CNC Lathe’s are a profitable venture to invest in, regarding the increase in quality of production. These high-tech equipment handle the finishing touches on either metal or woodwork, albeit with scary precision and a neat elegance. Working with such accuracy, the CNC lathe performs complex functions like thermal spraying, knurling or spinning to give your end product the desired outlook.

Investing in Used CNC Lathe

CNC Lathe’s are undoubtedly a vital part of the manufacturing process and verily come at a steep price. Many businesses when starting production, consider investing in used CNC machines instead of opting to out-rightly buy a new piece. The primary advantage of opting for a used CNC machine is the easily available maintenance records and work history of the machine. The paper trail makes it easy to understand what features you require in the machine and if they are still functioning just as efficiently as they once did.

Operating a Used Lathe Machine

A used CNC Lathe is a more practical way to ensure your savings stay untouched. Easy on the pocket, CNC lathe’s churn out complex parts that are otherwise troublesome to the machine on a manual lathe machine. Given below are a few tips to acquaint yourself with the functioning of the CNC lathe.

  1. Make sure the program required for working on the materials has been fed into the machine. Newer models usually utilize a USB drive to load the program. Older versions require a floppy disk or sometimes a cable connection to load the program.
  2. When loading the workpiece, ensure the collet or chuck is firmly grasping the material to be worked on.
  3. The next step would be to load the tools into their respective slots on the machine. The necessary tools are pre-determined when writing the program. Always make sure you have every equipment in place before plugging in the machine. Consult with the programmer, just to be on the safe side.
  4. Use the coolant on the tools, by activating the coolant pump and allowing the coolant stream to run over the tip of each tool.
  5. Setting up the tool offsets is a manual job. Position each tool on the tool setter accordingly and record it under the allotted tool number on the tool offset screen. Repeat this process and set the X and Z offsets for every tool. Some programs require you to measure and record the tip radius of specific cutting tools, which is either marked on the tool itself or mentioned in the documentation.
  6. Next comes the work offset. Swivel the turret towards one cutting tool and starting the spindle, jog the cutter in such a way that it leaves a smooth surface, now facing off the end of the workpiece. Record the allocated data.
  7. Maintaining vigil, run the program. Make sure the machine carries out the program as instructed. Always stay alert to stop the functioning if you sense any divergence.

The functioning aside, ensure that you have done your best in browsing through the umpteen models of used CNC lathe for sale available before investing in one.