English 
In the highly automated modern manufacturing environment, CNC turning technology has become an indispensable high-precision processing method. With the development of science and technology, CNC lathes have gradually replaced the functions of traditional machine tools and are widely used in various fields. CNC turning technology uses computer instructions to precisely control the movement of a cutting tool on a rotating workpiece, effectively removing excess material to create the desired shape and size. Due to its advantages of high precision, high efficiency and low cost, it is widely used in the aviation manufacturing industry, and gradually replaces the application scope of traditional lathes. This article will conduct an in-depth study of the operating mechanism of CNC turning, covering the complete process from the design stage to machining and post-processing.
What is CNC Turning?
CNC turning uses computer programsand advanced CNC technology to precisely control the movement of the lathe, allowing the cutting tool to cut along a predetermined trajectory on the rotating workpiece, thereby removing excess material and obtaining parts of the required shape and size.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of CNC turning?
While CNC turning is indispensable in the manufacturing industry due to its capabilities and benefits, this manufacturing process also has its inherent disadvantages. On the one hand, the CNC turning process offers excellent accuracy, repeatability, and material versatility. However, there are also limitations such as geometric restrictions and material waste. Let’s explore some of the advantages and disadvantages of CNC turning.
Advantages of CNC Turning
- Functionality:CNC turning technology excels at machining a wide range of spiral, cylindrical and circular geometries. When combined with the milling capabilities of CNC turning centers, this technology can further expand its processing capabilities to achieve precise manufacturing of highly complex parametric designs and cubic geometries.
- Accuracy:CNC turning technology is known for its high precision. Through precise machining processes, it can produce precision parts that meet standard tolerances of ±0.127 mm and even reach the highest tolerance of ±0.001 mm.
- Efficient production:CNC turning is an extremely fast process. Compared with the traditional manufacturing method, which requires multiple time-consuming steps, CNC turning can complete the processing of the workpiece in just one step, greatly improving production efficiency.
- Material compatibility:CNC turning technology has a wide range of material compatibility and can handle a variety of materials including metal, plastic, wood and stone. As long as the material can be purchased in block form, it is likely to be suitable for CNC turning.
Disadvantages of CNC turning
- Initial setup costs:CNC turning has a fairly high initial setup cost due to the cost of the CNC turning machine and the initial tooling costs involved in the process.
- Speed of mass production:While CNC turning can produce individual units quickly, mass production can be time consuming because most machines can only produce one unit at a time.
- Material waste:CNC turning is a subtractive manufacturing technology. As such, it produces a lot of waste compared to additive and forming technologies.
- Design limitations:CNC machining technologies, including CNC turning, have inherent design limitations. Certain features and geometries, such as curved holes, extremely thin walls, and straight inside edges, cannot be effectively machined by even advanced turning centers. Additionally, traditional CNC turning is limited to cylindrical geometries.
What are the applications of CNC turning?
CNC turning, that is, computer numerical control turning, is an advanced machining technology that controls the machine tool to cut along a designated path through a pre-written processing program. CNC turning is widely used in many fields. The following are its main application areas:
1. Aerospace
In the aerospace field, there are extremely high requirements for the accuracy and reliability of components. CNC turning technology can meet these needs and achieve precise machining of complex parts. For example, high-precision and high-strength parts such as aircraft engine turbine blades and fuselage structural parts can be manufactured through CNC turning technology.
2. Automobile manufacturing
During the automobile manufacturing process, a large number of parts need to be processed, and these parts often have complex geometric shapes and high precision requirements. CNC turning technology can achieve efficient and high-precision processing and improve production efficiency. For example, automobile engine parts, transmission parts, braking systems, etc. can all be manufactured through CNC turning technology.
3. Medical equipment
The manufacturing of medical equipment also has extremely high requirements for precision and reliability.CNC turning technology can be used to manufacture high-precision medical devices, such as surgical instruments, implants, etc. Especially for some customized medical parts, CNC turning technology can accurately produce them according to the needs of patients.
4. Electronic product
In the field of electronic products, CNC turning technology is also widely used. For example, precision parts inside electronic products such as mobile phones and laptops, such as casings, motherboards, heat sinks, etc., can be manufactured with high precision through CNC turning technology. The dimensional accuracy and surface quality of these parts are critical to the performance and reliability of electronic products.
5.Mold making
Mold manufacturing is an integral part of the manufacturing industry. CNC turning technology can accurately process various parts of the mold, ensuring the accuracy and life of the mold. This is of great significance for improving the manufacturing quality of molds and reducing production costs.
6.Oil and gas industry
Precision CNC turning helps in the manufacture, repair and maintenance of parts for heavy machinery in the oil and gas industry. It is the most reliable and accurate method for manufacturing parts such as pins, pistons, rods and cylinders.
