The core working principle of a lathe involves the workpiece rotating as the primary motion and the turning tool moving linearly or along a curved path as the feed motion; the cutting edge shears away excess material from the workpiece to machine various surfaces of revolution.
Core Motion Logic
The workpiece is clamped by the spindle chuck and driven by a motor to rotate at high speed; this constitutes the primary cutting motion and determines the cutting speed.
The turning tool is mounted on the tool post and performs controlled feed movements-axially, radially, or at an angle-gradually removing surface metal from the workpiece to form chips.
Differentiated Principles of Various Lathe Types
- Conventional Horizontal Lathe: Workpiece rotation speed is adjusted via the headstock's gear-shifting mechanism, while power is transmitted to the tool post through the feed box and the feed rod or lead screw to perform standard turning or thread cutting.
- CNC Lathe: A pre-set CNC program controls the servo system to drive the tool along a specified path, enabling the automatic, high-precision machining of complex curved surfaces.
- Swiss-type Lathe (Sliding Headstock Lathe): The spindle drives the bar stock to perform axial feed while the tool remains stationary; this setup allows for simultaneous composite machining operations-such as turning, milling, and drilling-making it ideal for the mass production of tiny, precision parts.
