Product knowledge

A. What is a CNC lathe?

---Computer numerical control (CNC) has been incorporated into a variety of new technologies and machinery. One such machine of this sort that is used for wide array of production processes is known as a CNC lathe.

---Due to technological advancements, CNC lathes are quickly replacing some of the older and more traditionally used production lathes, such as the multispindle. CNC lathes come with a number of benefits. They can be easily set up and operated. They offer tremendous repeatability, along with top-notch accuracy in production.

B. How does the CNC lathe work?

--A CNC lathe is typically designed to utilize modern versions of carbide tooling and processes. A part can be designed for customization, and the machine’s tool paths are often programmed using the CAD or CAM processes. However, a programmer can manually design a part or tool path as well. The resulting coded computer file is then uploaded to the CNC machine, and the machine will then automatically produce the desired parts for which it was programmed to design.

---A CNC lathe is controlled by a menu-type interface on a computer. The operator who manages the process can actually see a visual simulation of how the machine will function during the production phase. Thanks to this technology, the machine operation generally does not need to know as much about the specifics of the machine he or she oversees compared to what machine operators must know about more traditional lathes that require some manual labor.

Like other CNC machines, CNC lathes have become a major part of the manufacturing industry in recent years. So, it is expected that the operations of such machines will continue to improve and carry significant weight in this field.

C. The common lathe operates on 2 axis. (X and Z) A 3 axis lathe has live tooling and the capability to use the chuck spindle as an indexing head which allows for simulated Y axis features. With the addition of the actual Y axis movement of the tool post, the 4th axis is achieved; however, they didn’t stop there.

D. How many axis are in a CNC lathe?

---This is only on a single head machine some have two heads. In short normally 2 but there are many configurations of machines which can add to this. A basic CNC lathe will only have 3 axis, X, Z, and C. but now have develop the 4 axis CNC lathe  machine , X,Z and C and Y axis. other living tools will be controlled by analog output.