Vertical Machining, also known as milling, relies on rotary cutters to remove metal from a workpiece. Vertical machining occurs on a vertical machining center (VMC), which employs a spindle with a vertical orientation. With a vertically oriented spindle, tools stick straight down from the tool holder, and often cut across the top of a workpiece.

VMCs are set up with vertically operated spindles that tackle workpieces from above and are performed most often on 2.5 or 3-axis machining operations. Less expensive than HMCs, these are especially attractive to small companies. Over the years, VMCs have become more advanced, incorporating high-speed spindles and conversational control programming.

Vertical machining centers with advanced features and functions are earning their stripes as more productive members of machine shops’ CNC equipment arsenal. Today’s VMCs are challenging the notion that they have to be consigned to some seldom visited dark corner of the shop, or limited to secondary machining. VMCs have traditionally been lower priced compared with horizontal machining centers but without the production capability.

To some extent, the most recent additions of advanced technology have enabled VMCs to close the productivity gap and secure a competitive edge in high-speed, high-precision applications as diverse as aerospace, medical, energy and similarly demanding industries. The functionality of VMCs has been significantly increased with the addition of fourth- and fifth-axis table-on-table and trunnion configurations, multiple pallet changers, more tools, and high-speed spindles. VMCs are capable of machining the most complex workpieces, such as bladed rotors for jet engines, turbine blades for power generation, large aerospace components, and precision mold and die work.

the perfect VMC lies somewhere between a compact 3-axis machine that can be rolled through a standard office door and a big 5-axis job the size of a semi trailer.