What Is CNC Turning?

Introduction

Nowadays, with the acceleration of social progress, efficiency, and precision have become the goals pursued by many manufacturers in the manufacturing industry. So, how can we achieve these two goals at the same time? The answer is CNC machining.

CNC machining usually consists of two major machining processes: CNC turning and CNC milling. CNC turning is an indispensable part of CNC machining. In this article, we will explore in depth to give you a clear understanding of CNC turning.

Definition of CNC Turning

CNC turning refers to a mechanical processing technology that uses a computer numerical control center as the main body to execute cutting instructions on raw materials. It is a "subtractive manufacturing" process, also known as subtractive machining.

What Is the Working Principle of A CNC Lathe?

The working principle of CNC turning is very simple. During the entire CNC turning process, it is usually divided into two parts. One part is that the raw material bar is fixed in the chuck of the CNC lathe and performs a simple rotation movement.

At the same time, the other part is that the CNC center sends a high-speed CNC turning tool into the workpiece or the workpiece surface to achieve the effect of removing the workpiece material.

What Are the Processing Characteristics of CNC Turning?

If you observe CNC turning machining more carefully, you will find that during the entire cutting process, most of the material bar parts are in a relatively static state, and the tool part moves more. Therefore, the machining characteristics of CNC turning are very obvious, that is, "the material does not move, the tool moves." This processing feature is opposite to CNC milling.

What Are the Types and Characteristics of Common CNC Lathes?

CNC lathe is a type of CNC machine tool, mainly used for the processing of shaft parts or disc parts, which means it is more suitable for the production of cylindrical parts. CNC lathes are characterized by high precision, high efficiency, and high automation. Common types of CNC lathes and their characteristics are as follows: ‌

‌Hard rail CNC lathe‌: also known as horizontal CNC lathe, is the most common type of lathe, the spindle is horizontal. The main feature of this lathe is that the rail is made of carbide material, with high processing accuracy and good rigidity. It is suitable for processing high-precision parts such as automobile engine cylinders, automobile brake drums, etc.

This CNC lathe is suitable for processing small, medium, and complex metal parts, with the advantages of high rigidity, high precision, and high stability.

‌Slant bed CNC lathe‌: Slant bed CNC lathe is a type of bedroom CNC lathe. Its main feature is the tilt of the bed, which allows the chips to flow out along the tilted bed.

The interference of chips in the machining process is reduced, the machining accuracy and efficiency are improved, and the stability of the machine tool is enhanced. These machine tools are suitable for machining large and medium-sized shafts, discs, housings, and other parts.

Vertical CNC lathe: The vertical CNC lathe is equipped with intelligent equipment such as an automatic tool change system and automatic workpiece clamping system, which realizes the automation and high efficiency of the machining process.

In addition, the vertical CNC lathe has a short transmission chain, high rigidity, and is easy to move, which further improves the machining efficiency and accuracy. ‌

The spindle of the vertical CNC lathe is placed vertically, so it is suitable for the production of larger workpieces and is widely used in many high-precision fields such as aerospace, automobile manufacturing, mold manufacturing, electronic manufacturing, and medical equipment.

CNC Swiss Lathe: This lathe is designed for the production of small precision parts with strict tolerances and is widely used in electronic manufacturing, mold products, medical fields, etc.

‌Turn-Mill Compound CNC Lathe‌: Also known as a multi-task CNC lathe, this lathe has both turning and milling functions, which can greatly improve the efficiency and accuracy of part processing. This CNC lathe is suitable for processing small, complex, and precision parts.

The characteristics of CNC lathes include:

‌High performance‌: It can perform complex cutting processes, such as internal and external cylindrical surfaces, conical surfaces, spherical surfaces, curved surfaces, and other shapes.

‌High precision‌: It has stable processing quality and is suitable for processing high-precision parts.

‌Low noise‌: The design focuses on reducing noise and providing a more comfortable working environment.

