What is a precision lathe?

Precision machining makes it possible to remove material from the surface of a workpiece during the tolerance finishing stage. This type of procedure can be carried out using different machine tools such as the milling machine and the precision lathe, as well as by electrical discharge. Most of the machines that perform this operation are equipped with CNC computer numerical control.

Precision machining

Precision machining is used in many industries, such as metalworking, but it is also widely used to make parts for the aerospace sector. In metalworking, many parts use this type of machining, which is applied equally to metal, aluminium and even wood surfaces.

To carry out precision machining you need a highly skilled operator. On precision machines, the cutting tool follows a movement in the specified directions; this allows very accurate cuts. Machines equipped with this function, like other CNC machines, follow a cutting speed, which is the primary movement; the workpiece, for its part, follows the secondary movement. If these two movements are synchronised and carried out correctly, the precision machine is said to be working properly.

But it is not enough for the operators to be skilled and the machine to be in perfect working order: before the workpiece is placed in the chuck, the necessary design and programming must be done. Precision machining requires very specific drawings produced with CAD software (computer-aided design), followed by the use of a CAM program (computer-aided manufacturing).

But why do CAM and CAD play such a fundamental role in precision machining? Thanks to these programs it is possible to produce very detailed three-dimensional diagrams and drawings that the cutting tool needs in order to machine very complex workpieces.

What is a precision lathe?

The lathe is the first machine tool ever invented and over the years it has evolved, adapting to new technologies and machining needs. This machine has a very simple operating principle: the workpiece rotates about its own axis and approaches the cutting tool to carry out the various operations a lathe can perform: cutting, sanding, knurling, drilling and so on.

There are different types of lathe on the market, and one of them is the precision lathe. On these machines you can work many different materials such as metal, steel, bronze, glass and even plastic. Depending on the design you want to give the workpiece, the machine will use whichever cutting tools are needed. Thanks to precision machining, the process can follow very exact dimensions; for this reason this method is used to work very complex parts.

Lathes are widely used in workshops thanks to their versatility. With them you can create not only very complex parts but also helical forms, flat surfaces, solids of revolution, screws, plugs, and so on. The precision lathe machines by swarf removal, like all the other types of lathe.

Benefits of the precision lathe

The precision lathe brings great benefits to machining workshops. To begin with, this type of machine tool makes it possible to skip the grinding of the finish on the workpieces; this reduces production time. In addition, depending on the machine used, it is possible to reach accuracies of between 0.4 and 0.5 microns. In the many industries that use precision machining, it is important for parts to have a minimum level of accuracy, something that cannot be achieved with a conventional lathe.

Precision lathes also allow different shapes to be machined and require very accurate dimensions and geometric shapes (round, cylindrical, straight or spherical). In addition, with a lathe that supports precision machining, there is less roughness than is obtained on conventional lathes.

The precision lathe also accepts very hard materials such as steel alloys, as well as bearing steel, cold-work tool steel, high-speed steel and so on. This means they are used in many different industries; besides working quickly, these machines allow series production of parts with much more accurate results than are obtained on other types of lathe.

Finally, it is worth noting that these machine tools require minimal human intervention, so a single operator can look after several machines at once (as long as they are CNC-controlled); production speed increases, delivery times get shorter and, as a result, production costs are reduced.