Category Archives: Light Duty Lathe

Contribution of Lathe Machine to Industry

Lathe machine is a tool used to perform various operations on a workpiece. These operations can vary from drilling, cutting and grooving to deforming, sanding, knurling, shaping, etc. The operations are executed by fixing the workpiece to the bench which supports the axial rotation of the workpiece. Some of the important uses of these machine include metalworking, glass working, wood turning and metal spinning. Since its early version these machines which was horse-powered, has evolved hugely with computerized numerical control (CNC) being one of the latest technology. These machines have revolutionized the industries since its invention and are now considered one of the most important tools in most of the modern industries. Depending on the usage, lathe machines are being designed in different forms. In this article, we will see how various lathe machines are being used in industries.

wood-use-all-geared-lathe-machine

  1. Light duty lathe machines: Light duty lathe machines are fairly small in size hence they required less space as compared to other lathe machines. Due to its small size, its maximum swing over bed is limited to 20 inches or less. Light duty lathe machines are readily in wood industries for woodturning. Other uses of such machines include slotting, turning, tapering, metal spinning and similar light applications on the smaller workpiece.
  2. Medium duty lathe machines: Machines of this category are made with high grade cast iron giving extra strength to its bed. This allows medium duty lathe machine to work consistently with high precision even under high pressure. As compared to light duty machine tools, these machines provide more strength to and can be used to work on bigger workpieces.

Different Types of Lathe Machines & Their Applications

  1. Heavy duty lathe machines: Heavy duty lathe machines are one of the most widely used lathe machines because of its superior quality and fast rate of output. These are made from high-quality iron and steel and are designed to handle the toughest shaping jobs. It is considered for metal spinning, metal working, wood turning and metal fabricating in various industries including power plants, steel plants, oil and mining industries, shipbuilding factories, repair shops, paper textiles. Because of high-performance capacity to work on great speed, they are especially preferred for high volume production.
  2. Extra Heavy duty lathe machines: Depending on the type, the swing of bed for these machines varies from 630mm to 1600mm. Apart from this; extra heavy duty lathe machines provide more efficiency and better performance as compared to other lathe machines. Because of these features, it has a wide range of uses in various industries including shipbuilding, iron and steel plants, paper industry, etc.
  3. CNC lathe machines: Computerized Numerical Control (CNC) lathe machines use a computer to control tools and performing different operations on the workpiece. The computer is programmed with G-code. A custom computer program is fed into the computer containing instruction about the tasks to be performed. Through code, one can control various features of the machine such as positioning, velocity, rate, etc. Since it is a machine performing the task, human error in the process of performing operations is removed. The computer can perform the operations precisely and repeatedly at high speed. Because of its precision and reliable performance, CNC lathe machines are rapidly replacing older lathe machines in various industries including metal and plastic industries.

Conclusion: Since its invention, lathe has become one of the most essential machine tools. Its contribution as a multi-purpose equipment has made it a highly demanded machine in industries like Iron and steel, wood, plastic and power plants. Influence of modern technologies has caused the evolution of computerized lathe machines. These computerized machines offer fast and efficient performance and remove human error.

Lathe Machine Market Analysis – Trends, Demand & Supply

Synopsis:

What is lathe machine?

What is it functions? Different types of lathe machines

Market trend overview

Demand & Supply of Lathe Machine today

Market Analysis of 2015 to 2020

Lathe machine is a tool which spins the item or work-piece on the axis to perform a variety of operations like cutting, drilling, various movements, drilling, sanding, deformation, knurling, facing etc. Multiple operations can be performed on Lathe machine. They are used for metal working, metal spinning, glass working, wood turning, and thermal spaying. The lathe can be utilized to give designer shapes to pottery.

What is Lathe Machine?

One of an essential machinery tool for the manufacturing industry, it basically involves in processes of many kinds and functions in cutting, shaping, drilling, sawing, planning, grinding & reaming.

Mainly there are two major types of Vertical & Horizontal Lathes machine. They perform conventional & CNC lathes operational tasks.

