Heavy Duty Lathe Guide

Heavy duty lathe machines are specially designed high-torque lathes for heavy turning tasks. According to the earliest archaeological records, the first lathe dates back to about 3,000 years ago in Egypt and was used for various weapon applications. The documentation of lathes or rotating machinery can also be traced back to some Hellenistic artifacts. Ancient artisans used these artifacts to make turning tools to make household tools, weapons, farm tools, jewelry items, other important items used in daily life, and emergencies such as battles and wars.

Common Feature: Horizontal Design

When it comes to the design of heavy duty lathes, one of the most common things in many different designs of lathe structures is the horizontal arrangement of the rotating spindle, which clamps the workpiece to be cut. Since the lathe is also called a turning machine, it is a machine tool that rotates a workpiece on a rotating shaft to perform various processes, such as cutting, knurling, grinding, drilling, deformation, end face machining, and turning. This type of machining is performed by using a tool that will be applied to the target workpiece and create an object with a symmetrical profile to the axis.

By convention, the horizontal lathe model is the most commonly used design for heavy duty tasks because the loading problem can be handled in a much easier way, providing the operator with a convenient machining process.


CNC & Heavy Duty Applications

Regarding the structural design of lathes, they are divided into two categories according to the way of clamping the workpiece. These are vertical lathes and horizontal lathes.

For horizontal machine tools, the workpiece is clamped on the joint of the spindle, which is driven by the output power. The output power is driven by a belt, directly driven or built-in motor. The driving force model determines most of the advantages of the machining process.

In addition to the clamping mechanism, the hydraulic clamping force is triggered by the cylinder installed beside the chuck device to ensure that the clamping force is firmly fixed. In this way, if the rotation speed is too fast, the workpiece will not split, resulting in unstable rotation. If the length of the workpiece is too long, it is inevitable that the flatness problem will occur on the workpiece, and the tailstock will appear at the end of the workpiece. Ensure that the long workpiece is firmly fixed from head to toe, so that the mold processing is smooth and accurate.

In order to be able to carry out heavy processing, the structure of the horizontal model makes the operation easier. Rolling workpiece parts and mechanical accessories on a horizontal platform is more dynamic and balanced than rolling on a vertical platform. In addition, with a vertical CNC heavy duty lathe, the workpiece is clamped vertically. So the cutting tools are installed in the same direction, and the processing is performed vertically.


Gravity Issue Helps in Vertical Models

Though horizontal is a common model, vertical is also workable and widely accepted due to certain structural features. By this arrangement, the clamping is much more stern and fixed due to the gravity effect compared to the horizontal methodology. Manufacturers of CNC vertical lathes usually turn their vertical lathes into first-class manufacturing equipment for users in all industries which pursue large workpieces, high precision, and heavy demand. With the vertical clamping mechanism, the main shaft of the vertical lathe is also located behind the chuck, while some may be belt-driven and some may be other types of driving mechanisms.


Multitasking Lathe

Modern processing business models require agile machinery and machine versatility to become a basic condition for manufacturers. Like other milling machines and machining centers, heavy duty lathe machines can also be equipped with power tools and tool magazines. Improve its functionality and versatility, thus providing users with greater processing possibilities in various working environments. Power turret is a modern standard accessory for many CNC lathes, as one of the most important accessories for CNC lathe users. Taiwan suppliers have targeted this business and have developed many well-known power turret and power tool companies to support the demands of lathe users all over the global market.
 
Many of these mechanical power turrets are driven by servo motors. It has the characteristics of large torque but fast speed, which can ensure the best processing effect and save the best energy consumption. By adding milling functions, the functions of lathes become more competent in industrial applications and provide customers and onsite operators with more options. Even most heavy duty lathes tend to be more traditional. In machine design, intelligent trends have also been integrated into the field. Users of heavy duty lathes will also consider other smart features of the machine and its accessories, so they are considering buying new ones.


Heavy cutting in the future

Now, as Both China and the USA are working hard in the development of the aerospace industry, European Space Agency, Russian institutes and Japanese experts are all making great efforts in the area of the aerospace sector. With this trend, the work piece size will be further bulky and the material will be harder because those who can go to the space need to be strong enough to withstand the various challenges. It is expected that more and more demands for heavy duty lathe is a trend and eventually the application will be even broadened for users among other markets.

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