Portal Milling Machines deliver quality manufacturing at lower cost
The demands on model, mould and tool makers are growing: Customers demand more quality, a perfectly milled surface and high dimensional accuracy and this is best done at low prices with a fast delivery speed. In order to keep up with this, it is worth investing in a portal milling machine that enables a large number of high-quality workpieces with little effort.
But what makes a good portal milling machine and what should you pay attention to when buying?
The development of the portal milling machine
Germany’s first machine factory was opened in Chemnitz around 1850 and the go-ahead was given to modernise the craft. A portal milling machine was one of the first machines to be developed here. This subtype of the milling machine is one of the most important machines in heavy industry and is used in a wide variety of areas.
In contrast to other milling machines, the portal milling machine has two columns that are connected to a crossbeam. The milling head is usually attached to this, with other models additional milling cutters are attached to the stands. This structure gives the machine the impression of a gate or a portal, from which the name of the “portal milling machine” originated.
Milling machines are cutting machine tools that are more complex to use than drills, for example. They have rotating cutting tools and can thus form materials into the desired shapes. From small engravings to the creation of 3D shapes made of plastic, wood, stone and metal or rapid prototyping, i.e. the quick production of sample components, the portal milling machine is ideally suited. There are portal milling machines in a wide variety of sizes and in a wide variety of areas of application. Use is made of it by the do-it-yourselfer even to large corporations in the mechanical engineering industry.
What to look for when buying a portal milling machine
With a modern portal milling machine, a clean machining of workpieces can be implemented perfectly. But even with the portal milling machines there are differences in size and designs that have to be considered before purchasing.
A distinction is made between two types of construction for portal milling machines.
In the design with a movable table, the workpiece is brought into position within the machine, while the milling cutter itself remains static. So the tables have a low table load, but precise work is very easy to implement.
In portal milling machines based on the gantry design, the machine table is connected to the foundation and the machine can be moved along various axes in order to machine the workpiece. The weight of the workpiece does not matter here, as the milling cutter moves around the material to be processed.
It is also a good idea to buy a modern portal milling machine with chip conveyor and CNC control. In this way, the production output can be increased significantly. However, they are also slightly more expensive than other variants. Popular manufacturers are, for example, Waldrich-Coburg, Zimmermann, Forest-Line, SNK and Schiess Aschersleben. When making a purchase, the focus should be on the quality of the machine. This is the only way to guarantee that the machining of the workpieces will meet customer requirements.
Optimise production with a used portal milling machine
Portal milling machines have a high positioning accuracy due to their rigid construction. They have great dimensional accuracy, surface quality and machining performance even with vibrations. It can also be used with large and bulky workpieces.
In order to remain competitive and meet the high demands of the market, it is worth investing in a portal milling machine that exactly meets your own requirements. But the purchase is associated with high costs. It can be worthwhile to buy a used machine here.
Using used machine portals such as Surplex.com, high-quality, expert-checked portal milling machines can be bought.
