While CNC lathes are modern machines, the lathe has been used for thousands of years. Originally, a lathe was used to work metal, something invented by Henry Maudslay at the start of the 19th century. As imagined, the design was simple to include a spindle used to keep the material firmly in place and then a hand crank to make the cutting tool move.
Today, highly trained operators run CNC lathes, which are controlled by computers. CNC is an acronym for Computer Numerical Control, which is a system first designed by John T. Parsons in the late 1940s. At that time, rotor blades for helicopters were machined.
Because of CNC lathes, fabrication is much faster and easier. Because of technology, these machines have the ability to create a wide range of sophisticated parts made from metal, wood, and plastic. Lathes are also extremely versatile. By spinning at extreme speeds and working in conjunction with various tools, this machine can cut raw materials into very detailed products.
CNC lathes are manufactured by many different companies and they come in a wide range of sizes. Regardless, the most commonly used tool is the turret. This tool is designed to hold tooling such as drills, reamers, spindles, and cutters using a chuck jaw. To fabricate the finished product, the part is turned by the spindle while the turret tool moves on the X and Z axis.
Depending on which tool is used, a CNC lathe is capable of performing different operations. For instance, when a tool block is turned with a removable insert, material is cut away. At the same time, the work piece has the ability to spend as fast as 10,000 RPM.
A lathe also uses reamers and drills for creating centered holes. There are even CNC lathes with more advanced capabilities. As an example, some offer live tooling. With this process, milling operations are possible with the spindle stopped. The result is seeing two processes performed with just one machine.
Although there are still parts made with manual lathes, for cylindrical dimensions, which are extremely sophisticated and complex, a CNC lathe is required. In this case, a computer program operates the machine with precise movements so no errors occur. Obviously, this not only saves time but it cuts the cost of production down significantly.