The word industrial has been used so much in recent years to signify more durable and capable machinery and tools but why is it the case that not all such equipment is actually used in industrial settings? Commercial equipment “disguised” by the word industrial is taking over but having similar capabilities to more expensive machinery doesn't make it the same.

Commercial tools are made for household use and therefore the materials it's made of and build quality are not at the same tier as that of an industrial machine. Some industrial-grade material may be used but that doesn't make it usable in industrial conditions.

Types of Workshop Machinery

Shaping

As its name suggests, a shaping machine is one that allows you to cut both large and small workpieces be it metal or wood at any angle and curve. A shaper, as it's also called works much like other common workshop equipment in store such as a lathe while being smaller than a planer.

Grinding

With a grinding machine, you can manipulate usually metal workpieces into any shape and size with an abrasive wheel that chips the surface of said workpieces. Better known as grinding, this helps create a smooth surface be it done with a hydraulic or manual machine.

Milling

Other than milling, milling machinery is used for carving, planing, drilling, shaping cutting, contouring, die-sinking and stamping a lot of different types of solid materials. You'll come across two types of milling machines, vertical and horizontal, whose design is dependent on the direction of the main spindle.

Bandsaw

When you need to cut long pieces of both metal and wood in order to give them a unique shape or curve you are best off with a bandsaw workshop equipment. This is thanks to its long horizontal metal band and blade with sharp teeth. You can get either a horizontal or a double-column bandsaw workshop machinery.

Hacksaw

Equipped with a fine-toothed saw and a blade held under tension with a screw, a hacksaw machine is able to cut through different types of materials like plastic, wood and metal. Almost every workshop equipment store offers hacksaws that come with a coolant pump in order to prevent the blade from getting too hot. That's the level of capability you can expect from such workshop machinery.

Roller Track

You may not be able to cut or shape workpieces with a roller track but this is still a vital piece of workshop machinery. That's because it allows you to handle and move workpieces from one area to another with the help of both in-feed and out-feed rollers. Roller tracks are especially useful when you need to move a high number of large metal workpieces.

Press Brake

The best way to bend sheets of different materials, especially metal is with a press brake. You can form brackets and bend metal with different types of press brakes in the form of H-frame presses, horizontal bending machines and CNC press brakes.

Pillar Drill

A stationery drill that is also portable and allows you to make holes in different types of workpieces no matter the material they're made of is known as a pillar drill. Apart from drilling, a pillar drill allows for tapping which is common in metal fabrication. Modern-day pillar drills come with features such as auto-tapping and auto-drilling which help make for more precise and efficient results.

Welder

A welder is also part of many workshops as it helps join various types of metals. There are different types of welders depending on the welding process they rely on and therefore you can weld other materials too such as wood and plastic. Because of this, welding is one of the most popular fabrication solutions as it's so versatile.

Plan Workshop Tips

Information

Planning out a workshop requires having a framework and having a framework requires gathering lots of information. This is in regards to the type of machinery you'll need, their size as well as the space in which they need to fit. Research is key to a successful workshop plan, especially one that will make sense in the long run.

Goal

What's important for your workshop might not be as important for someone else's therefore it's important to determine your goals before you start doing the heavy lifting, quite literally. This is where you use the data you have to make a route that will lead you to those goals be it monthly, yearly or both.

Solutions

When you have your goals set, it's time to look for solutions that will help you achieve those goals. These solutions come in the form of machinery and best practices which when coupled together help you attain a certain curve of improvement.

Agenda

How you execute your day-to-day tasks and go about improving them is going to be part of your agenda. Depending on the rest three factors, you should make your plan on how to achieve what you're looking for, a path you should take to make your workshop the way you want it to.