Bridgeport

From RISDpedia

The Bridgeport is a vertical milling machine. Designed primarily for metal, wood, plastic, and almost any other material can be milled on its table. The Bridgeport consists of a table, that can be moved in the X, Y, and Z directions. And a Head that holds the cutting bit, that can be adjusted in tilt forward and backwards, extend farther away from the machine, and swing around to the sides. This is a very versatile machine. Work is held by either clamping it directly to the table, in a vice which is secured to the table, or to rotary tables; depending on the task at hand and the size of the object. Rotary tables let accurate curves be cut, and can be mounted horizontally, or vertically on the table. A version of the rotary table is the index head, which can perform accurate divisions of circles. Hand dials are used to control the movement of the table and the rotary table, and very accurate cuts can be made with great stability. There is a huge variety of cutting bits that can be used, depending on the job and material. The bits have standard size shanks and fit into collets which attach to the head. A cutting lubricant is required for cutting metals and plastics. And cuts should never be more than a few thousandths at a time. Some Bridgeport's have a DRO, which is a Digital Read Out, a measuring device attached to the machine with can measure movement of the table much more accurately than the hand wheels. The capabilities of the Bridgeport are extreme, and almost anything is possible.