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Sunday, June 10, 2012

Types of Lathe Machines

A lathe machine is an important machine tool in a workshop as it is basically used to shape the metal articles. Initially the basic operation of a lathe machine was to cut cylindrical metal stock which was then further developed to produce screw threads, tapered work, drilled holes, knurled surfaces and crank shafts. A standard lathe machine provides a variety of rotating speeds and a facility to manually and automatically move the cutting tool into the work piece.  The workshop owners and the workers should be thoroughly familiar about the different lathe machines and its operations to accomplish the jobs of cutting, shaping and fabricating metal sheets. So below given are the different types of lathe machines used for different applications and you can choose one for your workshop according to the nature of the job to be completed.
Light Duty Lathe Machine
  Light duty lathe machines are generally lathe machines of small size with a swing of 10 inches or less, mounted to a bench or table top. The light duty lathe machines are made of quality tested material and is used in electronic, electrical and automobile industries. The light duty lathe machines can be used in almost all machining jobs but may be limited due to the size of the material that can be turned.
Medium Duty Lathe Machines
  The medium duty lathe machines consist of a strong bed casting made of close grained cast iron. Even under high pressure and heavy load, these medium duty lathe machines can give best performance without vibrations. These medium duty lathe machines can be used in different industrial and mechanical applications like turning, shaping, facing, boring and threading of all kinds of metals. It has been successful in performing many difficult tasks of metal cutting and shaping in many manufacturing units.
 Heavy Duty Lathe Machine
 The heavy duty lathe machines are manufactured from highest grades of material like iron and steel. This type of lathe machine is designed for performing many tasks efficiently like screw cutting, sliding and surfacing operations. The heavy duty lathe machine has dimensional accuracy due to which it ensures high tensile strength and longer service life. Moreover, heavy duty lathe machines are quite easy to install and operate

Extra Heavy Duty Lathe Machine

  Extra heavy duty lathe machines are considered as highly efficient lathe machines which are used in steel & paper mills, oil country, ship building, power plants, mining and textile industries. This type of lathe machine is available in various models of different technical specifications referring to type of bed, length and width of bed, lead screw diameter etc. Extra heavy duty lathe machines are manufactured using high grade durable material which enables it to have a long service life. Moreover, extra heavy duty lathe machines are well known for their low maintenance, long working life and accuracy in performance.

Roll Turning Lathe Machine
  The roll turning lathe machines are suitable for extra heavy duty jobs like sliding, surfacing and screw cutting jobs. These roll turning lathe machines are dimensionally accurate, abrasion resistant, corrosive resistant and has high tensile strength. It can be used to its full capability because it embraces great toughness, ample power & control to drive the carbide tipped machine tools.

All Geared Lathe Machine
  All geared lathe machines are used in different operations such as sanding, drilling, cutting, etc. Moreover, all geared lathe machines are further categorized as light duty all geared lathe machine, medium duty all geared lathe machine, heavy duty all geared lathe machines as extra heavy duty all geared lathe machine. All geared lathe machines work with excellent accuracy, perfection and smoothness. If maintained properly this type of lathe machine can work round the clock
CNC Lathe Machine
 
CNC lathe machines are well known for higher production and lower costs. Moreover, it fulfils the requirement of quick results with high quality in many industries like electrical, automobiles, electronics etc. CNC lathe machines are highly used for manufacturing high quality components or parts as it operates with the help of a computer program. Therefore, it enables production of large quantities with less effort.
If you are in search of more information about lathe machines and different types of lathe machines in order to select a lathe machine just suiting to your workshop requirement, then visit http://www.bhavyamachinetools.com, there you will find lathe machines made of high quality lathe machine accessories providing high performance and incurring low maintenance cost.