Also, there is little variation by End- user purpose.

Such as:

1) Automotive

2) General manufacturing

3) Transportation

Global Market Trend Overview:

The global lathe machines market has grown outrageously recent study showed estimated to be $ 9925 million in 2015 & is expected to reach $12,012 million by 2022. The APAC dominated aggressively on the market with 43.9% of the entire global market share of lathe machine in 2015. Lathe machines are one of the most powerful machines and considered extremely important in workshops. The horizontal lathe machines segment was the most popular & leading type of lathe machine in 2015. Since this statistics gives us a fair understanding of overall trend to the market, the industry has a much more confident approach towards the market growth.

Lathe Machine Market Analysis

Demand & Supply of Lathe Machines:

The market trend of lathe machine tells us about many key factors of the industry. The growing demand in MENA region has empowered many Indian lathe machine manufacturers. This new outlook on the machinery industry has shown prosperity signs towards Indian manufacturers of lathe hence has brought great inclination of financial growth to India.

There are few key vendors who enjoy the privilege are:

•    DMTG

•    DMG Mori

•    Yamazaki Mazak

•    Okuma

•    Samsung Machine Tools

Different Types of Lathe Machines & Their Applications

Bottom Line: 

Most demanded work-shop machines in manufacturing or engineering industries. These lathe machinery tool is manufactured based upon the required dimensions like shaping & cutting measurements according to the industry.

History of Lathe from Beginning of Machine Tool Invention

LATHE – Longitudinal Axis Tool Holding Equipment

Lathe – Introduction

DMTG Extra Heavy Duty LatheLathe is a machine widely used for wood works and machining of metal parts. Lathe is a machine which turns the work piece against a machine tool. The Lathe is used for facing, turning, knurling, taper cutting, threading, gear cutting and many other metal and wood works.

History of Lathe

Lathe is a very ancient tool and its first use dates back to 1300 BC in Egypt. Lathe was also known and used in Assyria and Greece. Ancient Romans came to know about this machine and they further developed this machine. During the medieval period, the use of this machine had spread to most parts of Europe and it was during the Industrial revolution when this machine gained popularity with its use in all the industries. After the development of electronics, automated lathes have been developed.

Evolution of Lathe

The first lathe was a simple lathe which was is now referred to as two person lathe. One person would turn the wood work piece using rope and the other person would shape the work piece using a sharp tool. This design was improved by Ancient Romans who added a turning bow which eased the wood work. Later a pedal (as in manual sewing machines) was used for rotating the work piece. This type of lathe is called “spring pole” lathe which was used till the early decades of the 20th century. In 1772, a horse-powered boring machine was installed which was used for making canons. During the Industrial revolution, steam engines and water wheels were attached to the lathe to turn the work piece at higher speed which made the work faster and easier. After 1950, many new designs were made which improved the precision of work.

Lathes are classified depending upon their application and functionality as

Light duty lathe – These machines find their application in automobile, electronic, electrical industries and are manufactured from quality tested raw materials.

Medium duty lathe – These machines are powerful than the light duty lathes and can work on bigger work pieces and have more strength than the light duty lathes. Click Here to get more information on medium duty lathe machine.

Heavy duty late – These machines are manufactured from highest grades of materials like iron and steel. They are designed for high precision heavy duty operations.

All geared lathe – In all geared lathe, all the rotating components of the machine are driven by the same source at different speeds by using gears to perform various operations.

Imported lathe – Imported lathes are high quality lathes used for high precision operations.

Depending upon the modes of operation, the lathes can be classified as

Manual lathe – In these lathes, the tool handling is done manually and so the precision of work also depends upon the skill of the person handling the machine.

CNC Lathe – CNC lathes are completely automated lathes. We just have to feed the instructions into the computer and the lathe will perform the operations according to the data fed to the computer.

