Lathes are the
machine tools that are extensively used for machining operations of any
cylindrical piece of metal, wood or plastic. You can do a lot of machining
operations on a lathe. These operations can range from turning to drilling,
facing, boring and grooving of any surface on the specimen to be machined.
Basically, the task of a lathe machine is to give the metal any shape desired,
and, along with that, it can be used on wood and other materials too.
In the present
times, lathes are available with varying rotating speed and can be operated
manually or automatically. The chuck of the lathe is a specially designed clamp,
which is designed to firmly hold the work-piece to be machined. When the lathe is
turned on, the chuck starts moving and rotating. The tool bit that is used for
the desired operation is kept stationary and is moved towards the rotating
work-piece for the machining operation. The table of the lathe can move in both
vertical and horizontal directions.
Basically, there
are three types of lathes- engine lathes, turret lathes, and special purpose
lathe. The lathes those are smaller in size can be mounted on a wooden table,
but the large sized lathes are fixed in the floor as the wooden bench cannot
bear the weight of the machine. An engine lathe is very small in size and light
in weight; hence it can be carried from one place to another easily and is very
versatile. Due to its versatility, it can be used for a variety of operations.
It is mainly used for tooling operations or for production of very little
quantity. The other two types of lathes are used for producing a large quantity
of materials as they are very big in size and meant to do specialized
operations.
When you are working
on a lathe machine, you must remember about three features that are crucial for
a lathe and must satisfy your requirements.
First one is the rotating speed of the chuck,
which is responsible for the fineness of the surface. If it is very high, then
the surface finish of the work piece will be very fine, but if the rotating
speed of the chuck is very low, the surface finish will be very rough, but for
the beginners, low speed is preferred as high speed is dangerous.
Second thing is
the depth of cut. The depth of cut is also a major factor that is responsible
for the final surface quality. A deeper cut results in a rough surface. If you
are not very sure about the depth of cut, then it is advisable to keep it very
low to avoid any problem.
Different tools
used with the lathe machine are boring tools, drill bits, facing tools, turning
tools and grooving tools. Grooving tools are the tools used for making
groves or embossed patterns on the surface of the finished workplace. These
grooves are meant to provide grip to the work-piece and are very useful in eth
industry.
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