The lathe and the milling cnc machine are two two tools used for cutting and machining different types of raw materials in a wide variety of industries. Despite being very common in industry, there are still questions about what their differences are and why they are sometimes referred to as "CNC" and sometimes not. Let's answer these questions for you!
Lathes are machines that produce a continuous rotation in the material to be worked, while the milling machine is a rotating tool that performs different cutting operations.
Thus, the main difference between a lathe and a milling machine is that with a lathe you create cylindrical parts, while with a milling machine you can make parts of all kinds of shapes. On a lathe, the raw material rotates on a chuck and the tool cuts and shapes it. On a milling machine, the material is stationary while the milling cutter rotates, removing the excess material.
This is because the milling machine generally works on three axes X, Y and Z and the lathe only works on two axes, X and Z. In this way, the lathe only machines radially by turning the workpiece, and the milling machine does it by means of a fixed spindle and what moves is the bed where the workpiece is. The milling machine can even work with 4 or 5 axes, as we explain in this article on which milling machine to buy depending on the number of axes.
A lathe is more suitable for cylindrical work, while a milling machine is preferable for straight or angled cuts. Nevertheless, both the lathe and the milling machine are necessary machines for the machining industry.
The Milling is much more versatile, as all surfaces can be machined regardless of their shape (flat, convex, concave, etc.). On the other hand, the lathe only works with cylindrical parts.
In conclusion, if you need to create parts of different shapes, the milling machine will be the most cost-effective machine, whereas if you are only going to work on cylindrical parts, the lathe will be sufficient. However, before buying a machine, think about the scalability of your business and the possibilities for the future. If you have any doubts about which one you need, at Pérez Camps we offer you a free consultation free consultation so that you can explain your situation to us and our professionals will advise you on the best solution for you.
In the title of the article you will have seen that we are talking about CNC lathes and CNC milling machines and you may be wondering what these acronyms stand for. It stands for Computer Numerical Control and is a system that has revolutionised the industry in recent years.
Broadly speaking, CNC is a process in which a a computer is used to control and monitor the movements of a machine tool such as a lathe or milling machine, which is being operated by commands programmed into a storage medium. This is a great advantage, as the production speed thanks to the CNC is higher, as well as allowing a high level of simultaneous manufacture of parts, without any error or difference between them.
At Perez Camps milling machines, manufacturers of CNC milling machines, we make sure that we explain the operation of the CNC computer to each of our customers and to the professionals who will operate the machine. Training is key in our after-sales service, as we are the first to ensure that all the functionalities of our machines can be fully exploited.
