Published 6/18/2010

Advanced CNC Milling and Drilling Quiz

A provider of machine shop training offers these questions for benchmarking metalworking knowledge.

Peter Zelinski

Editor-in-Chief, Additive Manufacturing

(Text updated February 4, 2019) Ryan Pohl of Praeco Skills developed this test to quickly evaluate students' knowledge of CNC milling and drilling and determine the level of instruction they need. What is your level of knowledge? Scroll down to read the questions and find an answer key or take the quiz interactively here.

1. What is the maximum rpm you should run a holder if it is unbalanced in a V-tapered spindle?

__ 4,000 rpm

__ 6,000 rpm

__ 8,000 rpm

__ 10,000 rpm

2. Unless it has a special design to ensure Z-Axis accuracy, V-tapered tooling should never be run faster than…

__ 6,000 rpm

__ 8,000 rpm

__ 10,000 rpm

__ 12,000 rpm

3. Countless tests have proven which of the following tool tapers to be superior in radial and axial stiffness, z-axis repeatability and performance for high speeds?

__ CAT

__ HSK

__ BT

__ SK

4. You should never use a cutter that has _________________ in a hydraulic holder, a milling chuck or in high speed applications.

__ Weldon flats

__ Hybrid coatings

__ Multiple inserts

__ Through-spindle coolant

5. One of the key limiting factors of a C-frame mill design is…

__ Workpiece visibility

__ Top-end rpm

__ Tool-magazine capacity

__ Y-axis rigidity

6. What is the name of the rotational axis that corresponds with the Y-linear axis?

__ A-axis

__ B-axis

__ C-axis

__ W-axis

7. The machine ____________ plays a key role in isolating and absorbing vibrations and shock from the cutting operation on the machine as well as surrounding impacts on the shop floor.

__ Column

__ Frame

__ Ways

__ Foundation

8. If the _________________ is too long on a machine, it may whip in the center, causing machine-component- and part-damaging vibrations.

__ Linear Guide Way

__ Ball Screw

__ Rack and Pinion

__ Box Way

9. Using a ________________ in your CAM program eliminates 90 degree corner moves, saving on tool and machine life, as well as increasing part quality.

__ Radial Lead-in

__ Smoothing-radius

__ Collision check

__ Radial Step-over

10. A material’s machinability rating is a(n) _______________ value given to a particular material’s ease with which it is machined.

__ Objective

__ Subjective

__ Standardized

__ Letter

11. ________________________ is a measure of the linear-distance that a single point on the outside edge of the cutter is moved around the circumference as the cutter rotates in one minute.

__ Feed rate

__ Cutting Speed

__ RPM

__ Chip load

12. Using (an) _________________ can destroy the effectiveness and efficiency of a cut when machining ferrous alloys with coated-carbide cutters.

__ Flood coolant

__ Air blast

__ Air/Mist blast

__ Chipbreakers

13. When taking a depth of cut that is smaller than the full radius of the cutter, the actual amount of the cutter that is engaged into the workpiece is called the…

__ Actual Diameter

__ Actual Engagement

__ Effective Radius

__ Effective Diameter

14. A standard for maximum Length to Diameter (L:D) ratio for normal sized (not micromachining) cutters being held outside the holder, without having to slow rpm and feed, is…

__ 2:1

__ 3:1

__ 4:1

__ 5:1

15. _____ is a man-made synthetic cutter that has greater thermal resistance than diamond.

__ CBN

__ CVD

__ PCBD

__ PCD

16. _____________ is the secondary ingredient used in tungsten carbide cutters that acts as a binder, and has a dramatic affect on the overall hardness of the carbide itself.

__ Aluminum

__ Iron-carbide

__ Cobalt

__ Silicon

17. The ________________ of the cutter is responsible for generating the essential aluminum-oxide in a high-speed cut in ferrous materials.

__ Geometry

__ Thickness

__ Speed

__ Coating

18. To perform high speed machining, all holders and components should be balanced to a rating of _________ for the rpm they will be run.

__ G1.0

__ G1.5

__ G2.0

__ G2.5

19. High speed machining (which might more appropriately be called “High-Efficiency Machining”) works because the ______________ and ______________ are controlled at the point of cut.

__ Heat, Vibration

__ RPM, Feed rate

__ Loads, Limits

__ Time, Temperature

20. High-speed machining begins at 8,000 rpm and 100 ipm.

__ True

__ False

For the answer key, click here.