CNC Milling is a process to cut material by using a rotating tool.
Milling is the most frequent used method to create flat surfaces. A rotating mill tool, also called mill cutter or milling tool, with plenty of cutting edges cuts the material. Traditionally, the tool has been fixed and the workpiece has been movable. Nowadays, both the tool and the component move simultaneously.
Almost every work shop offer milling, and most even has computer numerical controlled milling machines (CNC). This means that a computer gets all information about a job, and then the computer controls the milling machine. Generally, it is the component's size that determines what milling machine is suitable. The size is measured in length, width and height (X,Y,Z). The material also matters, because the mill tool's revolutions per minute is dependant on the material's hardness. An example of this is within the aviation industry, where many components in special materials demand very high speed machines.
Generally, CNC milling machines are suitable when performing complex tasks or medium to high volumes. Compare CNC milling to manual milling, which is used when projects are simpler and in small volumes.