Types of Machine Tools You Need to Install in Your Workshop

A workshop is a place where different kinds of machines and machine tools are employed to make, finish and repair machines or machine parts. Machine tools are the important requirements without which no workshop can function. Workshops can be found in diverse industrial and commercial establishments. Every workshop has a diverse requirement and depending on where and why the workshop is installed different kinds of machines tools are employed in it. However there are some basic machining equipment that are required in most of the workshops. Majority of the workshops where some kind of metal or wood materials are worked upon, machine tools for tasks like grinding, milling, drilling, cutting, shaping and finishing are most required. Therefore if your workshop is also one of these kinds of commercial or industrial workshop involving metal or woodwork, then opting to install the below mentioned machine tools will serve your purpose better.
 Lathe Machine
To accomplish the jobs of cutting, shaping and fabricating metal sheets in your workshop, nothing can be much better than a lathe machine. With a lathe machine in your workshop you could handle a wide range of applications including production of symmetrical parts, screw threads, tapered work, drilled holes, knurled surfaces and crank shafts easily and efficiently with a single machine without having to install in number of machines used for each individual task. Moreover most of the lathe machines today come with a variety of rotating speeds and automatic cutting features. Therefore with an advanced lathe machine in your workshop you can accomplish your machining tasks much faster and to a better accuracy. Lathe machines are available in different forms today like light duty lathe machine, medium duty lathe machine and heavy duty lathe machine. For installment in your workshop you can either go with light or medium duty machines which will give you efficient functioning for small scale machining requirements in your workshop.
Milling Machine
 Milling machine is another variant of machine tools one could opt as metal cutting machinery for workshop. A milling machine is the best tool for cutting metals to the customized dimensions and shapes especially if the parts are to be cut or shaped to rectangular or uneven dimensions.

Drill Machine
While machining, repairing or making machine parts in a workshop one may require creating cylindrical holes on the solid materials. A drill machine is the apt machinery for the purpose. With an advanced drill machine in your workshop you can very effectively carry out the hole making processes on metals and other solid materials with ease and much accuracy. Various other tasks like tapping, spot facing, reaming, counter sinking and counter boring can also be carried out efficiently with the help of these drill machines. Drill machines come in various models, customized dimensions of drill head, base plate and capacity and therefore can be possessed to best suit the requirements of your workshop.
  Grinding Machine
Grinding machine is a very important tool used in most of the workshops for solid material grinding and shaping applications. This power driven machine tool can be run on desired speeds to accurately remove the unwanted parts from the work piece so that the desired shape and finish can be achieved. With grinding machine in your workshop, you can easily accomplish your metal shaping goals without much effort. There are various types of grinding machines available in market today. For example there are belt grinding machines used for debarring and grinding of metals with coated abrasives, bench grinders for roughing and finishing of tool bits, tool & cutter grinding machines used to

perform customized and most accurate grinding tasks and much more. Selecting the one with most apt specifications for your workshop will best serve your solid material shaping requirements at your workshop.
Mentioned above are the basic machine tools which are found at most of the workshops and best to install at any workshop where metal or other solid material applications are to be executed. But however apart from these there are yet various other forms of machine tools too available in the market today. Depending on your requirements and work in your workshop, you should decide which machine tool with what specifications will suit your applications and is the best for installation in your workshop.

Significance of Lathe Machine for Metal Shaping Industries

There is no doubt in saying that necessity is the mother of all inventions. All the machines are invented with a single purpose and that is to reduce labour work and get things done quickly. In ancient times, giving shapes to metal was a tedious job and time consuming process. The invention of lathe machine made the job of metal shaping much easier. Basically, a lathe machine is used to remove the unwanted part from the metals to give it a new shape. The material is rotated against the tool which trims down the material into shape. In olden times, lathe machine was operated manually but the machine got many innovative improvements after that. The technological changes brought many versatile changes to a lathe machine. There are many products which we use in our daily life using metals of different shapes and sizes. The production of all these products has been possible only due to a lathe machine. Every other industry is influenced by the lathe machine as it can even perform the complicated process of shaping metals. To manufacture any metal product, the basic requirement is to shape it and that is possible only due to a lathe machine.

Elements of a Lathe Machine
Generally, a lathe machine provides a variety of rotating speeds and different features which can enable manual and automatic controls for moving the cutting tool. There are various types of lathe machines available like light duty lathe machine, medium duty lathe machine, heavy duty lathe machine, extra heavy duty lathe machine etc. No matter which lathe machine you choose, suiting to your job requirements, below are the common elements which are present in every lathe machine as given below:-
Chuck – is used to hold the work piece and can be replaced with Jacobs chuck or centre for alternative work holding.
Tailstock – is used to hold and located the tail centre and can be unlocked and slid towards the chuck.
Tail centre – is used to hold the end of long pieces of work, as the small lengths can just be held in the chuck. Centre can be removed and replaced with Jacobs chuck and drill and the advance wheel rotated to drill the work.
Tool Post – is used to hold the cutting tool in a precise location.
Cross Slide – it runs on the bed rails and has a mounting for the tool post which can be driven forward by the tool post advance wheel to bring the cutting tool on to the work peice.
Cross Slide Advance – It is used to move the cross slide and tool post sideways and hence the cutting tool towards and away from the chuck.
Drive pulleys and belts – are used to achieve various speeds by varying the belt position on the pulleys.
How to Choose a Lathe Machine?
  • As you know there are various types of lathe machines available having different features, you need to select as per your job requirements. For example, an average hobbyist would choose a light duty lathe machine which is small in size but if a metal work shop requires a lathe machine, then it would definitely go for an extra heavy duty lathe machine or a CNC lathe machine.
  • It is very much important to consider the bed capacity before selecting  a lathe machine as it depends on the material on which you require to work on.
  • The core to any lathe machine is the spindle. The spindle comes in standard as well as non-standard sizes. So, you need to choose the spindle size depending on the metal shaping project you are working on.
  • Never go for cheap lathe machines, as you may end up buying lathe machine consisting non-standard parts which are not going to last longer period of time.

