Conventional Lathe

Lesson Outcomes
By the end of this lessons, students should be able to understand: The concept of lathe and different lathe operations Calculating machining parameters in lathe operations Lathe machine components and lathe cutting tool Design and operating guideline for lathe operations as well as troubleshooting Current developments in lathe machining

Lathe concept
Lathe: A machining process whereby a cutting tool is fed into a rotating workpiece
Lathe / turning

Turning -Cutting primarity along axial direction

Lathe -Cutting primarily along radial direction

workpiece

workpiece

Cutting tool

Cutting tool

Types of lathe operations

Figure shows the miscellaneous cutting operations that can be performed on a lathe. Note that all parts are circulara property known as axisymmetry.

Types of lathe operations

1.
2. 3.

4.
5.

Turning: to produce straight, conical, curved, or grooved workpieces such as shafts, spindles, and pins (Fig a through d). Facing: to produce a flat surface at the end of the part and perpendicular to its axis useful for parts that are assembled with other components (Fig. e and f) Cutting with form tools: to produce various axisymmetric shapes for functional or aesthetic purposes (Fig. g). Boring: to enlarge a hole or cylindrical cavity made by a previous process or to produce circular internal grooves (Fig. h). Drilling: to produce a hole which may be followed by boring to improve its dimensional accuracy and surface finish (Fig. i).
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Types of lathe operations

6. Parting: also called cutting off, to cut a piece from the end of a part, as is done in the production of slugs or blanks for additional processing into discrete products (Fig. j) 7. Threading: to produce external or internal threads (k) 8. Knurling: to produce a regularly shaped roughness on cylindrical surfaces, as in making knobs (l)
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Roughing & Finishing

1. Perform rough cut: high f,d high MRR. Why? 2. Perform finishing cut: low f,d low MRR. Why?

Recommendations for turning parameters

Lathe machine

Lathes components
Bed The bed supports all major components of the lathe. Beds have a large mass and are built rigidly, usually from gray or nodular cast iron. The top portion of the bed has two ways with various cross-sections that are hardened and machined for wear resistance and dimensional accuracy during turning.
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Lathes components
Carriage The carriage or carriage assembly slides along the ways and consists of an assembly of the cross-slide, tool post, and apron. Headstock The headstock is fixed to the bed and is equipped with motors, pulleys, and V-belts that supply power to a spindle at various rotational speeds. 11

Lathes components
Tailstock The tailstock, which can slide along the ways and be clamped at any position, supports the other end of the workpiece. It is equipped with a center that may be fixed (dead center), or it may be free to rotate with the workpiece (live center). Drills and reamers can be mounted on the tailstock quill (a hollow cylindrical part with a tapered hole) to drill axial holes in the 12 workpiece.

Lathes components
Feed rod and lead screw The feed rod is powered by a set of gears through the headstock. The rod rotates during the lathe operation and provides movement to the carriage and the cross-slide by means of gears, a friction clutch, and a keyway along the length of the rod. Closing a split nut around the lead screw engages it with the carriage; it is also used for cutting threads accurately.
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Lathes components
Lathe specifications A lathe generally is specified by: 1. Its swing, the maximum diameter of the workpiece that can be machined (Table 23.6). 2. The maximum distance between the headstock and tailstock centers. 3. The length of the bed.

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Lathes components

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Troubleshooting lathe operations

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High speed machining

High speed: V=600-1800 m/min Very high speed: V=1800-18000 m/min Ultra high speed: V>18000 m/min
Heat is removed along with chips low thermal distortion High productivity Low unit cost
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Ultra precision machining

For precision manufacturing of electronic, nuclear energy and defense applications Cutting tool is a single crystal diamond Tool radius is at nanometer (10-9) level Surface finish is at nanometer level Very stiff machines with temperature stability
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Summary
Lathe is a process whereby a cutting tool is fed into a rotating workpiece. A number of lathe processes allows the machinist to machine a great variety of cylindrical shapes Calculations for Material removal rate, cutting speed, cutting time, torque and power are important before any lathe operation Components should be designed with machining limitations in mind Troubleshooting can be performed by identifying the appropriate machining parameter to change and modifying it in the correct amount High speed machining and precision machining are becoming increasingly important to lower production cost 19 and produce precision components