A horizontal lathe, simply defined, is a cnc machine tool to help cut different profiles in revolving steel or wood work material. A standard lathe machine associated with a precision machined bed or base with a drive mechanism together using a headstock at one end and a supporting tail at the rear. The work piece is held in a vice-like grip in the headstock and rotated rapidly around its own axis. An appropriate machine tool will then be brought into play against the work piece which cuts the required virage.
There are kinds of lathes - the horizontal lathe and the vertical lathe. The nomenclature is meant to distinguish between lathes with horizontal or vertical work piece positioning. The horizontal lathe is rampantly used in high precision machining businesses.
The horizontal lathe is available several sizes, designs, power ratings, and stages of automation. These range from miniature, bench-top watchmakers lathes to huge, fully automated Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) lathes. The horizontal lathe is predominantly used in cutting heavy plate or ring-like machine parts with large diameter and the lathe is widely used in the processing work of many industries including rubber, mining, railway equipment manufacturing, and automobile production - amongst some others.
There are two main types of horizontal lathes - wood working lathes and steel working lathes. Wood work lathes are understandably the simpler for this two - although the working principle of both machines is the similar.
The CNC horizontal lathe series is developed in conformity with domestic and international considerations. It is generally of a compact structure capable of abundant functionalities, high speed, precision quite a few. It may be claimed that most CNC Lathes are old manual lathes possess gone the conversion to CNC.
The characteristics of a CNC horizontal lathe actually 45 degree slant bed and total guard cover and oil and water leakage blockage. The lubricating oil and cooling liquid are isolated from one another with separate oil water grooves. The CNC horizontal lathe series uniformly uses high rigidity spindle structure. Most parts coming off a CNC Lathe possibly be cylindrical and symmetrical. The horizontal lathe is versatile and may to cut cylindrical shapes from square stock or cut ornamental profiles like fancy table legs, lamp stands, pens, and chess pieces. Precision engineering parts like engine components, spherical joints, medical equipment, and aircraft parts can be also turned on horizontal lathes. In fact, almost all steel and wood products which feature shoulders, tapers, grooves, or other intricate profiles can sometimes done on these lathes.
Strangely, range of of engineering workshops have no CNC machining and are hesitant to adopt new technologies. Although the benefits of CNC turning for quality and precision are generally understood and widely accepted, the decision to make room to CNC turning will be resisted by engineering work shop consumers.
This is due however for widely prevalent misconception that CNC technology is complicated and will need highly trained computer programmers to develop turning applications. Despite all theses resistance, the change will inevitably come. A store cannot stay and survive in business today unless the owners give up their apprehensions and move to CNC.