What are the cost differences between CNC turning and manual turning?
In this section, we will show you thecost differences between manual turning and CNC turning. The main cost differences are as follows:
material cost
There is not much difference in material cost between manual turning and CNC turning, as both require materials to complete the machining. Regardless of the machining method used, the price of the material remains unchanged. However, CNC turning can provide higher accuracy, which means that if CNC turning is used, less material may be wasted. This can save some costs.
Machine cost
There is a significant cost difference between manual turning andCNC turning machines. CNC turning requires specialized equipment for machining, while manual turning does not require additional equipment and only requires manual operation. Therefore, the equipmentcost of CNC turningis significantly higher than that of manual turning. Nevertheless, CNC turning has higher efficiency and significantly improved production efficiency compared to manual turning.
Labor costs
manual turning requires more manual labor participation, therefore more personnel salaries need to be paid. CNC turning requires a small number of operators to control the machine. Compared to manual turning,CNC turning can better control labor costs.
What are the types of CNC turning operations?
CNC turning is not a refined craft, it is a versatile process capable of performing a wide range of operations. From basic shapes to intricate details, each operation meets specific requirements.
Turning
Turning is the primary operation in CNC turning. This operation involves removing material from the outer area of the workpiece. The cutting tool moves in and out of the workpiece, varying depth to create contours or steps. Turning is done parallel to the workpiece's rotational axis (straight turning) to create straight cylindrical features or at an angle to the surface (tapered turning), creating tapered conical features.
Facing
This CNC turning operation involves removing material on one end of the workpiece to create a flat surface. In facing, the cutting tool is positioned parallel to the workpiece rotational axis at one end and moves into the workpiece by a predetermined depth.
Grooving
Grooving creates a recess or groove around the circumference of the workpiece. In this CNC turning operation, the tool is positioned at a specific point perpendicular to the workpiece. As the workpiece rotates, the cutting tool gradually moves into it, up to the desired depth. The cutting tool may also move sideways to increase the groove’s width. Practical examples of grooves are O ring grooves on pistons.
Parting
The parting CNC turning operation is very similar to grooving, except that in parting, the cutting tool continues to move deeper into the workpiece until it cuts off a section.
Drilling
In CNC turning, drilling involves creating a hole on one end of the workpiece using a drilling cutting tool. The tool is placed along the central axis of the workpiece, creating a centralised hole as the workpiece rotates. Advanced turning centres can drill holes in different axes and orientations of the workpiece.
Threading
As the name implies, threading in CNC turning creates threads around the external circumference of the workpiece. In this operation, the cutting tool starts at the beginning of the thread and moves sideways as the workpiece rotates. The CNC machine precisely controls the speed and movement of the cutting tool to achieve accurate thread depth and pitch. Special threading tools can also thread preformed holes using the same technique.
Knurling
Knurling in CNC turning involves etching a pattern onto the surface of a part. This operation uses specialised knurling tools that feature the desired pattern on their surface.
How Does CNC Turning Work？
CNC turning is a numerically controlled machining process that utilizes computer-controlled cutting tools to precisely remove material from a rotating workpiece to create the desired shape and size. The following are the detailed steps for CNC turning work, including creating a 3D model of the part, converting the model to G-code, setting up the CNC lathe, performing the CNC turning process, and post-processing:
- Create a 3D model of the part: It needs to be completed using computer-aided design (CAD) software. The core of CNC turning processing is to ensure that the processed products fully meet the design standards.
- Generate G-code: We use computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software to convert 3D models into G-code. G-type programming language is used for the design of CNC machine tools, which covers core parameters such as tool motion path, cutting rate and feed amount.
- Set up the CNC lathe: Fix the workpiece on the main axis of the lathe and ensure that it remains stable without displacement. According to the guidance in the G code, fine-tune various parameters of the lathe, such as cutting speed, feed amplitude, etc. Cutting tools need to be positioned and adjusted to ensure they follow the intended cutting path for the cutting operation.
- Execute the CNC turning process: When completing a CNC turning task, you need to start the lathe first, and then the CNC system begins to parse the G code and control the tool's activities according to the code instructions. The tool follows a predetermined path along the rotating workpiece to remove unnecessary material. The digital control system can detect the specific positions of tools and workpieces and the real-time status of cutting in real time to ensure the stability and accuracy of the manufacturing process.
- Post-processing: After the machining process is completed, stop the lathe operation and remove the workpiece. In order to enhance the quality and accuracy of their surfaces, these workpieces are thoroughly cleaned and deburred. Use special measuring tools to conduct quality analysis on parts to ensure they fully meet design standards.