‌Automation‌: Some models have automatic loading and unloading and automatic feed functions to improve production efficiency.

Different types of CNC lathes are suitable for different processing needs according to their different structures and functions. For example, hard rail CNC lathes are suitable for processing high-precision parts, while slant bed CNC lathes are more suitable for processing large and medium-sized parts. Turning and milling compound CNC lathes are suitable for processing complex parts due to their versatility.

What Materials Can be Processed By CNC Lathes?

As an important part of precision manufacturing, the types of materials that can be processed by CNC lathes are becoming more and more diverse. For example, common CNC lathes can process the following materials:

Stainless steel: such as 304 and 316 stainless steel. These metals have the characteristics of corrosion resistance and high-temperature resistance and can be processed by CNC lathes.

Alloy steel: including carbon steel, alloy steel, etc., is suitable for manufacturing various mechanical parts and automotive parts.

Aluminum: lightweight, high strength, good thermal conductivity, widely used in aerospace, automobile, and other fields.

Copper and iron: have their own physical and chemical properties, suitable for different processing needs.

Plastics: such as polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polytetrafluoroethylene, etc., have the advantages of being lightweight, corrosion resistant, insulation, low cost, etc., and are widely used in electronic products, household appliances, and other fields.

What Is the Difference Between CNC Turning and CNC Milling?

In CNC machining, there are still many differences between CNC turning and CNC milling. The following content is a simplified part:

Part shape: The shape of parts manufactured by CNC turning is more inclined to cylinders, cones, and spheres. The manufacturing objects of CNC machining are planes, curved surfaces, or complex geometric structure parts.

Movement mode: CNC turning is the rotation of the workpiece and the tool is fixed. This means that during the entire part processing process, the processing direction of the tool is fixed and unchanged, and only the direction of the part on the chuck changes;

CNC milling is the rotation of the tool and the workpiece is fixed. Since CNC milling has a complete CNC tool center, the tool needs to be changed automatically during the CNC machining process, and the workpiece only needs to be fixed on the CNC machine to be cut.

Programming and operation: Due to the different processing methods and applicable scopes, the programming of CNC turning is relatively simple, and the processing can be realized by mainly inputting two coordinates; while CNC milling requires the input of three coordinates or even more coordinates to realize the processing of complex shapes.

In terms of machining accuracy and efficiency: CNC turning has higher accuracy and efficiency when machining rotationally symmetrical parts; while CNC milling has higher accuracy and efficiency when machining non-rotationally symmetrical parts.

There are many differences between CNC turning and CNC milling. The difference in machining complexity and efficiency between the two depends on the complex shape of the parts being machined.

Do You Provide CNC Lathe Machining Services?

Yes, the original intention of RT Manufacturing was to bring the best machining services to customers, among which CNC turning services and CNC milling services are our manufacturing core. The CNC parts manufactured by us are of good quality, have high manufacturing efficiency, and are economical. If you need to, you can upload your design drawing files, and our experienced engineers will provide you with the most reasonable processing quotation.

Summary

Technology is advancing, and manufacturing never ends. In this article, we start with the definition of CNC turning and take you to understand its processing principles, characteristics, etc. If you want to know more about CNC, you can always pay attention to our blog, we will update it from time to time to facilitate you to extract more relevant information.

Frequently Asked Questions about CNC Turning

Are turning and CNC turning centers the same?

In essence, they are the same. However, there are still functional differences. The main difference between them is that ordinary lathes (2 axes) can only perform simple cutting processing, while CNC turning centers can achieve a variety of cutting functions due to the combination of more spindles (3, 4, 5 axes), including end turning, thread turning, knurling, drilling, boring, reaming and taper turning.

What is the minimum and maximum size that CNC turning can produce?

So far, the minimum and maximum sizes that CNC turning can produce are 0.0001mm and 2000mm respectively. It is worth noting that the smaller the part size, the more it tests the accuracy and resolution of the CNC machine tool.