What is CNC turning? It is a good question for people who are not familiar with machines used in modern industry, but one that is quite simple to understand. Advances in industry and the workplace have seen humans being replaced by robots and CNC controlled machines on the production line for some decades now, and with every year there is further progression in the field of CNC. Computer numerical control allows machines to carry out tasks without human intervention and more importantly without human error; machines used include drill presses, screw machines, and lathes.
What is CNC Turning? What can a CNC Machine do?
A CNC machine can do virtually anything; it simply needs to be programmed using CAD software by a CNC machinist. A CNC Machine can cut metals to the exact desired dimensions, producing hundreds of identical parts over the course of a day. CAM (computer aided manufacture) and CAD (Computer Aided design) software allow for the machines to operate with no human intervention, the programme for the machine in question being encoded onto a storage medium.
CNC Machining, CNC Milling, and CNC Turning allow hugely advanced levels of accuracy and efficiency as well as safety. A CNC Machine can be programmed to work alone or through the night, and only when an error is detected will the machine cut off and stop work. CNC turning allows for a rapid production line, and by simply switching from one encoded piece of software to another, a machine can create a vast array of different parts easily and without delays that would occur when the machine would need to be reset by hand.
What is CNC Turning? The Specifics of CNC Turning
When talking about CNC, different techniques are used for turning, milling, and machining. CNC turning refers to a process where a single point cutting tool is used that is parallel to the material. The material in question can be stone, wood, metal, or plastic, and the material will be rotated so that the cutting tool traverses across both axes; take a metal tube as an example. A metal tube can be turned both on the inside as well as the outside; when the turning is internal it then becomes known as boring.
CNC turning can therefore produce smooth and fine metal, plastic, or wooden parts, making each piece to the exact same specifications and size. CNC machining is used in a huge variety of different industries, and these can include anything from the turning of a plastic tube for a home appliance to the precision engineering of parts that will be used in the aerospace industry.
CNC has changed the face of the workforce all around the globe, giving way to the production of parts that are perfect and free from error. It is now extremely uncommon to find metal tubes that are bored out by hand; hand boring of metal is costly, time consuming, and it will never produce the same accurate results as that of a CNC turning machine.
No comments yet.