Mar 18 2010
Lathes and Machining
A CNC lathe is a machine that can spins material to do a variety of operations like sanding, drilling, cutting or sanding. Usually a lathe is used for more intricate cuts and Today, they replace the older multispindle lathes because they are easier to set up and operate.
In this day and age of just in time manufacturing techniques utilized by many companies, CNC lathe manufactured components are being purchased just in time for assembly and just in quantities needed for assembly. This is being done to reduce inventory carrying costs. A major consequence of lowered purchase quantities is that the production behavior of CNC lathe manufacturing shops is reduced to low volume levels. The general complaint of many CNC lathe machine shop owners is that low volume manufacturing cuts into profits in a big way since the costs of operating CNC lathes is quite high, but customers are generally unwilling to pay higher component prices.
Some CNC lathes are portable and others are stationary. In many shops for people who do woodwork for a hobby you would find a lathe because it is capable of making a lot of different designs and intricate cuts for things like stair railings, trellis’ or table legs.
Any material can be used as long as it will hold up during the turning process while the software program is continuing its revolutions. CNC lathes are best used when you want to turn out several pieces of the same size and shape and where you don’t want a lot of decoration. They do have their limitations but for the most part you can create nice pieces with this type of machine. CNC Information is a new Community website all about CNC Lathe. Stop by today to get your free ebook just for signing up to be a member of our free site. Get all of the information you need on CNC Lathe and a free CNC Ebook on the basics of CNC. Stop by CNCInformation today.
The CNC mini lathe is a good choice for people who want to experiment with what these machines will do, inventors or for people who specialize in making models. The CNC mini lathes are good for metalworking in general and for making small parts that need to be made with precision. Generally speaking the individual starts with a mini-lathe that they buy and then convert it to do CNC.
Converting to CNC also allows you to be able to produce both 2D and 3D contours which are unavailable when you are only working a lathe by hand. All you have to do is program the computer to create the part you need. You can use wood plastic or metal to make a mold and using the CNC portion you can produce a mold that you can use as many times as you want because it creates a perfect mold. You can do multiple holes drilling by creating the diameter of the whole and then programming it into the computer; from that point the CNC lathe does the work.
To convert to CNC you will need to understand either CAD or CAM software because currently these are the types of software that is used in the CNC mini-lathe machines. Usually you can control the lathe right from your PC because the software is created to run in that way. Generally it seems that you can make this conversion for under $2000.
There is also CNC engraving equipment which is used for engraving a variety of materials and are more accurate that any manual engraving could be. They are widely used for signage lettering for both large and small projects.
Not as inexpensive, but still a savings and more reliable is a refurbished CNC machine. The machine is reconstructed by the manufacturer and worn parts are replaced. They often come with a warranty so it offers some consumer safety.
This article has been written by the author, Bangang Nkouppitt. Should you need any further information regarding cnc lathe, please visit his metal lathe resources
No responses yet
