Hillary Machinery supplies TRAK toolroom CNC mills with ProtoTRAK conversational CNC controls for one-off parts, prototypes, repair work and high-mix, low-volume machining. Choose from TRAK CNC bed mills and knee mills that combine machinist-friendly manual operation with programmable CNC capability for faster setup and production.
Toolroom CNC mills combine the flexibility and accessibility of conventional milling with CNC control for manufacturers that frequently produce one-off parts, prototypes, repair components and short production runs.
Hillary Machinery offers TRAK toolroom mills with ProtoTRAK CNC controls for machine shops, toolrooms, maintenance departments, manufacturers and educational facilities requiring efficient high-mix, low-volume machining.
A toolroom CNC mill is designed for machining environments where jobs change frequently and programming and setup time can represent a significant portion of the total manufacturing cycle.
Rather than being optimized exclusively for repetitive production, a toolroom mill provides the machinist with a flexible platform for manual machining, conversational CNC programming and automated milling operations.
Hillary Machinery offers TRAK Machine Tools equipped with ProtoTRAK CNC controls for machinist-oriented CNC programming and operation.
The current TRAK toolroom mill lineup includes both DPM bed mills and a K-series knee mill, providing different machine configurations for a wide range of toolroom and short-run machining applications.
Conversational CNC programming allows machinists to program common milling operations through an operator-oriented interface rather than requiring every job to be programmed using conventional G-code methods.
This can reduce programming time for one-off parts and small quantities and make CNC machining practical for jobs that might otherwise remain on a manual milling machine.
TRAK DPM toolroom bed mills provide the flexibility to machine manually or use CNC control when automation provides an advantage.
Depending on the operation, a machinist can work manually using real handwheels, use CNC control for selected axes, or perform full 3-axis CNC machining.
This flexibility allows the operator to choose the most efficient machining method for each individual job rather than forcing every operation into the same production workflow.
TRAK DPM bed mills provide a rigid machine platform with ProtoTRAK RMX CNC control for toolroom and short-run production.
Hillary Machinery's current DPM lineup includes:
The different models provide increasing table size, travel, spindle power and machine capacity, allowing manufacturers to select a bed mill around their typical workpiece requirements.
The TRAK K3 combines the familiar configuration of a traditional knee mill with integrated ProtoTRAK CNC capability.
It provides real handwheels for manual operation while adding programmable CNC capability for jobs where automated positioning and machining can improve productivity.
This makes the K3 particularly useful for toolrooms, repair departments, prototype work, training environments and shops transitioning work from conventional machining to CNC.
Both machine configurations can provide effective toolroom CNC capability, but they approach the application differently.
A CNC knee mill retains the familiar architecture of a traditional vertical knee mill and can be especially attractive for machinists accustomed to conventional milling.
A CNC bed mill uses a more substantial fixed-bed machine structure and can provide greater travels, rigidity and workpiece capacity for larger or more demanding machining applications.
A manual mill can be extremely efficient for simple operations, repair work and individual features. As part geometry becomes more complex, however, manual positioning and repeated operations can consume significant machining time.
A toolroom CNC mill allows the machinist to retain manual machining capability while using CNC control for operations such as hole patterns, pockets, contours, arcs and repetitive positioning.
A production vertical machining center is typically optimized for automated CNC machining, automatic tool changing and repetitive production.
A toolroom CNC mill is optimized around operator flexibility, rapid programming and high-mix, low-volume work where setup and programming time can be just as important as machining cycle time.
Manufacturers requiring higher-volume automated production can compare Hillary Machinery's production vertical machining centers.
Compare Production Vertical Machining Centers
Toolroom and conversational CNC mills are well suited for applications including:
Maintenance departments frequently need to repair or reproduce components quickly without developing a complete production machining process.
A toolroom CNC mill allows a machinist to perform straightforward operations manually while using CNC programming when a repair component requires more complex geometry or repeated features.
Prototype manufacturing often requires frequent changes to part geometry and relatively small quantities.
Conversational CNC programming can allow modifications to be made at the machine while reducing the programming overhead associated with producing one or only a few components.
Toolroom CNC mills can provide an effective training platform because students can develop conventional machining skills while also learning CNC positioning, programming and machining concepts.
TRAK machines can help bridge the transition between manual machining and modern CNC manufacturing by allowing both approaches on a machinist-oriented platform.
Selecting the right TRAK toolroom mill should begin with the parts and operations the machine will perform. Hillary Machinery can help evaluate:
A toolroom CNC mill is a flexible milling machine designed primarily for one-off parts, prototypes, repair work and high-mix, low-volume machining. It combines machinist-oriented operation with programmable CNC capability.
A conversational CNC mill allows machining operations to be programmed through an operator-oriented interface at the machine, reducing the need to create every program using conventional G-code methods.
Yes. TRAK toolroom machines are designed to retain machinist-oriented manual operation while adding CNC capability. The exact operating modes depend on the particular machine configuration.
A knee mill uses a vertically adjustable knee supporting the table and retains the traditional architecture familiar to manual machinists. A bed mill uses a more substantial bed-style structure that can provide greater rigidity and capacity for larger machining applications.
Yes. TRAK DPM RMX bed mills are designed for manual, 2-axis or 3-axis CNC operation, providing flexibility for both straightforward and more complex machining jobs.
A toolroom mill can be particularly effective when jobs change frequently, quantities are relatively small and programming speed and operator flexibility are more important than maximum automated production rate. A production VMC is generally better suited to applications requiring automatic tool changing and repetitive automated production.
Yes. Their combination of rapid conversational programming, manual capability and CNC control makes toolroom mills particularly useful for prototypes and other high-mix, low-volume work.
Hillary Machinery can help evaluate your workpiece size, required travels, spindle requirements, part complexity and production quantities to determine the appropriate TRAK knee mill or DPM bed mill.
View Available TRAK Toolroom CNC Mills or contact Hillary Machinery to discuss your milling application.
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