How Power Press Operates?

A power press is a machine which converts metals into miraculous shapes. Various products like brackets, frame pieces, electronic enclosures etc., can be manufactured using a power press. There are many different types of power press machines like C type power press and pillar type power press which can be further classified into mechanical power press and hydraulic power press. Due to the advancement in technology, the power press has also undergone many changes. One of the most popular power press available today is the CNC power press having PC based controllers. But, the most commonly used power press is the mechanical power press which includes a moving ram used shape as well as bend metals and a stationery bed or surface where the material to be shaped can be placed. The power press punches the material, forms the material, bends the material, shapes the material using combination of different dies attached to the moving ram and bed. To transmit power into the press, clutch is used. The clutches remain engaged until the power press completes the full cycle. High accuracy in bending and shaping metals is provided by a power press. Besides the above working of a power press, you also need to have information about the basic setup procedure required for a power press as given below:-

  • The basic thing to be considered is the material thickness and the output expected. You need to review the drawing which specifies the type, dimensions and the angles required. This is very much important to determine the type of tooling and dies to be utilized in a power press.
  • The tonnage should be determined which depends on the bending method.
  • There should be accuracy in the positioning in tooling which is very important to achieve accuracy in the output.
  • The parameters should be adjusted depending on the job to be completed. However, this requires trained and efficient operators. But, with the advancement of the machineries, this can be done by even untrained operators too.
  • It is always recommended to do a test bend of the material in order to detect if further adjustments are to be done.
After knowing the above working of the power press and the setup process, it becomes necessary to know about the safety measures required to be taken while operating a power press. A power press if not maintained and operated properly can cause accidents which should be avoided using below mentioned safety measures.
  • The power press and its guards, control systems, ancillary equipment like automatic feed system should be maintained properly so that it doesn’t put people at risk.
  • The maintenance work on the power press should be carried out when the machine is completely switched off and should be done by people who possess right skills and knowledge.
  • Proper training should be provided to the operator responsible of operating the power press.
  • The people operating the machine, supervisors and managing the use should be made aware about the specific safety measures to be taken while using power press through written instructions.
  • The power press should be regularly and thoroughly examined by the competent person and ensured that it is sound and working in proper condition.
  • It is always recommended to keep the record of the maintenance activities performed at a power press to ensure that the power press has been properly maintained.
As far as health and safety is concerned, it becomes very much necessary to follow the above mentioned steps in a workshop using a power press. The purpose of thorough examination and test of a power press machine before operating is to determine whether the power press and its parts have been installed properly, whether it is safe to operate and whether there are any defects which could make a power press unsafe to operate. Moreover, the law requires that the power press installed in your workshop is maintained properly which will also includes that your employees operating or maintaining power press have adequate knowledge and skills required to complete the job.

How Lathe Machine Operates?

A lathe machine is a tool used in workshop which spins a block of material to perform various operations such as cutting, turning, facing, threading, sanding, knurling, drilling or deformation such as metal spinning with tools that are applied to the work piece to create an object which has symmetry about an axis of rotation. The lathe machine holds a piece of material between two rigid supports called centers, or by some other device such as chuck or faceplate which revolves about the center line of the lathe. In a lathe machine, metal is removed from the work piece using a hardened cutting tool, which is usually fixed to a solid moveable mounting also known as toolpost which is then moved against the work piece using hand wheels or computer controlled motors. The lathe machines which are controlled by the computer are known as CNC lathe machine used for mass production of parts. The lathe machines are commonly provided with a variable ratio gear train to drive the main leadscrew which enables different pitches of threads to be cut. Some older gear trains in a lathe machine are changed manually by using interchangeable gears with various numbers of teeth, while more modern or elaborate lathes have a quick change box to provide commonly used rations by the operation of a lever. To better know about how a lathe machine operates, it is necessary to undergo the details of the components of a lathe machine as given below:-
 
Headstock
The headstock includes the main spindle, speed change mechanism and change gears. It is required to make a headstock as robust as possible because of the cutting forces involved during the process of cutting or shaping metals using a lathe machine.
Spindle
The main spindle is generally hollow to allow long bars to extend through to the work area, which reduces preparation and waste of material. The spindle then runs in precision bearings and is fitted with some means of attaching work holding devices known as chucks or faceplates. This end of the spindle will also have an included taper, usually morse to allow the insertion of tapers and centers.

