Traditional horizontal milling machines are mainly suitable for machining various mechanical parts, especially mechanical transmission housings and various curved surfaces. Due to advancements in equipment technology, the requirements for mechanical structures are becoming increasingly simplified, requiring fewer transmission components, particularly transmission housings. Mechanical transmissions are increasingly adopting direct drive, and the precision requirements for transmission components are extremely high.
This places higher demands on the technological performance of horizontal milling machines. Therefore, the number of objects processed using the traditional boring-spindle structure is decreasing, and they are being replaced by spindleless electric spindles, i.e., high-speed machining centers are used to complete the machining of various parts. The development of horizontal milling machines towards high-speed machining centers not only enhances their technological adaptability but also improves performance and machining accuracy. While expanding the range of machining processes, various functional accessories are needed to ensure process support. These accessories enable boring and milling, drilling, tapping, and, with the addition of CNC tilting milling heads, the machining of various curved surfaces. Equipped with exchangeable worktables to form flexible machining units, batch processing of parts is possible.
Floor-type milling and boring machines are mainly used for machining large and extra-large parts with various profiles. Their key feature is the large floor-standing platform (unrestricted table size), allowing for the machining of extra-long and extra-wide parts. They can also be equipped with a rotary table, enabling both rotary indexing and radial linear motion. Indexing allows for multi-stage machining of parts, significantly expanding the machining range. The floor-type milling and boring machines produced by the Italian company Pama are specifically equipped with tilting, adjustable-angle worktables, further broadening the machining range. High-power, high-efficiency cutting is a major advantage of floor-type milling and boring machines. The increasing demand for high-speed, high-precision technology is influencing their technological development and is a crucial means of improving their technological capabilities. Therefore, floor-type milling and boring machines are moving beyond simply focusing on high-power, high-efficiency cutting, incorporating more high-speed, high-precision machining techniques. The ram-type structure has become the main structural form for high-speed milling and boring. The ram has a large cross-section, high rigidity, good high-speed stability, and facilitates the mounting of various milling head attachments for high-speed machining.