CNC Lathes with Live Tooling
A CNC lathe differs from a CNC mill in that the workpiece moves, and the tools remain stationary. This process is often referred to as “turning”. A workpiece, once loaded into the lathe, spins at a high speed, rather than the tools spinning around the fixed workpiece. When you throw live tooling into the mix you don’t need to move your turned parts from the lathe to a mill for secondary operations. This makes the turning and milling of a workpiece more efficient and less costly.
What is a CNC lathe with live tooling used for?
A CNC lathe is perfect for creating quick, repeatable, and symmetrical cylindrical parts, and common operations done on a lathe include drilling, boring, threading, ID and OD grooving, and parting. When you add live tooling you are essentially adding a milling function to the process that allows you to get flats and holes on your parts without having to move the part to a mill.
How does a CNC lathe with live tooling work?
A CNC lathe uses very sharp, single-point cutters as the part itself is spinning. The tool smooths out and creates a cylindrical feature as the workpiece spins.
Live tooling creates a reverse effect and is simply an end mill within the CNC lathe component that spins to create flats and holes on the workpiece that has been turned by the lathe. In this way the turning and milling processes are combined into one machine.
Camtech Precision Engineering have invested in state-of-the-art technology, machinery and equipment, as well as expert engineers, designers and technicians to offer a range of integrated services from design verification, prototype modelling through to manufacture and delivery. Our production areas and plant layout have been designed for maximum efficiency and functionality for increased output at faster speeds and improved accuracy.
We are ISO 9001 and UKAS Management Systems certifications ensure that our quality assurance standards at each step of the engineering and delivery process are followed rigorously. Our engineering expertise allows us to provide valuable recommendations on 3D CAD/CAM designs and production processes to improve functionality, reduce costs and increase output and capacity for the most optimised outcomes. Once your production is complete and all quality control and final checks have taken place, your products will be delivered nationwide anywhere in the UK or internationally.
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