http://www.ganeshmachinery.com | Used in a variety of metalworking environments, automated CNC lathes provide many advantages over the traditional manual kinds, such as enhanced safety, improved productivity, and greater efficiency.
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What Are CNC Lathes?
1. What Are CNC Lathes?
For many generations of craftsmen, the lathe has been an invaluable tool in woodworking and
metalworking. The lathe has undergone a variety of changes and upgrades as industrial technology has
progressed, but the basic design has remained the same: a horizontal axle, called a spindle, rotates the
wood or metal while a tool carefully shapes the material in a predetermined fashion. The flexibility and
precision of the lathe has made it useful equipment in a very wide range of industries, including the
aerospace and petroleum sectors. Traditionally, the lathe was operated manually by the operator, but
in recent years CNC technology has provided an attractive computer-regulated alternative to this oldfashioned process. Below we’ll take a closer look at CNC lathes and their various uses.
How CNC Lathes Differ from Manual Varieties
CNC stands for Computer Numeric Control, a method of directing the operation of equipment without
direct human intervention. It is derived from and supersedes the older Numerical Control (NC)
technology, which was developed in the ‘40s as a way to automate lathes and other types of
metalworking equipment. The advent of computers would pave the way for substantial improvements
to NC technology. CNC began with relatively unsophisticated tools, using floppy disks and other oldschool computer accessories to program the equipment, but the march of technological progress would
eventually give rise to highly precise, nearly error-free metalworking procedures. Rather than relying on
manual handling by a human operator, this equipment runs on commands provided by a softwaregenerated program; these parameters are known generically as “G-Codes,” and they govern the
movements of the lathe’s various components.
Today, Computer Numeric Control has become the standard for many types of industrial equipment—
drills, routers, grinders, and electric discharge machines are just a few kinds of machinery that
customarily use CNC. CNC lathes have proven to be extremely effective in industrial environments,
where it has become common to link together two or more of them together to form highly productive
cells.
Advantages of CNC Lathes
CNC lathes provide a wide range of benefits to their users. Many of these advantages derive from
removing the human element from the process. For example, because CNC lathes do not require an
operator to continually manipulate the controls, there is little chance that personnel will sustain injury
from the machinery. Often, the body of the lathe is fully enclosed, featuring sliding doors that restrict
access and therefore promote compliance with industrial safety standards. CNC technology also speeds
up the production process substantially, which saves time and, consequently, money. In part, the
superior speed of these lathes can be attributed to the fact that they can perform several functions
simultaneously. These lathes are cost-effective in another manner as well: As an automated process,
CNC lathes function effectively without the danger of being compromised by human error (except for
those introduced by improper programming). Generally, this type of machinery includes highly sensitive
devices that ensure optimal quality control—if something goes wrong, CNC technology can detect where
and when errors have occurred, and it can do so far more quickly and reliably than a human operator
2. can. This reduces the incidence of waste.
Summary: Used in a variety of metalworking environments, automated CNC lathes provide many
advantages over the traditional manual kinds, such as enhanced safety, improved productivity, and
greater efficiency.
Bio: Founded in March 1985, Ganesh Machinery has established itself as a leading manufacturer of
industrial machines. The company's line of products includes lathes, screw machines, mills, turning
centers, and more. Ganesh, based in Chatsworth, California, manufactures its equipment in a 15,000sq.-ft. facility, which is supported by a 40,000-sq.-ft. warehouse.