Electric Motor and Gear Box
The lathe machines use a gear box which is driven by a dedicated electric motor. The fully geared head in the gear box allows one to select the speed through the gear box.
Bed
The bed is a stationery base in a lathe machine which is connected to the headstock. It allows the carriage and tailstock to get aligned parallel with the axis of the spindle.
Feed and Lead Screws
The feedscrew is a long driveshaft that allows a series of gears to drive the carriage mechanisms. Like feedscrew, the leadscrew is driven by either the change gears or an intermediate gearbox known as quick change gearbox.
Carriage
The carriage holds the tool bit and moves it longitudinally or perpendicularly under the control of the operator. The carriage can be moved manually by the operator or automatically if the feedscrew is engaged with the carriage feed mechanism.
Cross Slide
The cross-slide stands atop the carriage and has a leadscrew that travels perpendicular to the main spindle axis, to perform permit facing operations.
Compound Rest
The compound rest is also known as top slide which is the part of the machine where the tool post is mounted. The axis of compound rest can be adjusted independently of the carriage or cross slide.
Tailstock
The tailstock is placed opposite to the headstock and directly mounted on the spindle axis.
So, now when you have the information about how lathe machine works, if you want to buy a lathe machine to complete the processes at your workshop with accuracy then just visit http://www.bhavyamachinetools.com and view the specifications and details of various types of lathe machine which will help you to select just the right one to accomplish your metal shaping and cutting jobs quickly and accurately.

Drilling Machine

The drilling machine, as the name suggests is used to drill holes in the solid material like metal and wood. Drill machine is an essential machine tool of any workshop as it is used in wide applications in various industries like construction, woodworking and metalworking. Different types of drilling machines are available but basically it can be categorized into manual drilling machines and automatic drilling machines.
 Manual drilling machines are operated with hand power whereas automatic drill machines are powered with electricity. All the drilling machines can be applied wherever small to bigger size holes need to be formed.
Besides, the above mentioned machine tools there are various other machine tools for workshop like power press, grinding machine, sheet bending machine, slotting machine etc., which can be found in almost all the workshops. So, the machine tools you need to install in your workshop depends on the output required. Installing best machine tools in your workshop becomes necessary when accurate output is required. So, to enable proper flow of work, just collect the information about all the machine tools available at http://www.bhavyamachinetools.com and decide on which machine tools to be installed in your workshop.

Milling Machine

Just like lathe machine, a milling machine is also used to cut and shape solid materials like metal, wood and plastics. But, a milling machine is different than a lathe machine because in lathe machine the material moves in order to give a specific shape whereas, in milling machine the cutting tool moves at a high speed. Basically, there are two types of milling machines manually operated milling machines and computer operated milling machine which gives ultimately accurate results. The milling machine you need to choose depends on the process your workshop requires to accomplish.

HELPFUL TIPS FOR MILLING


  • This is a small, light duty mill and should not be used to remove large amounts of stock that could be easily removed with a hacksaw. For efficiency, select a piece of stock as close to finished size as possible.
  • Stresses on a mill are quite high when cutting most materials; therefore, gib and backlash adjustments must be properly maintained. (See "Adjustments" section beginning on page 6.)
  • End mills must run true and be sharp. Holding end mills in a drill chuck is a poor practice. Use collets or an end mill holder instead. The 3/8" end mill holder (P/N 3079) allows you to use a large range of readily available 3/8" end mills with your machine. (1/4" and 3/16" end mill holders are also available.)
  • Flycutting is an excellent way of removing stock from flat surfaces and leaves a good finish.
  • Normal machine alignment is adequate for most work, but if the work is exceptionally large or requires extreme accuracy, shims may be employed to improve machine alignment.
  • For accurate setups you should have and know how to use a dial indicator.
  • Often, more time will be spent making fixtures to hold work than doing the actual machining.
  • To help save time on many simple setups a good mill vise is a must.
  • Always try to have one point from which to measure. Do not machine this point off part way through the job. This would leave you with no way of measuring the next operation. Plan ahead.
  • Remember the basic machining rule that says: "If the tool chatters, reduce speed and increase feed."
  • It takes a long time to accumulate the knowledge, tools and fixtures required for many different types of milling operations. Do not become discouraged by starting with a job that is too complex or by using materials that are extremely difficult to machine.