Increasing the number of axes significantly expands the machining range, specifically as follows:

Three-axis machine tools:

Capabilities: Proficient in planar milling, drilling, 2D contour machining, and simple 3D surface machining; unable to handle complex surfaces or multi-faceted parts.

Limitations: Side machining requires multiple clamping operations, easily leading to accuracy loss; high risk of tool interference.

Applications: Suitable for simple parts such as plates and supports, including mechanical supports and flat molds; low cost and easy maintenance.

Four-axis machine tools:

Capabilities: Achieve machining of cylindrical surfaces, spiral grooves, and inclined holes through rotary axes; completes multi-faceted operations in a single clamping operation, reducing clamping errors.

Advantages: Efficiency is 30%-50% higher than three-axis machines; suitable for rotating parts.

Applications: Used for preliminary machining of automotive shafts, housing parts, and impellers, balancing cost and complexity. 

Five-Axis Machine Tools:

Capabilities: Can machine any complex curved surface (such as free-form surfaces and irregular structures). The tool is always perpendicular to the workpiece surface, ensuring high precision and surface quality.

Advantages: Completes machining of five sides in a single setup, avoiding multiple positioning errors; suitable for difficult-to-machine areas such as deep cavities and undercuts.

Applications: High-end fields such as aero-engine blades, artificial limbs, and precision molds, where extremely high precision is required.

Advantages, Disadvantages, and Selection Considerations

Cost and Complexity: Three-axis has the lowest cost and is simple to operate; four-axis is moderately priced and has moderate programming difficulty; five-axis equipment is expensive and requires professional programming and collision detection technology.

Efficiency and Precision: The more axes, the higher the machining efficiency (five-axis is more than 50% more efficient than three-axis) and the better the precision (five-axis can reach the micron level).

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