Rotary Table

Rotary tables are most commonly mounted "flat", with the table rotating around a vertical axis, in the same plane as the cutter of a vertical milling machine. An alternate setup is to mount the rotary table on its end (or mount it "flat" on a 90° angle plate), so that it rotates about a horizontal axis. In this configuration a tailstock can also be used, thus holding the workpiece "between centers."

With the table mounted on a secondary table, the workpiece is accurately centered around the rotary table's axis, which in turn is centered around the cutting tool's axis. All three axes are thus coaxial. From this point, the secondary table can be offset in either the X or Y direction to set the cutter the desired distance from the workpiece's center. This allows concentric machining operations on the workpiece. Placing the workpiece eccentrically a set distance from the center permits more complex curves to be cut. As with other setups on a vertical mill, the milling operation can be either drilling a series of concentric, and possibly equidistant holes, or face or end milling either circular or semicircular shapes and contours.



A rotary table can be used:

•To machine spanner flats on a bolt
•To drill equidistant holes on a circular flange
•To cut a round piece with a protruding tang
•To create large-diameter holes, via milling in a circular toolpath, on small milling machines that don't have the power to drive large twist drills (>0.500"/>13 mm)
•To mill helixes
•To cut complex curves (with proper setup)
•to cut straight lines at any angle
•to cut arcs
•with the addition of a compound table on top of the rotary table, the user can move the center of rotation to anywhere on the part being cut. This enables an arc to be cut at any place on the part.
Additionally, if converted to stepper motor operation, with a CNC milling machine and a tailstock, a rotary table allows many parts to be made on a mill that otherwise would require a lathe.