Lathes are incredibly versatile machines. They’ve been used in one form or another for thousands of years to make tools, furniture, parts, and more. Of course, the CNC lathes used in today’s machines shops are much more sophisticated than their ancient predecessors. Keep reading to learn more about these amazing feats of engineering.
How a CNC Lathe Works
There is a wide range of equipment available in a machine shop, but CNC lathes create unique shapes that can’t be easily made through other machining methods. CNC turning is unique to lathes and turning centers, creating shapes like cylinders, cones, disks, and other objects with axial symmetry.
The most basic parts of a lathe typically include a:
- Headstock, main spindle, and chuck,
- Tailstock,
- Tool turret or tool holder, and
- Machine bed.
While most modern CNC lathes will include a wide range of additional features, these 4 components are essential to even the simplest lathes. The headstock, main spindle, and chuck are used to grip the workpiece and provide the turning power. To provide support and stability, the tailstock supports the opposite end of the workpiece, which is most important for longer parts.
CNC lathes can support an assortment of specialized tooling for turning, and this is either attached independently between cutting operations to a tool holder or controlled by a tool turret. Depending on the number of machining axis a lathe has, its tooling can slide left, right, up, down, forward, or backward along the length of the machine bed to perform cutting operations.
What are CNC Lathes Used For?
Historically, lathes were used to make items like wooden handles for tools, legs for furniture and handrails, bowls and dishes, architectural pillars, and more. As lathes became more advanced and started to use electrical power, they could effectively produce parts more rapidly and from a wider range of materials, including metals. They could also do so with more precision than ever before.
Nowadays, the use of computer numerical control (CNC) in lathes makes turning operations faster and more precise than ever before. CNC lathes are well-suited to both custom, one-of-a-kind projects and mass production operations.
Applications for CNC lathes include:
- Fasteners, like bolts and screws
- Household goods, like furniture legs, decorative fixtures, and cookware
- Automotive parts, like bearings, wheels, and crankshafts
- Medical equipment, like surgical tools or prosthetics made from advanced materials
- Aerospace parts, like engine parts or components of landing gear
In summary, CNC lathes are used for precisely and efficiently producing a wide range of high-grade industrial and consumer products.
Precision Turning Services from Gensun
CNC lathes can create an impressive variety of parts for a wide range of applications. The experienced team at Gensun offers top-of-the-line CNC turning services to help make sure your next product design is consistently manufactured to meet tight tolerances at a competitive price.
