machine tool
Automatic or semi-automatic power-driven mechanized tool. Machine tools have powerful electric motors to force cutting tools into metals: these are made from hardened steel containing heat-resistant metals such as tungsten and chromium. The use of precision machine tools in mass-production assembly methods ensures that all duplicate parts produced are virtually identical.
Many machine tools now work under computer control and are employed in factory automation. The most common machine tool is the lathe, which shapes shafts and similar objects. A milling machine cuts metal with a rotary-toothed cutting wheel. Other machine tools cut, plane, grind, drill, and polish.
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