milling machine

American  

noun

1. a machine tool for rotating a cutter milling cutter to produce plane or formed surfaces on a workpiece, usually by moving the work past the cutter.

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milling machine British  

noun

1. a machine tool in which a horizontal arbor or vertical spindle rotates a cutting tool above a horizontal table, which is used to move a workpiece

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Etymology

Origin of milling machine

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

Early in the morning, corps members used a construction vehicle to grab one of the dozens of logs from under the shade structure and drop it onto the giant orange wood milling machine.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 10, 2024

Swindon Magistrates Court heard that the worker had been moving a 1.5 tonne milling machine along with a colleague when the incident occurred in August 2019.

From BBC • Aug. 3, 2022

Once 3-D modeling was complete, the files were programmed into a computer-controlled milling machine that resembles a cross between a band saw and a lathe.

From Scientific American • Jun. 29, 2022

A milling machine then removes the bran, and a polishing machine smooths the now-white rice.

From New York Times • Nov. 11, 2021

“Your father was pretty mad,” he said over the shriek of a milling machine.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam