The planer is a kind of metal processing machine tool, which mainly uses the workpiece and the planer to move the workpiece on the plane or groove surface of the workpiece to plan the workpiece. The purpose of the planer is to reduce the thickness of the workpiece and smooth the surface of the workpiece. The planer has low productivity and is suitable for single-piece and small-batch production.
The main movement of the planer is the reciprocating movement. Besides, the planer will also have an assisted movement, also called feed movement, which is the intermittent movement of the worktable. The planer can plan various types of surfaces, including vertical surfaces, horizontal surfaces, curved surfaces, stepped surfaces, T-shaped grooves, V-shaped grooves, gears, and etc. The cutting principle of the planer is to use the planer to make a linear reciprocating motion. The tool post will rotate at an angle on the vertical plane, and the worktable will make the workpiece perform an intermittent lateral or vertical movement, and then the surface of the workpiece can be processed. The medium-sized planer is driven by a crank and rocker mechanism (uneven moving speed). The large planer uses hydraulic transmission (uniform motion). Among them, the productivity of the bullhead planer is the lowest, because it is mainly processed by a single-edged planer.
Types of Planer Machine
Double Housing Planer Machine
Double housing planer machine is a planer widely used in workshops. It has two huge and vertical housings as well as a long and heavy base. Both housings are being processed, and the top of the housing is connected by cast iron. On top of that, there’s a horizontal beam with two tool heads that can slide on the vertical surfaces of the two housings. These tool heads are moved manually or powered in a lateral or vertical direction to provide feed motion. This type of planer can be driven hydraulically or mechanically, at the same time it can move in a horizontal or vertical direction. Double housing planer machine can efficiently maintain the surface finish and is suitable for deep-cutting or processing a large number of workpieces. Due to the large volume of the double housing planer machine, it needs to be installed in a large area.
Open Side Planer Machine
The open side planer machine uses a single housing instead of two housings. Its base has one housing on only one side, therefore this planer machine can be used to process large and wide workpieces without being limited by the distance between the two housings. Since the open side planer machine has only one housing, the single housing needs to be strong and rigid in order to withstand the entire load.
Pit Planer Machine
The structure of the pit planer machine is rigid and heavy. The workbench of this machine tool is placed in a pit and kept stationary. The workbench will remain horizontal with the ground and can load heavy workpieces very easily. The columns used to carry the beams will be installed on the horizontal guide rails on both sides of the workbench for reciprocating motion. Two tool heads are installed on the horizontal rail of the pit planer machine. These two tool heads can make them cut horizontally or vertically. Pit planer machine can be used to process some very large workpieces.
Edge or Plate Planer machine
Edge or Plate Planer machine is usually used in the process of beveling the workpiece or processing the edge of the steel plate. We can use pneumatic clamps to clamp and fix the workpiece to be processed. The cutting planer is installed on a bracket, and the bracket is located at its front end and supported on two horizontal rails of the planer. The cutter head will move along the two horizontal rails at the front of the base. Edge or plate planer machines are mostly used in shipbuilding projects.
Divided table Planer Machine
Divided table planer machine is a planer with two worktables, which can reciprocate simultaneously or even move independently. Divided table planer machine is suitable for the same and continuous batch production operations. This type of planer can effectively reduce the working time of the workbench. Work is set on one workbench, and the cutting tool on the other workbench reciprocates to complete the cutting work. If you need to process a large workpiece, you can use two workbenches to clamp the workpiece together, and then let the cutting tool do reciprocating motion to start processing.
Some of the types of planing machines and their characteristics are listed above. We hope this information can provide you with more knowledge and understanding of planers. If you want to replace the planer or are not sure which planer is more suitable for your project, please contact MecHero at 011-7000 7687 or email my.mechero@gmail.com