How Important Is The Right CNC Lathe Tooling?

Without the proper CNC lathe tooling you are shooting yourself in the foot! Who would ever buy a really cool car and neglect to put great tires on it, or skimp on the sound system, or neglect the proper engine oil? Yet it does happen that a shop will get a high end CNC lathe and refuse to invest in the CNC lathe tooling that is necessary to do the job.

On top of that, they then complain that the new, expensive machine doesn't do what the salesman said! I've seen it and heard it myself, more than once.

CNC Lathe Tooling and EDM

Using integrated tooling for your EDM electrode manufacturing is the most effecient way to use your time and effort. It makes no sense at all to make endless, time consuming set-ups for individual electrodes. The time savings will quickly pay for the tooling required. You also can then take the electrode you just made on the CNC lathe, put it in the CNC milling machine to do more work, then use it in the EDM machine to do it's real work!

This seems as logical as can be, but there are many shops that just don't follow this simple procedure. They are stuck in a rut, for what reason: I never figured it out! You don't need to buy everything at once, just as you need it. It is also easy to find used CNC tooling that is in great condition, at greatly reduced prices. Places like Ebay have all kinds of equipment for sale.

CNC Lathe Insert Tooling

 There is an almost endless supply of high quality insert tooling available today. As soon as you think you have the best one for your application, along comes another company with a new twist or additional feature. The good approach is to keep it simple. If you use many different companies you can end up confused and inefficient. Soon you have too many different types of holders, screws, wrenches, shrink-fitters, etc. The machine manufacturer often has good recommendations that can help you. (Especially their brand!)

Besides plain carbide, there are various coated carbide inserts available. Depending on your application, your manufacturer will recommend the right one for your application. You can also run in-house tests to find out for yourself which one perfoms best. This is the best way to really know.

Tooling for Hard Turning

Hard turning has changed the way molds are manufactured. It can save you an immense amount of time, if done correctly. If it is not done right, it presents many headaches and lost profit. I have worked on molds with dozens of shut-offs that were hard machined, and they all required a great deal of hand fitting in the end. The reason: the wrong tooling for hard milling.

Cutting inserts made from either CBN (Cubic Boron Nitride), Cermet or Ceramic are the best choice for hard turning. Because CNC lathes are so flexible they can produce highly detailed contours and superior surface finishes, if the correct insert is used. If you want high quality hard turning applications you have to have the right tooling and machine. Most of the time, CBN tooling will be the most dominant choice. However, Cermet and Ceramics are also very useful.