TABLE OF CONTENTS A conventional engine lathe or a turret lathe is a common machine in just about every machine shop. A lathe is used for machining cylindrical or conical work, such as shafts, rings, wheels, bores, threads, etc. The most common lathe operation is removal of material from a round stock, using a turning tool for external cutting. A lathe can also be used for internal operations such as boring, as well as for grooving, threading, etc., if a proper cutting tool is used. Turret lathes are usually weaker in machining power than engine lathes, but they do have a special carousel that holds several mounted cutting tools. An engine lathe has often only one or two cutting tools mounted at a time, but has more machining power.
Typical lathe work controlled by a CNC system uses machines known in industry as the CNC Turning Centers- or more commonly - the CNC lathes.
The term turning center is rather unpopular, but an accurate overall description of a computerized lathe (a CNC lathe) that can be used for a great number of machining operations during a single setup. For example, in addition to the standard lathe operations such as turning and boring, a CNC lathe can be used for drilling, grooving, threading, knurling and even burnishing. It can also be used in different modes, such as chuck work, collet work, barfeeder, or between centers. Many other combinations also exist. CNC lathes are designed to hold several tools...
