5-axis machining centers are available in a wide variety of versions: with horizontal or vertical tool spindle, with swivel rotary table or as a gantry machine with rigid table. Which version is the right one can be determined by the component requirements. The common feature of all designs is that they machine a workpiece from five sides – i.e. completely down to the clamping surface. With this feature, 5-axis machines are an efficient response to a continuing trend that ultimately also results from manufacturing possibilities: Workpieces are becoming increasingly complex.
All milling machines operate on the same subtractive principle: they work a geometric shape out of a blank by removing material until that shape is complete. The more complex the geometry of the desired part, the more difficult it is to produce. On a conventional 3-axis milling machine, such workpieces would have to be clamped in different positions to achieve the desired geometries. This is usually very time-consuming or not even feasible, for example, in the case of curved shapes. The solution entered the market with the first multi-axis machining centers. They have rotary axes that allow rotation around the X, Y or Z axis. Of these axes, labeled A, B and C, two are sufficient to position a workpiece in space as required. These 5-axis machining centers are now a common standard in many manufacturing operations.