Benefits of Advanced Lathe

With the development of electronics and automation engineering, advanced computer controlled lathes have been developed. The advanced lathes have many benefits over the conventional lathes. In conventional lathes, the lathe operator checks the dimensions regularly to get perfect precision and the time taken to complete the work is more for high precision works. This is very important because if he removes excess metal from the work piece, the whole work piece will be a waste which will result in loss of money and time. In automated CNC lathes, the feedback system continuously monitors the dimensions and so they complete the operation in a short time with high accuracy. The loss is minimal in automated lathes; they are much faster and more efficient in terms of accuracy.

How the Evolution of Lathe has Benefited Major Industries

The lathe can be rightly called the earliest form of the mother working machine. It has been evolved in such a way that most of its circular parts are processed to make horizontal or longitudinal movements while the rotating piece is fixed on its chuck to change its appearance and shape with minimal wastage. It has been redesigned to make it a very practical product by lathe manufacturers. Over decades, the advanced CNC lathe processing equipment has replaced traditional lathes while the production efficiency has doubled and parts processing has greatly improved being a major part and indicator of national modernization.

Summary

Lathe is a very important machine in engineering which is used in most of the fields. They are used for Diamond turning, ornamental turning, metal spinning, glass working, thermal spraying and many other operations. Lathe work is found in most of the products which we use in our day to day life. Lathe will remain as an important machine at all times

How to Maintain Your Lathe Machine for Long Lasting Performance?

Lathes are the popular tools used in workshops. These can efficiently shape harder objects like wood, metals, plastics, glass etc. The earlier lathes were simple manual operated machines that were capable of forming only cylindrical components. But the modern machines are designed with advanced technologies and are much efficient devices which can be used to perform an entire range of operations required to produce custom shapes out of the harder objects. Cutting, sanding, drilling, knurling and custom formation of the objects are some of the important tasks which can be performed with these modern devices by rotation on the axis for production of axis symmetrical objects which come handy for applications in several industries.

DMTG Flat Bed CNC LatheLathe machines of different kinds are employed today in the industrial processes. These include machineries like all geared lathe machine tools, CNC lathes, turning lathes, heavy duty lathes, light duty and medium duty lathe machines for the choicest selection of the manufacturers. Hence it is easy to buy lathe machine for customized applications in the modern world. However efficient the machine is, it requires care and proper maintenance in order to derive an efficient or optimum performance from it.

Following are a few things which every individual should take care, for obtaining optimum performance from their lathes for a longer period of time.

Maintenance of the lathe machine whether a light duty lathe machine or heavy duty lathe requires heavy duty lathetaking some preventive measures which can help in better performance of the machine during the next operation to be carried out while giving it a longer working life. Today’s machines are equipped with advanced technologies and most of them are manufactured in accordance to the industrial standards. Most of these industrial machines are designed for continuous operations and can be operated round the clock when maintained properly with correct preventive measures taken on a regular basis.

The industrial lathe machines are heavily prone to factors like rusting due to working conditions filled with dust, dirt and moisture. Hence proper and regular lubrication enables smoother and proper operation with the machine. The machine should be checked properly for any kind of defects like improper fittings, nuts or bolts, worn out components or any other condition of the machine which can result in its breakdown while operating. Improper lubrication of the machine or loose fitted nuts or bolts can cause excessive wear and tear of the machine while creating dangerous operating conditions. It would be much better if the lubricant is changed on a frequent basis if working in much harmful and dust prone conditions. The ways present on the lathe are precise grounding surfaces which should be maintained very clean and dirt free. Before actually employing the machine for work it is advisable to check out if there are any missing parts or any broken or damaged components like shear pins within it.

Working conditions should always be kept in mind while using the machine. In hotter work environments care should be taken so that the machine does not get overheated nor there is any damage to the seals. It would be a good practice to operate the machine at lower speeds while employing the machine in colder work environments.

Added, the operators of the lathe should be provided with knowledge of best practice of working with the lathes. They should be aware of the safety hazards related with usage of lathe and necessary precautions to be taken to avoid these hazards. This will ensure a safer and secure operation with lathe machine. Click here to learn more about Lathe Machine.

