A machine tool is a powered mechanical device, typically used to fabricate metal components of machines by machining, which is the selective removal of metal. The term machine tool is usually reserved for tools that used a power source other than human movement, but they can be powered by people if appropriately set up. Many historians of technology consider that the true machine tools were born when direct human involvement was removed from the shaping or stamping process of the different kinds of tools. For instance, they consider that lathe machine tools were invented around 1751 by Jacques de Vaucanson because he was the first to mount the cutting instrument on a mechanically adjustable head, taking it out of the hands of the operator. A lathe is a common tool used in machining. ... Trinomial name Homo sapiens sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 Humans, or human beings, are bipedal primates belonging to the mammalian species Homo sapiens (Latin: wise man or knowing man) in the family Hominidae (the great apes). ... Conventional metalworking lathe In woodturning, metalworking, metal spinning, and glassworking, a lathe is a machine tool which spins a block of material so that when abrasive, cutting, or deformation tools are applied to the block, it can be shaped to produce an object which has rotational symmetry about an axis... Events Adam Smith is appointed professor of logic at the University of Glasgow March 25 - For the last time, New Years Day is legally on March 25 in England and Wales. ... Jacques de Vaucanson (February 24, 1709-November 21, 1782) was a French engineer and inventor who is credited with creating the worlds first true robots, as well as for creating the first completely automated loom. ...

Overview

Machine tools can be powered from a variety of sources. Human and animal power are options, as is energy captured through the use of waterwheels. However, machine tools really began to develop after the development of the steam engine, leading to the Industrial Revolution. Today, most are powered by electricity. For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... An overshot water wheel standing 42 feet high powers the Old Mill at Berry College in Rome, Georgia A water wheel (also waterwheel, Norse mill, Persian wheel or noria) is a hydropower system; a system for extracting power from a flow of water. ... // The term steam engine may also refer to an entire railroad steam locomotive. ... The Industrial Revolution was a major shift of technological, socioeconomic, and cultural conditions that occurred in the late 18th century and early 19th century in some Western countries. ... Lightning strikes during a night-time thunderstorm. ...

Machine tools can be operated manually, or under automatic control. Early machines used flywheels to stabilize their motion and had complex systems of gears and levers to control the machine and the piece being worked on. Soon after World War II, the NC, or numerical control, machine was developed. NC machines used a series of numbers punched on paper tape or punch cards to control their motion. In the 1960s, computers were added to give even more flexibility to the process. Such machines became known as CNC, or computerized numerical control, machines. NC and CNC machines could precisely repeat sequences over and over, and could produce much more complex pieces than even the most skilled tool operators. Spoked flywheel Flywheel from stationary engine. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Numerical control or numerically controlled (NC) machine tools are machines that are automatically operated by commands that are received by their processing units. ... A roll of punched tape Punched tape is an old-fashioned form of data storage, consisting of a long strip of paper in which holes are punched to store data. ... Punched cards (or Hollerith cards, or IBM cards), are pieces of stiff paper that contain digital information represented by the presence or absence of holes in predefined positions. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... The NASA Columbia Supercomputer. ... A CNC Turning Center A CNC Milling Machine The abbreviation CNC stands for computer numerical control, and refers specifically to a computer controller that reads G-code instructions and drives the machine tool, a powered mechanical device typically used to fabricate metal components by the selective removal of metal. ...

Before long, the machines could automatically change the specific cutting and shaping tools that were being used. For example, a drill machine might contain a magazine with a variety of drill bits for producing holes of various sizes. Previously, either machine operators would usually have to manually change the bit or move the work piece to another station to perform these different operations. The next logical step was to combine several different machine tools together, all under computer control. These are known as machine centers, and have dramatically changed the way parts are made. A child using an electric drill with a screwdriver bit mounted in the chuck. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Drill bits are cutting tools used to create cylindrical holes. ...

From the simplest to the most complex, most machine tools are capable of at least partial self-replication since they are machines, and produce machine parts as their primary function. Self-replication is the process by which some things make copies of themselves. ...

Examples

Examples of machine tools are:

• Broach
• Drill
• Gear shaper
• Hobbing machine
• Hone
• Lathe
• Milling machine
• Shaper
• Stewart platform mills
• Grinders

When fabricating or shaping parts, several techniques are used to remove unwanted metal. Among these are: A push style 5/16 keyway broach A broach is a series of chisel points mounted on one piece of steel. ... A child using an electric drill with a screwdriver bit mounted in the chuck. ... A gear shaper is a machine tool for cutting the teeth of an internal gear. ... A hobbing machine is a special form of milling machine that mills gears. ... Honing tools A hone is a machine tool used in the manufacture of precision bores to improve the geometry, surface finish and dimensional control of the finished part. ... Conventional metalworking lathe In woodturning, metalworking, metal spinning, and glassworking, a lathe is a machine tool which spins a block of material so that when abrasive, cutting, or deformation tools are applied to the block, it can be shaped to produce an object which has rotational symmetry about an axis... Endmills for a milling machine. ... Shaper tool slide, clapper box and cutting tool A shaper is a machine tool used for shaping or surfacing metal and other materials. ... An example of Stewart platform Two hexapod positioners. ... Rotating abrasive wheel on a bench grinder. ...

