What is CNC Vertical Machining Center – VMC Machine Applications & Difference Between Horizontal Machining Center

Due to its advantages and characteristics, the CNC vertical machining center can be applied in machinery manufacturing industries with high precision and mass production requirements, such as aerospace, automobile, instrumentation, light and textile, electronic and electrical, mold making, military products, handicrafts, etc. VMC is primarily suitable for processing workpieces with complex shapes, high accuracy & precision, and multiple procedures.

1. Box-type parts
Box-type CNC machining parts refer to the workpiece with more than a hole system and many cavities inside, mainly applied in machine tools, cars, and airplanes, like engine blocks, gearboxes, spindle boxes, diesel engine blocks, gear pump shells, etc. When using a vertical machining center, 60% – 95% of the process of ordinary machine tools can be completed in one-time clamping. In addition, the CNC VMC has high accuracy and efficiency, rigidity, and an automatic tool-changing device, as long as the process flow is well formulated and proper fixtures and tools are used, many problems of box types of parts machining can be solved. 

2. Complex curved parts
In the aviation and transportation industries, parts with complex curved surfaces are widely used, such as cams, integral impellers of engines, propellers, mold cavities, etc. These kinds of parts with a complex curve, surface contour, or box or casing parts with closed inner cavity are difficult to achieve the predetermined machining accuracy and detect by conventional machine tools or precision casting. A multi-axis machining center with automatic programming technology and special tools, can greatly improve its production efficiency and ensure the shape accuracy of the surface, making the automatic machining of complex parts become easy.

3. Special or irregularly shaped parts
Irregular machined parts have special shapes, and most of them need multi-point mixed processing of point, line, and face, such as bracket, base, etc. When machining special-shaped components, the more complex the shape is, the higher the accuracy required, while VMC shows its benefits at such a moment.

4. Board, sleeve, and plate parts
This kind of workpiece often includesa keyway and radial hole. The end face with hole system or curved plate and shaft, like shaft sleeve, plate with many holes, like motor covers, often uses a vertical machining center; and horizontal machining centers are often used for parts with radial holes.

5. New parts in trial production
The machining center has high adaptability and flexibility. When the machining object is changed, you only need to build and input new programs, even modify some program segments or utilize some special instructions sometimes. For example, using the zoom function can realize the machining of parts with the same shape but different sizes, which provides great convenience for a single piece, small-batch, multi-variety production, and new product trial, and greatly shortens the production preparation and trial manufacturing cycle.