3 Reasons Whey A CNC Lathe Is A Good Choice

Lathes are used in both metalworking and woodworking. A piece of material is placed on the spindles of the machine, it gets turned on, and tools are applied to it so that is shaped to the right shape. Lathes can be hooked up to CNC machines. 

CNC

This stands for computerized numerical control. A CNC machine uses preprogrammed software in order to create the finished product. The CNC can be attached to a large selection of machines used in manufacturing. The CNC machine can be programmed to do all kinds of jobs. Some CNC machines will allow someone to create a design on a monitor, while others will only take designs that are created elsewhere. There are several reasons to use a CNC lathe to make the finished product. 

Accuracy

One big reason is that a CNC late is going to be able to be much more accurate than a manually operated lathe would be. No matter how good a lathe operator is, there is always the risk of human error that could end up causing a lot of problems. But the CNC machine will follow the program precisely and the piece will be 100% accurate to the design. This is really important if the finished product has to be within very tight tolerances. There are uses when being even a millimeter out of tolerance can mean the piece is useless. 

Repeatability

A CNC machine is also going to be able to repeat the piece over and over and over with the exact same dimensions and the exact same tolerances. That repeatability is a benefit because it means that every piece produced off the lathe will be able to be used. 

Speed

The CNC machine is also going to be faster than a manually operated lathe. That's because the program is going to tell the machine exactly what it needs to do, so the machine will be able to create the final design quickly, whereas an operator is going to have to do things like stop and measure the piece several times to make sure that the end piece is going to fit into the design parameters. 

Lathes are really important in woodworking and metalworking. For some people and in some uses, a manually operated lathe will be sufficient, but as you need to produce more parts or more accurate parts, a CNC machine is going to be a better choice. 

For more information, contact a CNC lathe machine shop near you.

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