How Market is Benefited through the Tough Competition among Local Manufacturers of Lathe & Imported Lathe Machine Suppliers in India?

DMTG Light Duty LatheBefore the lathe machines were invented metal working was done manually. It was difficult and time consuming. Lathe machines have made things easy, lathes are time saving as the work can be done faster, money saving and energy saving, multiple pieces of the same design can be made

Metal lathes are generally used for cutting, grinding, drilling, reaming etc. hard and heavy materials such as metals. They are also used for cutting materials like wood, plastic and glass.

Lathe machines are used in factories, industries, manufacturing units and ware houses. The object to be cut is rotated around a spindle for giving it the desired shape. Depending upon the type of work, lathes are available in many sizes and types.

Each type of lathe machine has its own unique features and are used for different functions like bending metal, shaping wood, cutting stone, sanding glass etc. Lathes are also used to shape pottery. As these machines are efficient, fast and time saving they have made a huge variation to the industry.

Imported lathe machines and local lathe machines

Now with the imported lathe machines being available in the Indian market, there is tough competition among local manufacturers and suppliers of imported lathe machines. As a result market is benefiting from this competition. The consumer is getting a better and a more advanced variety of lathe machines.

Types of Lathe Machine

Imported lathe machines are fast, easy to operate and easy to maintain as wear and tear is minimum. These are being used in the automobile and railway industry. Latest technology is used to manufacture these CNC lathe machines. Some of the imported lathe machines include;

Light Duty Lathe Machine – Its drive is V-belt and it is often used to form small size objects and bending jobs done at workshops or tool rooms. The work is of high accuracy and the machine is built to work in difficult surroundings. It is very strong, durable and easy to use. It is used in electronic, automobile and electrical manufacturing units.

Medium Duty Lathe Machine – These are very durable and accurate lathe machines. It is appropriate for steel rolling mills, power plants, workshops, paper mills etc.

Heavy Duty Lathe Machine – A very efficient machine used for metal working, spinning and wood turning. Large scale metal and wood work is done using these machines.

Roll Turning Lathe Machine– A strong and powerful machine used in rolling mills to make cylindrical rolls. It is used in power plants, ship building, paper mills etc.

All Geared Lathe Machines – These imported machines are very efficient and the products made are very accurate with zero error.

Flat bed and slant bed CNC lathe machine – Made with latest technology the products made are of high quality and accuracy.

Ornamental lathe machines – These lathes can make very complex three- dimension objects. Some objects that can be made on a lathe are musical instruments, baseball bats, bowls, legs of tables, gun barrels etc.

Conclusion

With the competition among local manufacturers of Lathe machines and the suppliers of imported lathe machine in India becoming tough, local manufacturers are manufacturing lathes with latest technology and of international standards. The market has benefited as better machines at lower cost are available to the consumer.

Technology Integration in Lathe Machine has Raised Vast Opportunities & Challenges for Indian Manufacturers

DMTG Flat Bed CNC LatheA Lathe machine is used in the mechanical industry to cut, thread, sand, make grooves, drill, bore etc. Over a period of time lathe machine has advanced with advancement in technology.

Today we have computer operated lathe machines, or CNC lathe machines (Computerized Numeric Control). Computer operated machine means a better end product, so the products made by CNC machines have better finish and multiple pieces of the similar design can be made easily.

Lathe Machines

A lathe machine has a base which is known as ‘bed’. This is linked with headstock. The metal or wood piece to be worked on is kept on the axis and revolved to perform the required functions. It can be rotated at various speeds and the cutting tool is controlled by power or by hand.

The different types of lathe machines available in the market today have raised vast opportunities and challenges for Indian manufacturers. These machines are powerful but simple to use. You can select a machine that suits your requirements the best.

Opportunities and Challenges for Indian Manufacturers

Technology is integrated in a lathe machine and Indian manufacturers have to overcome a number of challenges in order to keep pace with the growing demand of lathe machines with latest technology.

