This is a general description of what machine tools do.

1. Machine Tools

2. The Lathe The lathe is used to make round parts, such as shafts and bushings. The lathe can also make more complicated parts if the right operations are used.

3. The Vertical Milling Machine The milling machine makes flat surfaces and mills grooves; by clamping a round work piece in a v-block, keyways or flats can cut on shafts. With a rotary table this machine can also mill circular grooves and slots.

4. The Horizontal Milling Machine The horizontal milling machine has been largely replaced with the vertical milling machine. Like the vertical mill, the horizontal mill can machine flat surfaces and grooves but with a dividing head it can also produce gears.

5. Upright Drill Press The Upright drill press, as the name implies, drills holes. This type of drill press also has automatic feed which makes drilling deep holes much easier.

6. Radial Arm Drill Press The radial arm drill press is used to drill holes in work pieces too large to fit on a upright drill press. On this machine the head unit slides on the arm, this allows the machine to drill multiple holes without moving the work piece.

7. If you need a highly accurate, extremely flat surface, the surface grinder is the tool you need. With this machine tolerances within one ten-thousandth (0.0001) of an inch are possible. Surface Grinder

8. CNC (Computer Numerical Control) CNC machines are computer controlled machine tools, and are generally much faster than their manual counter parts.

9. Turning Center A turning center is a CNC lathe. These machines have a automatic tool changer which speeds up machining times tremendously. Parts produced by these machines usually only take a few seconds to produce, but larger parts may take a couple hours to finish.

10. Machining Center What the Turning center is to the lathe what the machining center is to the milling machine. From turbines to engine blocks CNC mills can produce some very complex parts. With their automatic tool changers they are much faster than manual milling machines.