• EDM (electrical discharge machining)
• Grinding
• Multiple edge cutting tools
• Single edge cutting tools

Other techniques are used to add desired material. Devices that fabricate components by selective addition of material are called rapid prototyping machines. Electrical Discharge Machine Electrical discharge machining (or EDM) is a machining method primarily used for hard metals or those that would be impossible to machine with traditional techniques. ... A rapid prototyping machine using Selective laser sintering. ...

Several regions of the United States became centers for machine tool development, including Cincinnati, Ohio, Rockford, Illinois and Springfield, Vermont. This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Springfield is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. ...

A collection of machinery showing photographs of the main types of metal working machinery is online at www.museumofmaking.org

See also

• Tool bit
• Tool wear
• Clanking Replicator
• Job Shops
• Multimachine - an open source machine tool
• James Fox (engineer)
• Machinist calculator

A tool bit generally refers to a plain High Speed Steel (HSS) tool. ... Tool wear describes the gradual failure of cutting tools due to regular operation. ... A clanking replicator is an artificial self-replicating system that relies on conventional large-scale technology and automation. ... A MultiMachine built by Pat Delaney The MultiMachine is all-purpose open source machine tool that can be built inexpensively by a semi-skilled mechanic with common hand tools, from discarded car and truck parts, using only commonly available hand tools and no electricity. ... James Fox,fl 1780-1830, machine tool maker, was originally a butler in the service of the Rev. ... Machinist Calculator (MC-20). ...

External links

• [1]National Institute for Metalworking Skills Standards download page

• [2]U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook

• [3] AFM - Spanish Machinetools' Manufacturer Association

Metalworking:
Milling and machining: Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Turned chess pieces Metalworking is the craft and practice of working with metals to create structures or machine parts. ...	Electrical discharge machining | Electro chemical machining | Endmill | Engraving | Hobbing machine | Lathe | Machine tool | Machining | Milling cutter | Milling machine | Planer | Pantograph | Shaper
Metalworking topics:   Electrical Discharge Machine Electrical discharge machining (or EDM) is a machining method primarily used for hard metals or those that would be impossible to machine with traditional techniques. ... Electro Chemical Machining (or ECM) is a method of working extremely hard materials or materials that are difficult to machine cleanly using conventional methods. ... Several types of endmills An endmill is a type of Milling cutter, a cutting tool used in industrial milling applications. ... Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, flat surface, by cutting grooves into it. ... A hobbing machine is a special form of milling machine that mills gears. ... Center lathe with DRO and chuck guard. ... A lathe is a common tool used in machining. ... Milling cutters are cutting tools used in milling machines or machining centres. ... Endmills for a milling machine. ... A metalworking planer is a type of metalworking machine tool, analogous to a shaper but larger and with the entire workpiece moving beneath the cutter. ... Shaper tool slide, clapper box and cutting tool A shaper is a machine tool used for shaping or surfacing metal and other materials. ... Turned chess pieces Metalworking is the craft and practice of working with metals to create structures or machine parts. ...	Casting | CNC | Cutting tools | Drilling and threading | Fabrication | Finishing | Grinding | Jewellery | Lathe (tool) | Machining | Machine tooling | Measuring | Metalworking | Hand tools | Metallurgy | Milling | Occupations | Press tools | Smithing | Terminology | Welding Casting may be used to create artistic sculptures Casting is a manufacturing process by which a molten material such as metal or plastic is introduced into a mold, allowed to solidify within the mold, and then ejected or broken out to make a fabricated part. ... A CNC Turning Center A CNC Milling Machine The abbreviation CNC stands for computer numerical control, and refers specifically to a computer controller that reads G-code instructions and drives the machine tool, a powered mechanical device typically used to fabricate metal components by the selective removal of metal. ... a Cutting Tool, in the context of Metalworking is any tool that is used to remove metal from the workpiece by means of shear deformation. ... Drilling is the process of using a drill bit in a drill to produce holes. ... A typical steel fabrication shop Fabrication, when used chas an industrial term, applies to the building of machines and structures by cutting, shaping and assembling components made from raw materials. ... Metalworking finishing is the activity of making things out of metal in a skillful manner. ... Rotating abrasive wheel on a bench grinder. ... Amber jewellery in the form of pendants Jewellery (also spelled jewelry, see spelling differences) is a personal ornament, such as a necklace, ring, or bracelet, made from jewels, precious metals or other substance. ... Conventional metalworking lathe In woodturning, metalworking, metal spinning, and glassworking, a lathe is a machine tool which spins a block of material so that when abrasive, cutting, or deformation tools are applied to the block, it can be shaped to produce an object which has rotational symmetry about an axis... A lathe is a common tool used in machining. ... A machine tool is a powered mechanical device, typically used to fabricate metal components of machines by the selective removal of metal. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Turned chess pieces Metalworking is the craft and practice of working with metals to create structures or machine parts. ... Metalworking hand tools are hand tools that are used in the metalworking field. ... Metallurgy is a domain of materials science and of materials engineering that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. ... Endmills for a milling machine. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Smith (metalwork). ... Power press with a fixed barrier guard A press, or a machine press is a tool used to work metal (typically steel) by changing its shape and internal structure. ... A smith, or metalsmith, is a person involved in the shaping of metal objects. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... Welding is a fabrication process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by causing coalescence. ...