http://www.ganeshmachinery.com/site/Products/CNC-Slant-Bed-Lathes.aspx | The debate over which is superior, CNC lathe machines or manual lathe machines, is predicated on a false premise: neither system is inherently superior; rather the selection of which machine type to use should be determined by the specific job at hand.

1. Manual Machining Vs. CNC – Do You Have to Choose?
Put a few machinists together in a room, ask them to debate the pros and cons of a manual lathe as
opposed to a CNC lathe machine, and then close the door. If you don’t come back for five hours, the
debate will still be raging hot and heavy when you open that door again! The issue is not whether a
CNC milling machine is inherently better or worse than a standard manual lathe machine, both are
merely tools that help a machinist get the job done – the only real issue is… what is the job that needs to
get done? It all comes back to the old tried and true adage that you must use the right tools for the job.
It’s Not a Matter of Which Lathe Type Is Better… It’s a Matter of the Job at Hand!
There are of course instances in which it makes endlessly more sense to opt to use a fully automated
CNC machining center (for the record, “CNC” stands for “Computer Numerical Control,” which is a
fancy way of saying computer operated) instead of a manual mill. If you have received an order for a
high number of identical units, then using a CNC lathe to churn them out is the only logical way to go:
you can lock the design coordinates into your CNC lathe machine, flip a switch, and then leave the
machine for hours or even for the night knowing that by the morning the order will be completed.
However, there are other times when using a manual lathe machine might make much more sense. One
such case is when you have only a single part to create. If you work in a machining center that usually
deals with smaller, specialty orders, the time you spend setting up the programming of a more complex
vertical machining center to complete a one­off task may take just as much time as simply using your
manual mill! Likewise, even if you find a CNC milling machine for sale at a great price, they are still
much pricier than manual milling machinery, thus a careful cost benefit analysis must be conducted prior
to deciding how to equip your machining center.
The one arguable drawback to using manual lathe machines over CNC lathes is the fact that in the
hands of a less skilled and experienced operator, the potential for human error damaging your final
product is much greater with a manual mill. By its very nature, machining is complex, sensitive work, and
thus turning over the process to a computer can be the safer bet in certain cases.
In a perfect world, every machinist center would have manual mills and CNC lathes, but the space and
cost required to own and operate multiple machines prevents this scenario for most businesses. Instead,
the best solution is to carefully consider the type of orders your shop usually handles, and then pick the
perfect machine for the job type. If that turns out to be, say, an expensive five axis vertical machining
center, remember to see it as an investment, not merely an expense.
Company Bio
Ganesh Machinery (http://www.ganeshmachinery.com) will soon celebrate its 30th
year in business. The
company has expanded from its roots as a family run business in a 1,200 square foot shop, to an
industry powerhouse catering to thousands of customers from its state­of­the­art 15,000 square foot

2. facility supplied by a 40,000 square foot warehouse. Ganesh has never lost touch with its roots as a
family­run company committed to excellence in equipment and in customer service.