Lathes & Metal Industries : Two Sides of the Same Coin

Lathe machines are very essential in the metal manufacturing industry. The Lathe machine is used in various departments in the metal manufacturing departments to give shape to metals. Vertical lathe machines are used to shape industrial items like automobile spare parts, nuts and bolts or any other metal accessory. Lathe machines are unlimited in their application.
Vertical lathe machines contain several components that are vital in shaping the metal pieces. The components include the head-stock, the tail-stock and a tool set, all mounted on the bed. The raw material to be shaped is placed between the head-stock and the tail-stock and the material is then turned. A shaping tool is pushed against the metal to create a simple or complex shape by controlling the shaping tool.

Different Lathe Machines for Metal Industries

Lathe machines provide for different rotating speeds and contain several features that enable them to be controlled both automatically and manually. There are various types of lathe machines available on the market today and this includes the light duty lathe machines, the medium duty lathe machines, the heavy duty lathe machine and the extra heavy duty lathe machine.
The type of lathe machine to choose from is largely depended on the intended use of the machine. For example, for a metal shaping hobbyist a light duty lathe machine might be sufficient for use but for a metal shaping industry like a metal workshop, an extra heavy duty lathe machine might be more suitable. What differentiates the type of lathe machines in use is the speed, sophistication and the amount of work that each machine specification can accomplish.

However, it is important to note that vertical lathes are different from the common lathes in that they are upended. This is whereby, the head-stock sits on the floor while the face-plate turns into a rotating table. The Vertical turning lathe is useful for handling large, heavy and short work pieces.

Applications – Veritical Turning Lathe

There are many uses of the vertical turning lathe tools. The lathe can be used to put a screw thread on a metal bar, put a screw thread inside a hole which is also known as tapping the hole. It can also produce complex components such as cog-wheels, pinions or crown wheels. The lathe can be used to perform tasks that require re-boring of cylinders of engines. The practical uses of the lathe are endless. When using the vertical turning lathe the possibilities of what you can create are compounded since this type of setup enables you to operate with raw materials of more weight.

Modern Lathe Features

Modern lathe machines have been created for efficiency and best functionality in their use. The quality of these machines have however not been disregarded, in fact, the quality is improved. Modern lathe equipment are made with a modular design that allows users to adapt the machine to their requirements. The choices that can be changed in these machines include column heights, ram travels, tables, coolant systems, controls, pallet systems and options such as tool and part probes.

Live spindle attachment along with the 360, 000 position c-axis table will provide machining center flexibility. In addition, the live spindle right angle head enables milling, drilling and tapping on the outside part which will reduce the number of part setups needed for each operation.

Conclusion

The vertical turning lathe machines are developed to meet the metal industry shaping needs and based on the amount and level of work, the light duty, medium duty, heave duty or extra heavy duty vertical lathe machines might be employed to do the job.