A Quick Comparison between CNC Lathes and CNC Mills
21 November 2022Fabrication and machining companies invest in various types of machines so they can provide tons of products to their clients. They must also maximise these machines to ensure they can process products out of varying materials.
Most machines used by these companies before have to rely on manual labour before they can move and process the workpieces. While some companies prefer manual machines for their primary production, they end up consuming a lot of time. Manual machines likewise pose safety risks to employees who will be working around the tools attached to the said machines.
As an alternative, companies today now utilise computer numerical control (CNC) machines. These machines rely on software to set the path their tools must take to process the workpieces. Two popular CNC tools that are used today are CNC lathes and CNC mills.
Qualities of CNC Lathes
CNC lathes maximise a lathe tool installed in a tool holder or tool post. They also utilise a cross slide that allows the movement of the tool along the X-axis or the flat surface of the cylindrical workpieces. Once the tool moves on the Z-axis or toward the chuck, it will remove the excess material from the workpieces, generating the needed round objects. The workpieces, alternatively, are often held in a horizontal lathe chuck or placed on a faceplate before being rotated by the main spindle of these machines.
Since CNC lathes rely on CNC software, their movement is ensured to be precise even with multiple processing of similar workpieces. These tools are perfect for processing cylindrical parts that are often uniform across their surfaces. Some parts that can be produced from CNC lathes are cams, knobs, crankshafts, shafts, and screws.
Qualities of CNC Mills
CNC mills, on the other hand, are known for their upright orientation. Their orientation allows machining companies to position them easier than the CNC lathes. Before carrying out the milling operation, the workpieces are normally fastened to the table of the machine tools with clamps. The table will then be positioned into the rotating cutting tool so that the materials can be removed from the stationary workpieces. The worktables of CNC mills move on the X-, Y-, and Z-axis. They can move right and left, go in and out, and move up and down.
Various types of milling machines can be maximised by fabrication and machining companies. These types include vertical, horizontal, and CNC. CNC mills have been providing tons of benefits to these companies since they can be useful in prototyping and other similar capabilities. They can likewise carry out metalworking and woodworking, generate flat surfaces, make deeper holes, and develop planes, pockets, edges, or grooves.
Choosing the Best Tool
CNC lathes and CNC mills can generate high-quality parts and products needed by various industries in a short time. They can also process similar materials like brass, aluminium, steel, copper alloys, and carbon. These tools can even work with wood and plastic. The only factors that one may have to consider in choosing between these tools are the qualities of the materials, machine tolerances, and the level of complexity their machines can work on.
If you need to process products out of these tools, you can contact us at Kinetic Engineering.
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