When the first time looking to buy a real milling machine, perhaps you are a bit confused because of mill, lathe, and router. They seem similar to each other. Instead of continuing buying, you are better off making a little research on the web.
Actually, both mill, lathe, and router are the same, they are aimed to remove some parts of a particular object. However, in terms of the moving object, they are classifiable. Mill and router have the cutting tool that rotates and feeds against the object. While lathe has the object that rotates and gets fed by the cutting tool.
Furthermore, mill and router are classified based on the object’s solidity being machined. A milling machine is designed to machine metal objects. While a router is intended for wood, plastics, etc materials that are not as rigid as metal. Therefore, you’ll commonly find a router in a small size. While milling machine, the bigger the size, the more reliable it is.
In addition, when comparing mill and lathe, you could notice the cutting tools. It’s possible for a mill machine to operate multiple-point cutting tools as the cutting tool will rotate. In comparison with the lathe, because the cutting tool is stationary, it’s only able to use a single-point cutting tool.
In terms of RPM, a mill machine’s RPM is lower than the router. They need more torque than RPM. A mill usually runs anywhere between 3000 to 5000 RPM. While the router is about 25000 to 30000 RPM.
There are actually other differences but we think the above points are very contrasting and easy to spot. So, if you use the guidance above during the search, you could be fast to decide whether it’s what you are looking for. If you are still a beginner, this is very important to know and this article is for you.
