material, or the movements are preset digitally, so that the machine tool makes the necessary cuts to give the workpiece its final shape.

The function of a combination turret milling machine is the process of milling or cutting material, which can be flat, angular, inclined or slot milling.

Operations of a combination turret milling machine

Like other models of milling machine, this type of machine tool can perform different types of cut on the workpiece, including:

  • Plain milling: carried out on a base workpiece with a flat surface.
  • Face milling: makes a flat cut on the front side of the material.
  • Side milling: makes cuts on the sides of the workpiece.
  • Angular milling: the cut is made on two flat areas of the same workpiece so that they form an angle in the machining.
  • Gang milling: cuts are made simultaneously with two or more cutters.
  • Form milling: used on workpieces with special shapes, such as curves or other geometric designs, using cutters with characteristics similar to those of the raw material.
  • Saw milling: a special cutter is used to produce slot patterns on the base workpiece.
  • Helical milling: this is the type of machining carried out on workpieces or materials with helical shapes.
Heller FTVC6 combination vertical turret milling machine

Structure of a combination turret milling machine

Milling machine tools can vary in the number of axes, in the orientation of the spindle that performs the rotary movement, or in special features. However, their structure and components are essentially the same, and combination turret milling machines need these elements in order to work correctly.

The essential parts of its structure are described below:

Base It is the support of the machine tool and allows it to stay properly positioned and fixed to the floor.
Body Also known as the column, it sits on the base and has guideways on the front that allow the knee to move vertically.
Knee This part is located in front of the body of the machine tool and is held by the hardened guideways. It moves up and down and acts as the support for the table.
Cross slide Two slides are located on the knee which support the table, and they perform the cross and longitudinal movements of the workpiece.
Worktable Raw material workpieces are placed on the table and are held by means of its slots or additional accessories, depending on the characteristics of the material.
Bridge It is the part that extends horizontally from the column or frame. Steady rests are held on this section, which in turn make it possible to locate the machine axis or tool-holding arbor.
Spindle or tool-holding arbor The tool-holding arbor is the component on which the cutter rests and through which the rotary movement is generated so that the tool makes the specified cuts in the different materials.
Cranks These are the levers or grips used to move the machine along the three axes of the Cartesian plane (X, Y and Z), which carry out the cross, longitudinal and vertical movements. There will be as many cranks as the milling machine has axes.
Head This component holds the spindle, to which the cutting tool or milling cutter is fixed
Motor This is the component of the machine responsible for generating the revolutions and power for the milling machine, to drive the rotation of the cutter.
Gearbox Depending on the cutter to be used and the workpiece to be cut, the speed at which the cutter turns will change. This factor is controlled by means of this component

The combination turret milling machine is a machine tool that combines the features of a conventional turret milling machine and a conventional universal milling machine. Some of the advantages of using a combination turret milling machine are:

1. Versatility: it allows a variety of machining operations, such as milling, drilling, tapping, etc. Like the conventional turret milling machine specialised in milling, and the conventional universal milling machine.

2. Efficiency: it allows several workpieces to be worked on at the same time, which increases production efficiency.

3. Cost reduction: having the features of two machines in one reduces the cost and space needed to have two separate machines.

4. Greater machining flexibility: it has a greater machining capacity compared with a conventional turret milling machine or a conventional universal milling machine.

5. Greater accuracy: having the features of two machines in one gives greater machining accuracy, as it allows different angles and directions to be used. However, it is important to mention that this machine is more complex and requires a higher level of skill and knowledge to operate and maintain compared with a conventional turret or universal machine.

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