As technology has advanced so have the designs of lathe machines. Indian manufacturers are making lathe machines of different types and different sizes based on the requirement of the industry. Today lathe machines are made with the latest technology for better products. A range of types of lathe machines are available in the market.

Not just the challenges, Indian manufacturers are getting more opportunities as well. More manufacturing units mean more workforce which in turn means more employment for people. The manufacturing networks have grown worldwide.

Manufacturers are facing a lot of competition today from local as well as foreign market. Lathe machines imported from other countries are more advanced and these are made with latest technology and advanced features. In order to keep up with the import market, Indian manufacturers are also making superior machines with new and advanced technology.

Lathe Machines with Technology Integration

CNC lathe machines have CAM process installed in them. These machines can be controlled with a computer which can be programmed to do a range of jobs like drilling holes, creating screw threads etc. Symmetrical pieces of work are made with these machines. These lathes are also used for fabrication work. When a number of pieces of the same design and size have to be made CNC lathes are the best choice.

Products using glass, wood and metal are made with lathe machines. Goods like musical instruments, baseball bats, candle stands and many more can be made using these machines.

Conclusion

Every industry needs machines depending on their requirement. New and more advanced machines are being made as there is continuous demand for advanced machines. Indian manufacturers have taken up the challenge and the opportunity to produce new designs of lathe machines with latest technology.

Parts of a Light Duty Lathe Machine and its Operation

A light duty lathe machine is designed for small scale jobs at workshops and tool rooms. One can easily turn, drill, groove, shape, cut, knurl and create threads on the harder metal or wooden surfaces by using a light duty lathe at a workshop. As designed for small-scale industries and workshops, this is usually a compact machine tool which enables efficient storage without occupying much space at the workplace. A modern multitasking lathe machine can produce accurate end products from hard metal, plastic and wood surfaces and therefore is considered the best option for the small-scale industries where space is a constraint or limit.

A light duty lathe machine for metalwork can be employed for different operations at a workplace. Let us now have a look at certain important parts and applications of a light duty lathe.

Bed, headstock, tailstock, saddle, lead screw, tool rest, countershaft, top slide, cross slide, chuck and gears are some of the most essential parts found in a light duty lathe.

A light duty lathe performs drilling operations with a drilling tool held in its tail stock. The tail stock has a handle which can be efficiently used to penetrate drilling tool efficiently into the work piece to perform a drilling operation.

The bed is the bottom part of the lathe machine which acts like a base support for the machine upon which all the other parts are mounted in the machine. The work piece is placed on the base and held with the chuck. The chuck spins the work piece while the headstock allows the spindle to rotate at variable speeds. The tailstock holds the drilling tool and the carriage houses the cross slide, top slide and saddle which are also among the significant parts of the machine playing an important role to deliver efficient operation as per the requirements of the user.

Threading, grooving and chamfering are some the operations that can be easily employed with a light duty lathe at a workshop. In the threading operation, the tool is inserted into the work piece at a constant speed. For the operation to perform, the lead screws are connected to the driving mechanism through gear trains which in turn DMTG Light Duty Latheare attached with a carriage assembly. While grooving is performed with a grooving tool fed perpendicular to the rotating work piece, the edges of the object can be silt or cut to give an efficient chamfering operation with drilling tool. Visit http://www.yashmachine.com/wm-series-light-duty-lathe/ to know in detail about light duty lathe offered by leading machine tools manufacturer in India.

Conclusion:

Therefore with combination of different operations and with efficient use of parts of the light duty lathe, highly precise tasks as per the desired requirements can be performed at the workplace. Therefore several types of operations can efficiently be performed with a light duty lathe machine.

This article educates reader about light duty lathe machine, its parts and operations.

A brief Description about All Geared Lathe Machine

All Geared Lathe MachinesThe all geared lathe machine is mainly used for executing various metal shaping tasks in different industries. They basically have a gear box with lead screw and feed shaft that increases its machining capacity. The wide range of all geared lathe machines includes light duty, medium duty, heavy duty and extra heavy duty. A light duty lathe is used for low volume metal shaping tasks in tool rooms, while the medium and heavy duty lathe machines are mostly preferred for bulk metal forming industrial applications.