What types of tools are commonly used in CNC turning?
In CNC turning, the commonly used tool types are not only rich and diverse, but also each tool is carefully designed to have its own unique purpose and significant processing characteristics. These tools perform their respective duties during the CNC turning process and jointly ensure the smooth completion of the processing task.
| Types | Description |
| Turning Tools | They are usually made of high-speed steel or carbide and come in various shapes and sizes to suit different turning operations such as facing, thread turning and grooving. |
| Boring bar | It is an important tool for boring processing in CNC lathes and has the characteristics of high precision and high rigidity. It can be used to process the inner hole, end face, groove, etc. of the workpiece. It is one of the key tools for realizing complex shape processing. |
| Cutting blade | It is a commonly used cutting tool in CNC lathes. It has various materials and shapes and can be selected according to different processing needs. Common CNC cutting inserts include diamond-shaped, peach-shaped, triangle-shaped, etc., which are suitable for different processing scenarios and workpiece materials. |
| Thread cutting tools | mainly used for processing threads, including external threads and internal threads. Thread turning tools are designed to accurately cut into the workpiece and form the desired thread shape. |
| Knurling tool | used to roll out various patterns and patterns on the surface of the workpiece to increase the aesthetics and anti-slip properties of the workpiece. |
| Drill bit | mainly used for drilling and is one of the commonly used hole processing tools in CNC lathes. |
| Reamer | used for finishing of drilled holes to improve the dimensional accuracy and surface quality of the holes. |
Why use LS as your CNC turning service?
After deciding whether CNC turning is best for your project, the next step is to find a trusted partner to help turn your ideas into reality. From rapid prototyping to volume production, we're here to support you every step of the way in product development.
With highly skilled engineers and machinists on staff, we ensure your parts meet the highest quality standards. We support quick quotation within 2 hours. Have more than 15 years of CNC machining experience. We support large-scale customization services. Production equipment: 75 units. The factory covers an area of 3000 square meters. The tolerance is controlled within 0.02mm. We have a project plan and timeline, a three-day lead time, and the ability to handle rush orders. If you have any needs,please let us knowand we can produce everything you want according to the drawings you provide.
FAQs
1.What is the difference between turning and milling?
Turning involves the rotation of a workpiece against a non-rotating single-point cutting tool, while milling uses rotary cutters to remove components of a stationary workpiece. In addition, while turning products are often cylindrical or conical, the end products of milling have flat surfaces.
2.What is turning operation in CNC?
CNC turning operation refers to the technical method of rotating the workpiece using a cutting edge with a specific geometric configuration. In the CNC turning process, the workpiece is generally in a rotating state, and the tool moves along the workpiece surface according to a preset path to accurately remove excess material until the workpiece reaches the required outline and size specifications. As a common CNC machining method, turning operation plays a decisive role in the production and manufacturing of various types of parts, and its application range is extremely wide.
3.How does the turning process work?
CNC turning is a CNC machining process that uses computer-controlled cutting tools to precisely remove material from a rotating workpiece to create the desired shape and size. The turning process is a complex and delicate manufacturing process that mainly includes creating a 3D model of the part, converting the model to G-code, setting up the CNC lathe, performing the CNC turning process and post-processing, and more.
4.What is the basic concept of CNC turning Centre?
CNC turning center is a process testing instrument used in the field of electronics and communication technology. It integrates the advanced technology and functions of CNC lathes. CNC turning centers have the advantages of high precision, high efficiency, and strong flexibility, and can complete precision machining of various complex parts.
Summary
CNC turning is a CNC machining process that uses computer-controlled cutting tools to precisely remove material from a rotating workpiece to create the desired shape and size. The CNC turning workflow includes creating a 3D model of the part, converting the model to G-code, setting up the CNC lathe, performing the CNC turning process and post-processing. As a high-precision and high-efficiency processing method, CNC turning plays an increasingly important role in modern manufacturing. With the continuous advancement of technology, the performance and precision of CNC lathes continue to improve, and the processing range becomes wider and wider. In the future, CNC turning will continue to develop in a more efficient and intelligent direction, providing strong support for the transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry.
Disclaimer
The content on this page is for reference only.Longshengdoes not make any express or implied representation or warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or validity of the information. No performance parameters, geometric tolerances, specific design features, material quality and type or workmanship should be inferred as to what a third party supplier or manufacturer will deliver through the Longsheng Network. It is the responsibility of the buyerseeking a quote for partsto determine the specific requirements for those parts.Pleasecontact usfor moreinformation.
LS Team
This article was written by multiple Longsheng contributors. Longsheng is a leading resource in the manufacturing sector, withCNC machining,sheet metal fabrication,3D printing,injection molding,metal stamping, and more.
