Dongguan Lemo Precision Metal Products Co.,Ltd

CNC Lathe Considerations & Terminology

When purchasing a CNC lathe, there are several questions that you need to ask yourself before you begin the process. Some of these questions will be quite obvious: How much axis travel do I need? What size chuck should I look for? How many tool stations are on the turret? What is the spindle bore size? Etc... However, there are other specifications that are just as important, but not always so obvious: What is the maximum swing distance that my work will require? What is the maximum turning diameter necessary for my family of parts? What kind of spindle horsepower and torque will my type of work consume? The first set of questions above is relatively easy to answer, but the second group requires a better understanding of lathes in general.

I am often amazed at the number of highly skilled CNC machinists and operators who can accomplish almost anything on a milling machine, but who are very uneasy and intimidated around a lathe because they don’t really understand the meaning of basic lathe terminology. That is the purpose of this article. I will try to clarify the meaning and benefit of a few of the “not-so-obvious” features that exist on a typical lathe spec sheet, and attempt to clarify their definition and explain why they might be an important consideration when purchasing a CNC lathe.