A light duty all geared lathe caters to the light operational requirements of a work shop or tool room. They are highly versatile, accurate and durable. These lathes provide economic solutions for various turning needs with higher machining precision and better surface finish. It has a high speed dynamically balanced spindle and is built according to the latest technology. The ground bed of this light lathe is highly precise throughout the entire length of the machine. Further the lead screw is protected with a metal guard to avoid dust and increase the safety of the operator. It also includes a big spindle bore and hardened ground guide way.

All Geared Lathe

The medium duty all geared lathe has a modern design and is built according to the latest engineering standards. It has a tough cast iron structure that ensures the rigidity of the bed, head stock and saddle. The hardened guide ways provide all round firmness and longer life. Moreover, the new type of gear box and highly accurate spindles enable a perfect head stock performance. The fully enclosed feed box offers several types of threading, and makes the operator feel much safer and more comfortable.

The heavy duty all geared lathe is built for high end lathe machining work. This multi-tasking machine can perform highly precise jobs on solid sheet metals. The hard casting lathe bed, head stock gears and head stock spindle; work easily on hard materials due to the smoothly moving shaft. It also includes superior grade automatic gears and an automatic switch control panel.

The extra heavy duty all geared lathe is a suitable for easily executing high end tasks and powerful machining jobs. It provides total freedom for effectively cutting and drilling tough metals. This machine provides top quality results and has applications in various heavy industries. They are most appropriate for mining, shipping, power plant and paper industries that involve bulk quantity.

These lathes can execute turn end faces on cylindrical surfaces, and drill internal holes on different parts, as well as produce metric, inch, module, and pitch threads.

The top slides are powered to function separately for cutting short taper surfaces.

And the long taper surface can be turned automatically via the combined movement of the longitudinal feed and the top slide feed. One more salient feature of this robust equipment is the powerful, high speed spindle. This machine is utilized for drilling, boring, cutting, shaping a variety of ferrous and non-ferrous metals using heavy duty carbon alloy tools.

Popular Lathe Machines for Industrial Applications

The lathe machine is one of the most essential tool room equipments. Lathes basically revolves the work piece on its axis for executing a wide range of functions which includes cutting, drilling, deforming, facing, knurling, sanding, turning, etc. This versatile machine tool thereby enables the user to produce a symmetrical object using wood, metal, plastic, etc. Over a period of time, developments in technology helped to introduce various types of lathe machines to meet the diverse needs of several industrial segments.

Nowadays lathes are commonly used for wood turning, metal working, metal spinning, thermal spraying, shaping machine components, etc. The metal working lathes are widely utilized for producing a variety of solid metal products. The work piece is usually held tightly in place by either one or two centers that can be moved horizontally to accommodate materials of various dimensions.  Alternatively the work piece can also be fastened about the axis of rotation using a chuck, faceplate, or clamps.

Popular Lathe Machines for Industrial Applications

The work piece can be rotated on the lathe at different speeds, and the cutting tool can be precisely controlled either by hand or power, for longitudinal or cross feed. The size of a lathe machine is determined by the diameter of the work piece it will turn and the length of the bed. Lathes vary in size from small lathes that have a swing of few inches and can shape small items; to medium sized lathes that can turn average sized objects; while large lathes are used for turning work pieces that have a large diameter.

All Geared |Light Duty |Medium Duty |Heavy Duty Lathe Machine

The popular lathe machines for industrial applications include all geared, light duty, medium duty, and heavy duty lathe machines. The light duty lathe machine is particularly used for precisely shaping or deforming small objects. It can continuously and efficiently operate at high speeds. This highly versatile and long lasting equipment is commonly found in work shops and tool rooms. The robust structure and high tolerance capacity enables it to also function in various operating environments. It is simple to install and easy to maintain. Moreover, they can smoothly and easily machine solid metal sheets.

