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Key Questions to Ask When Ordering cnc turning

28, Oct. 2024

7 Questions to Ask Yourself When Looking for a CNC Machine

Looking for a new CNC machine tool? Answering these 7 important questions will help you focus your search, save time and frustration, and ultimately guide you toward a sound financial investment.

With competitive price and timely delivery, kaierwo sincerely hope to be your supplier and partner.

Why do you need a new CNC machine? You may be replacing an existing piece of equipment, wishing to add capacity, or upgrading to newer technology that will make you more productive. Or perhaps you want to move into new markets with more demanding requirements. Whatever the reasons, it's important to keep your goals clearly in mind so you don't end up with less machine than you need, or overpay for features you won't use.
What materials will you be machining? If the CNC machine you're looking for will work exclusively on easier-to-machine materials such as aluminum, a lighter-duty piece of equipment may be just fine. On the other hand, if the machine tool will be machining more difficult materials, such as titanium or stainless steel, you'll need heavier-duty construction for greater stability, and a more powerful spindle drive to maintain higher spindle speeds and feed rates. You'll also want to consider if there are possible material changes that may affect you in the future. For example, if you expect to make brass parts that carry potable water, recent regulations require the use of no-lead brass, which is a harder material to machine than traditional brass.
What tolerances do you need to hold? If you plan to run close-tolerance parts you'll need a more rigid, stable machine tool that has the power and structural design necessary to quickly remove material while maintaining accuracy. You will also benefit from a machine that monitors inevitable temperature variations and provides thermal compensation to provide more precise machining throughout the cycle.
How much material do you need to remove? Again, lighter duty machines may be adequate for removing certain materials or near-net-shape parts. On the other hand, if you plan to work from solid stock, forgings or cast iron you'll need a CNC machine that has adequate horsepower, torque and heavy-duty construction.
High-volume or one-offs? Manufacturers who produce high-volumes of parts need faster, sturdier and more reliable equipment to reduce cycle times and downtime than those who deal with prototypes or low-volume parts runs.
How complex are the parts that you produce? More sophisticated, multi-faceted parts, such as turbine blades, impellers and airframes, require a greater number of operations than simpler parts. Although you may be able to produce these parts by using multiple CNC machine tools, it's often far more efficient to perform as many operations as possible on a single machine, such as a multi-purpose lathe or vertical machining center (VMC) capable of 5-axis machining. These machines require fewer costly fixtures and specialized tools, reduce operator time per part, provide greater flexibility and increased spindle usage.
Are you running families of parts? CNC machines with more sophisticated and interactive controls provide the flexibility to reduce setup times, manage production schedules and even monitor materials usage. For example, some machine tool controls enable users to simply enter the parameters for a family of parts and the control then writes the program. All of which leads to greater productivity and profitability.

There are more questions to ask, of course, and more answers to consider, including the true cost of CNC machine ownership beyond the initial price. That's why it makes sense to talk to people who have the information you need. Gosiger CNC machine specialists have the experience and expertise to help you find the best solution for your unique requirements. Call them today.

Thanks to Gosiger CNC machine Sales Engineer and Project Manager, Jim Czekaj for his contributions to this article.

Buying a CNC Lathe? Here's What to Know and Consider

When purchasing a CNC lathe, there are several questions to ask yourself before you begin the process. Some of these questions will be quite obvious: how much axis travel do I need? What size chuck should I look for? How many tool stations are on the turret? What is the spindle bore size? Etc.

However, there are other specifications that are just as important but not always so obvious: what is the maximum swing distance that my work will require? What is the maximum turning diameter necessary for my family of parts? What kind of spindle horsepower and torque will my type of work consume? The first set of questions above is relatively easy to answer, but the second group requires a better understanding of lathes in general.

I am often amazed at the number of highly skilled CNC machinists and operators who can accomplish almost anything on a milling machine, but who are very uneasy and intimidated around a lathe because they don't really understand the meaning of basic lathe terminology. That is the purpose of this article. I will clarify the meaning and benefit of a few of the 'not-so-obvious' features that exist on a typical lathe spec sheet and explain why they might be an important consideration when purchasing a CNC lathe.

Maximum Turning Diameter

A lathe's maximum turning diameter simply indicates the largest size of part that can be turned on the machine ' standard-length tooling ' without interference or collision with guarding or other machine components. With the X-axis retracted all the way positive, it's the size of part can be turned safely as it relates to X-axis travels of the machine tool.

For example: if you are looking at a machine with a max turning diameter of 16 inches, and the parts that you run on a regular basis are 15 inches in diameter or larger, then you would probably want to look at a machine with a larger maximum turning diameter. Even though, in our example above, the part would technically fit, you must realize that you are running on the very edge of the envelope, and if you had to hang a tool out of the turret farther than normal, you would likely not have enough X-axis travel to accommodate the part.

Maximum Swing

A lathe's maximum swing refers to the largest diameter part that can be spun in the chuck without mechanical interference with guarding, cross-slide, or other machine components located near the chucking area. Depending on the style and design of the machine tool in question, this value could be larger than the maximum turning diameter mentioned above. However, this does not mean that you can turn a part larger than that specified in the maximum turning diameter specification.

Horsepower & Torque

Horsepower and torque of a lathe are obvious considerations when purchasing a new machine, but their necessity may not be so obvious in all cases. If you are running work such as castings and forgings, drilling large diameter holes in steel, or generally turning features on large diameter parts, then horsepower and torque are going to very important, and you should be certain that the machine in question has enough for your application. However, if you are more focused on high production or general turning of small-to-medium sized parts, then spindle RPM may become more important than power in your case.

Just as we have seen in the milling arena over the past several years, high-speed machining is quickly making its way into turning as well. As the technology of turning tooling is advancing, and though the tool coolant options are more prevalent, the principles of cutting shallower but faster are becoming more common. Spindle speed, rapid traverse, and maximum programmable feedrates become much more important than sheer horsepower and torque.

Maximum Turning Length

Very similar to the maximum turning diameter, this specification indicates the longest part that can be turned based on the mechanical limitations and axis travels of the machine tool. Keep in mind that the effective maximum turning length for a particular part can be less than specified by the use of larger or deeper chucks, or tooling that sticks out from the face of the turret farther than what is considered normal. In both cases, you would be introducing the possibility for mechanical interferences, which would restrict the length of the part that could be machined, even though the physical travels and limits of the machine have not been changed.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of cnc turning. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.

Learn more about the TM series our general-purpose CNC lathes: https://www.hurco.com/en-us/products/lathes/Pages/TM-cnc-lathe-machine.aspx

Learn more about the TMM series our live tool CNC lathes: https://www.hurco.com/en-us/products/lathes/Pages/TMM-live-tool-cnc-lathe.aspx

Learn more about the TMX series our performance CNC lathes: https://www.hurco.com/en-us/products/lathes/Pages/TMX-performance-turning-center.aspx

Learn more about the MYS series our multi-axis CNC lathes: https://www.hurco.com/en-us/products/lathes/Pages/MY-MYS-mill-turn.aspx

You'll find more helpful resources, such as training videos and webinars, at Hurco Connect.

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