Brackets, plates and prismatic parts are the bread and butter of a 3-axis VMC — flat stock, features on the top and sides, machined in one or two setups. A 4th axis speeds parts with features on multiple faces; good fixturing and tombstones raise throughput on families of small parts.
For high mix and prototypes, a versatile VMC with a fast setup wins. Value the exact machine and options at The Machine Blue Book.
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