Turning is a technology that allows machining operations through removing material with a cutting tool. To do so, a lathe that meets very accurate specifications in terms of technicality and quality of machining is used. The specific operations on a lathe are dressing, roughing, drilling, threading, and chamfering. Over generations, lathes have evolved spectacularly in technological terms, including the incorporation of a digital dimension with a constantly simplified control interface and ceaselessly larger programming possibilities. Fully automated, the most recent lathe models allow obtaining excellent performance, while providing significant savings in time and cost. In modern industry, there are several types of lathes; the single spindle lathe, the
CNC swiss-type lathe, the
multispindle lathe,the
CNC lathe, the CNC vertical lathe, the apprenticeship lathe and the
turn-mill center are the main sub-families. The single spindle lathe, which is equipped with a single spindle, is the most common. Bechet, Ebosa, Escomatic, Index, Kummer, and Tornos are among the most famous manufacturers of this type of lathe. As far as the multi-spindle lathe is concerned, it is much used in the car industry since it allows the simultaneous machining of different bars which feeds its spindles independently, and thus allows a high production rate. Manufacturers like as Gildemeister,
Index, Mori Say, Pittler, Schütte,
Tornos, and Wickman offer excellent models. Concerning the CNC lathe, which is operated using the digital control and programming technology, it is produced by several main manufacturers:
Biglia, Boehringer, Daewoo, Gildemeister, Hardinge, Hyundai, Index, Johnford, Kitamura, Leadwell, Lunan, Mazak, Miyano, Monforts, MoriSeiki, Muratec, Nakamura, Okuma, Realmeca, Schaublin, Somab, Spinner, Traub, WilleminMacodel, Wirth&Gruffat, Tornos, Berthiez, as well as Nodier EMAG. Finally,
the turn-mill center, which also incorporates the digital control, combines the turning and milling functions. Companies such as Mazak, Okuma, and WFL are internationally recognized for the quality of their turning-milling centers.
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