Lathe Tools offer maximum speed of 12,000 rpm.

SMW Autoblok is pleased to introduce spindle speed increasing Live Tools for Haas lathes. These new low-profile Live Tools feature a 1:3 speed increasing ratio and a maximum speed of 12,000RPM.

Designed to increase the performance of Haas lathes with 4,000RPM driven turrets, SMW Autoblok's new spindle speed increasing Live Tools can drastically reduce cycle times and duty cycles, particularly in finishing application in mild steels, aluminum, plastics, and reinforced resins. With an ultra-low profile of 88.5mm (3.48"), these new Live Tools are no taller than a standard Live Tool, preserving Z-axis clearance for work-holding and parts. Additionally, with their minimal width of 80mm (3.15"), they do not interfere with adjacent tools in the turret.

SMW Autoblok's new spindle speed increasing Live Tools utilize patented square drive Gleason matched ground helical gears for improved torque transmission and high quality twin interlocking labyrinth seals to prevent contamination from coolant and chips. The new compact ER clamping design makes for easy tool changes, higher clamping forces, extended drill lengths, and improved rigidity.

SMW Autoblok also offers standard Live Tools for Haas lathes in straight, right angle, and offset styles equipped with either an ER Collet or Face Mill output spindle. Coolant-thru the tool up to 1,000PSI is available on most styles, and special application Live Tools are available upon request. SMW Autoblok stocks Live Tools for other popular CNC Turning Centers including Mazak, Mori Seiki, Okuma, and Doosan and more.

For more information on Live Tools or other SMW Autoblok products, please contact SMW Autoblok Corporation at 847-215-0591 or visit www.live-tooling.com.

ABOUT SMW AUTOBLOK CORPORATION - Autoblok Corporation was established in 1981 as a subsidiary of Autoblok of Italy, the largest power chuck manufacturer in Europe. Since 1942, Autoblok has been at the forefront of engineering and manufacturing state-of-the-art workholding, clamping and tooling solutions. In 1993, Autoblok acquired SMW of Germany. The combination of these two premier manufacturing entities resulted in the most extensive product line of high quality workholding devices in the world. Now available exclusively through its subsidiaries, reps and distributors, SMW AUTOBLOK customers are ensured a consistent, single source of superior product performance, support and service.



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Choosing a Cutting Tool

The figure above shows a typical cutting tool and the terminology used to describe it. The actual geometry varies with the type of work to be done. The standard cutting tool shapes are shown below.

• Facing tools are ground to provide clearance with a center.
• Roughing tools have a small side relief angle to leave more material to support the cutting edge during deep cuts.
• Finishing tools have a more rounded nose to provide a finer finish. Round nose tools are for lighter turning. They have no back or side rake to permit cutting in either didection.
• Left hand cutting tools are designed to cut best when traveling from left to right.
• Aluminum is cut best by specially shaped cutting tools (not shown) that are used with the cutting edge slightly above center to reduce chatter.

Standard Cutting Tools


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Parts of the Lathe Machine

The lathe is a machine tool used in metal cutting operations called "turning." The work piece is rotated as tooling is applied to it to remove material. Lathes can be manually operated or operated by computer numerical control (CNC). In either case, the basic parts are similar.


The Bed

1. The lathe bed is a mounting and aligning surface for the other machine components. Viewed from the operating position in front of the machine, the headstock is mounted on the left end of the bed and the tailstock on the right. The bed must be bolted to a base to provide a rigid and stable platform. The bed ways are a precision surface (or surfaces) on which the carriage slides left and right during machining operations. The ways are machined straight and flat and are either bolted to the top of the bed or are an integrally machined part of the bed.

Headstock

2. The headstock holds the spindle and drive mechanism for turning the work piece. The spindle is a precision shaft and bearing arrangement rotated directly by a motor or through a motor-driven belt. Gears or sliding pulleys mounted at the rear of the headstock allow spindle speed adjustment.

A work piece is held in the spindle for turning or drilling by a jawed chuck or a spring collet system. Large, unusual shaped, or otherwise difficult to hold pieces, can be attached to the spindle with a face plate, drive dogs and special clamps.

Tailstock

3. The tailstock supports long work that would otherwise sag or flex too much to allow for accurate machining. Without a tailstock, long pieces cannot be turned straight and will invariably have a taper. Some tailstocks can be intentionally misaligned to accurately cut a taper if needed. The tailstock has a centering device pressed into a shallow, specially drilled hole in the end of the work piece. The center can be either "live" or "dead." Live centers have a bearing, allowing the center to rotate along with the work piece. Dead centers do not rotate and must be lubricated to prevent overheating due to friction with the work piece. Instead of a center, a drill chuck can be mounted in the tailstock.

Carriage

4. The carriage provides mounting and motion control components for tooling. The carriage moves left and right, either through manual operation of a hand wheel, or it can be driven by a lead screw. At the base of a carriage is a saddle that mates and aligns with the bed ways. The cross-slide, compound rest and tool holder are mounted to the top of the carriage. Some carriages are equipped with a rotating turret to allow a variety of tools to be used in succession for multi-step operations.

Cross Slide

5. The cross-slide is mounted to the top of the carriage to provide movement perpendicular to the length of the bed for facing cuts. An additional motion assembly, the compound rest, with an adjustable angle, is often added to the top of the cross slide for angular cuts. The cutting tools that do the actual metal removal during turning are mounted in an adjustable tool holder clamped to the compound rest.

Lead Screw

6. The lead screw provides automatic feed and makes thread cutting possible. It is a precision-threaded shaft, driven by gears as the headstock turns. It passes through the front of the carriage apron and is supported at the tailstock end by a bearing bracket. Controls in the apron engage a lead nut to drive the carriage as the lead screw turns.



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Different Types of Lathe Machines

Lathes literally keep the manufacturing world spinning. Almost all manufacturing companies have their own lathe machines. A lathe works by spinning a piece of material, such as wood or metal, at a high speed while a cutting tool is applied to the rotating material. The result is a symmetrical cylinder.


Below is a list of the different kinds of lathes being used today.



Wood Lathes

1. Popular with both hobbyist and professionals alike, the wood lathe makes everything from baseball bats to chair legs and bedposts. Most round wood pieces are spun on a wood lathe to achieve a smooth feel and look.


Metal Lathes

2. Found mostly on factory floors, and often hooked up to computers with robotic arms, metal lathes are used for precision operations like threading and boring.


Glass Lathes

3. Whether forming the next piece of high-end art or filling an order for a scientific lab, glass workers use a lathe to shape their medium. Glass lathes safely spin glass tubing over a flame until the material is pliable for shaping.


Pottery Wheel

4. The pottery wheel is the only lathe where the operator may safely use her hands to shape the material. Though most lathes are horizontal, the pottery wheel spins its material about a vertical axis.

Fun Fact

The pottery wheel has been around for thousands of years, dating back to ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia.



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How to work with Lathe machines?

It may seem easy when your watching a machine operator working on his lathe machine but the moment you try it in action it's not as easy as it looks. Especially if you are a first timer, patience is a virtue. Even experienced operators must carefully performed and manuever their cutting tool for a precise measurement. Just a fraction of a millimeter would spell success or failure.

To know more on how it works, (click here).

what is a lathe machine?

you can see this when you visited or just pass by a machine shop. this equipment is very visible but most people don't know what kind of equipment is it. Even big industrial companies have this kind of machine in their engineering or machine departments. to the common man, this machine may seem nothing, but for those who knew the value it, it is almost priceless. Welcome to the world of Lathe Machines. Read More.....