Advantages and Disadvantages of Turning Lathe and Milling Lathe

"Whether it's a lathe or a milling machine, both types of machines play an important role in manufacturing. Lathes are good for cylindrical parts, but milling machines are good for flat and curved parts."

Since the Industrial Revolution, machining equipment and tools have led the manufacturing industry. Different machines are often used to shape raw materials into designed shapes. Milling machines and lathes take the lead in this regard. Therefore, it is important to know the difference between them. These machines differ in part rotation, speed, material handling, machining operations, and so on.

This article will discuss milling machines and lathes in detail, comparing various aspects of the two machines.

What is a turning lathe?

It is a device or tool that removes rotating part material by applying a cutting tool. The staff feed the cutting tool into the rotating work rod. The machine is suitable for cylindrical or geometric shapes.

Hand lathes have traditionally been the primary tool for creating smooth cylindrical surfaces by removing unwanted material as chips.

Advantages of lathe

1. Lathes can process a variety of materials, metals, composites and plastics.

2. You can use the lathe to perform different machining operations, cutting, drilling, threading, knurling, etc.

3. Achieve complex geometry and features with tight tolerances.

4. The machine can continuously produce medium to large quantities of products.

5. CNC lathe realizes processing automation and can achieve high precision.

6.Lathes are also compatible with custom parts and products. The only thing is that you need to customize the tools accordingly.

Disadvantages of turning lathe

1. Mold and machine setup time is longer than milling and other manufacturing methods.

2. Mainly suitable for cylindrical shapes. As such, it limits other geometric features.

3. The parts size of the lathe is also limited, and large parts cannot be produced.

4. Lathes require more frequent maintenance to keep the machine in good working condition.

What is a milling lathe?

A milling lathe or milling machine is a processing device that forms a design by removing material from a fixed part. Unlike lathes, it involves rotating cutting tools rather than parts.

Machines typically move along three axes (X, Y, and Z) to perform the machining process. At the same time, the part is fixed to the chuck (part clamp).

CNC milling machines are most popular among manufacturers because they automate milling operations and reduce human intervention. It can convert CAD models by converting drawings into functional parts CNC G codes and M codes, which are executable instructions for CNC machine tools.

Advantages of milling lathe

1. CNC milling can perform numerous operations, such as drilling, tapping, cutting, threading, etc.

2.The precision of CNC milling machine is higher than that of lathe. A tolerance of 0.13mm can be achieved.

3. More material options for CNC milling machines.

4. It can easily adapt to design changes during processing, making it suitable for rapid prototyping to mass production.

5. It can produce excellent machined surface finish (usually 25μm to 0.025μm).

6. Automation of processing operations reduces manual labor, costs and errors.

7. CNC milling machines are ideal for custom or custom parts production due to their accuracy and flexibility.

Disadvantages of milling lathe

1. The initial investment for the installation of CNC milling machines and related equipment is high.

2. Energy consumption is quite high. This is a power-intensive process.

3. The size of the part that can be machined is limited by the size of the milling machine.

4. Up-to-date software is essential for efficient operation and requires regular updates and maintenance.