The medium duty lathe machine is typically used for very accurate and superior grade machining. This multipurpose equipment is highly durable and can deliver optimum output using limited resources. It can effectively process high end solid materials in bulk quantities. The unique design of this advanced and automatic machine assists to produce high quality products.  It is extensively used in power plants, steel rolling mills, paper mills, work shops and tool rooms of various industrial units.

The heavy duty lathe machine is ideal for turning objects made from very hard materials. It is built using superior quality, sturdy and rust free materials; and incorporates the most modern technology. These low noise and highly precise lathe machines deliver flawless output. They are mainly utilized for top grade machining work, and large scale metal and wood working tasks in numerous industrial sectors such as mining, paper, power plant, shipping, etc.

This article is to educate readers about popular lathe machines including all geared lathe machines, light duty lathe machine, medium duty lathe machine, heavy duty lathe machine for various industrial applications

Lathe Machine – Different Types of Lathe Machines

All Geared Lathe MachinesA lathe machine or lathe is primarily a machine tool that rapidly revolves the work piece on its axis for carrying out a broad variety of functions that includes shaping, cutting, turning, drilling, sanding, deforming, knurling, boring, polishing, grinding, threading, etc. A fixed cutting or abrading tool is applied on the work piece, which may be made of metal, wood, plastic, etc; and the unwanted material is thereby removed from the work piece in order to produce a symmetrical object. Earlier woodworking lathes were used, however nowadays a variety of metalworking or metal lathes are generally utilized.

A metal lathe mainly comprises of the headstock, tailstock, and bed. They are used for accurately machining and removing relatively hard materials that includes different kinds of metals, from the work piece using a tough cutting tool. This cutting tool is fixed to a solid tool post, and is moved against the work piece using a wheel. It may be manually operated or gear driven, and electrically or electronically controlled. A variety of cutting tools are available in diverse sizes and shapes such as round, square, triangular, diamond, etc.; depending on their application.

Different types of lathe machines are now manufactured and supplied globally that includes the light duty lathe, medium duty lathe, heavy duty lathe, extra heavy duty lathe, all geared lathe, imported lathe, turret lathe, CNC lathe, etc. Each one has special features and performs a specific operation as described further.

Turret Lathe: They have a cylindrical tailstock which spins around a vertical axis, in order to move the various tools towards the work piece, as well as the headstock. It looks very similar to the capstan lathe. However, it is not fixed and just lies right on the bed. The turret is basically an indexed tool holder that permits to quickly, easily and simultaneously perform multiple cutting operations, each with a different cutting tool. Here the operator does not have to install and uninstall the tools or control the tool path. This is because the tool path is controlled by the machine, either by a jig-like mechanism or through a servo mechanism. Turret lathes are commonly utilized for repetitive production of similar parts.

CNC LatheCNC Lathe: Computer numerically controlled or CNC lathes are the latest variety of lathes that are unique and very accurate. They are simple to set and operate, and can rapidly perform monotonous jobs. The object to be produced is pre-designed, and the tool path is pre-programmed either by a CAD/CAM process, or manually by a programmer. The work piece is then loaded on the machine, and set as required. The lathe thereafter continues to automatically manufacture the required product, with intermittent supervision of the machine operator.

A CNC lathe is digitally controlled through the computer menu. The program may be altered as required and displayed on the computer screen, together with a computer generated view of the process. These high speed CNC lathes are very useful for cutting curved shapes and complex forms without using any special shaping tools.

Applications and Uses of Different Types of Lathe Machines

Lathe machines come in different types and each one has its own set of utility. The automatic lathe changes its tool automatically and the need for changing tools is eliminated. The components which lathe manufacturers add have high dimensional accuracy and some of them are useful even in laboratory experiments. The flow of production gets better as the lathe are large and complex machines go a long way towards improving the quality and quantity of production. The automatic lathe manufacturers provide lathe with a single or multi-spindle version and fall into the category of high performance, high-speed lathe which is excellent for mass production.