Which machine type changes axis directions due to the worktable moving rather than the cutting tool?

Which machine type changes axis directions due to the worktable moving rather than the cutting tool?

• A. Vertical milling machine
• B. Horizontal milling machine
• C. Lathe
• D. Drilling machine

Answer: (A)

Positioning the workpiece is done by moving the table, not by moving the cutting tool. In a vertical milling machine, the spindle is vertical, so the cutting action occurs primarily along the vertical axis, while the table shifts in the horizontal X and Y directions to bring different parts of the workpiece into position under the cutter. Because the axis directions that define where you cut are set by how the table moves, this machine type is the one where axis changes come from the worktable rather than the cutting tool. The other machines don’t rely on the table to redefine the cutting directions in the same way: in a lathe the tool moves relative to a rotating workpiece across multiple axes, in a drilling machine the drill moves along its own axis to cut and the table mainly serves for basic positioning, and in a horizontal milling machine the spindle orientation is different but the principle of tool-driven axis movement is more integral to the cutting process.

Positioning the workpiece is done by moving the table, not by moving the cutting tool. In a vertical milling machine, the spindle is vertical, so the cutting action occurs primarily along the vertical axis, while the table shifts in the horizontal X and Y directions to bring different parts of the workpiece into position under the cutter. Because the axis directions that define where you cut are set by how the table moves, this machine type is the one where axis changes come from the worktable rather than the cutting tool.

The other machines don’t rely on the table to redefine the cutting directions in the same way: in a lathe the tool moves relative to a rotating workpiece across multiple axes, in a drilling machine the drill moves along its own axis to cut and the table mainly serves for basic positioning, and in a horizontal milling machine the spindle orientation is different but the principle of tool-driven axis movement is more integral to the cutting process.