The machine tool industry is perhaps one of the unsung heroes of manufacturing. Without the innovations behind the automation and robotics used by machine tool manufacturers, the products that we rely on today simply wouldn’t exist. Everything is produced by robots, from large objects like cars and aerospace technology to smaller items such as smartphones and microchips.

These facilities depend on having the right machinery in order to get the job done, so they rely on CNC tooling pieces to operate. Here are a few types of machine tools you may not know about:

Presetters or Tool Setters
Before a machine even begins working, it requires the work of CNC tool setters to program the job. Presetters help provide computer-guided instructions to a machine in order to control the rate of production. These tool setters guide the tools into place and select the correct boring heads, tap adapters, or other parts as needed.

Tapping Tools
There are many different types of tapping tools, which are used to thread pipes and other pieces (think like screws). Tap adapters come in various sizes and can be used to develop a variety of different types of threads on metal. These adapters can change the angle, spacing, and size of the threads.

Boring Heads
Boring — that is, drilling or enlarging a hole in a piece of metal — is a big part of machine tooling. Boring goes back to the beginning of the machine tool industry hundreds of years ago, when the first boring techniques were used to create holes in cannons (and later gun barrels). Today, boring heads and other boring tools are available in many different shapes and sizes, and they can either bore pre-existing holes or all new ones.

Collets
Collets, also known as chucks or collet chucks, are used to hold tools in place. They may also be called tool holders for this reasons. This is similar to the chuck on a hand drill, which holds the drill bit in place. Having the right size collets and tool holders is necessary to make sure that machinery operates at the right speed and velocity.

Have questions about machine tools? Be sure to contact a manufacturer. You can also leave a comment below if you’d like more information.