When you consider the progress in machining technology, you might wonder if the special-purpose machine has seen its day. Not quite yet, but sooner rather than later. The characteristics of the machining center today greatly broadens its scope, allowing it to work with tooling and fixturing that only a few years ago would not be considered likely. Gear-cutting, mill-turning, full five-axis simultaneous machining for contouring, and NC feed-out tooling for turning operations allow the machining center to be effectively assigned many more tasks than milling, drilling, tapping, and reaming.
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