What is a Lathe
Written by webtechs

What is а CNC Lathe?

A CNC lathe is a complex machine device intended for precision Computer Numerical Control manufacturing and turning by way of CNC.

It’s a personification of technological development, merging the age-old principles of a lathe machine with state-of-the-art computer programming to reach unparalleled efficiency and accuracy in machining.

The CNC lathe machine device has changed how materials are handled, making it an essential tool in various sectors and many machine shops across the world. Its capability to perform complex shaping and cutting with unbelievable precision makes it a foundation in current manufacturing processes. Whether it’s wood, metal, or plastic, the CNC lathe’s adaptability in handling various materials is unparalleled.

How Does a CNC Lathe Machine Work?

Getting into the inner workings of a CNC lathe uncovers a balance of computerized control and precision engineering. Different from a manual lathe, where the handiwork lies mainly in the hands of its operator, a CNC lathe incorporates computerized technology to improve precision and proficiency. Below is an in-depth look at its process:

Design Phase: To begin with, you, the operator, creates a meticulous design utilizing CAD (Computer-Aided Design) software. This design comprises of all specifications for the desired piece, from shapes to dimensions.

Programming: Your CAD design is then converted into G-code, the programming language that the CNC machine understands. This code gives instructions to the CNC lathe on how to move, shape, and create the piece.

Setup: After that, you configure the CNC lathe. This involves choosing and installing the proper cutting tools and fastening the workpiece onto the machine.

Machining Process: The CNC lathe, activated by the G-code, starts the machining process. The workpiece is spun at high speed while the cutting tool is moved across two or more axis to shape the piece.

Quality Inspected: During the process, the CNC lathe oversees the cutting environments and makes real-time modifications to guarantee precision. The final piece is inspected against the original specifications for preciseness.

What are the differences between horizontal and vertical CNC lathes?

The main differences between horizontal and vertical CNC lathes consists in their position and the applications they’re most appropriate for.

Horizontal CNC Lathes:

  • Positioning: The spindle in this type of lathe is arranged horizontally, with the workpiece mounted vertically to the axis.
  • Processes: Mainly used for longer, cylindrical workpieces.
  • Pros: Easier chip withdrawal because of gravity, typically better for heavier and larger pieces.
  • Limitations: Might not be suitable for parts with intricate geometries.

Vertical CNC Lathes:

  • Positioning: The spindle is oriented vertically, with the workpiece connected to a horizontal chuck.
  • Processes: Perfect for heavy, large-diameter, short workpieces.
  • Pros: Gravity aids in securing the workpiece, decreasing the need for substantial clamping. Provides better access to the workpiece for certain operations.
  • Limitations: Not as productive for long, slender workpieces where gravity can affect accuracy.

East Valley Precision – Custom Machinery Specialists

East Valley Precision offers custom CNC Turning in the Chandler, Arizona and surrounding areas. When you need precision CNC turning and milling contact East Valley Precision. Call us at 480-288-6601 for more information or use our form for a quote.

Written by webtechs

What is a Machine Shop?

There is a little confusion when the words ‘machine shop’ comes up; some people believe it is where a machine is produced. Nevertheless, that’s not true. A machine shop is merely a location, place, building, business, or area where machining is performed. Machining is in reference to the cutting of raw materials to transform them to the wanted size and shape.

Machining is carried out on metallic parts in addition to plastics, ceramic, wood, and different composites. An individual that carries out machining is known as a machinist. Various kinds of hand tools, power tools, cutting tools, and machine tools are utilized in machine shops. It can be carried out as a business, hobby, or both. A machine shop can be an individual shop or a part of a larger factory in which manufacturing happens.

The final product of a machine shop is a piece in which can be made of metal, wood, plastics, ceramic, etc. The pieces are then sold to other manufacturing industries like the automotive, aircraft, power generation, or shipbuilding industries.

What Does a Machine Shop Comprise of?

A machine shop usually comprises of the below types of machines for producing parts.

  • Milling machine
  • Metal lathe machine
  • Multitasking machine
  • Machining center
  • Grinding machine
  • Drill press
  • Welding machine
  • Inspection equipment

Machine shops usually also contain the raw materials “in-house” required for manufacturing the specific piece, for instance, bar stocks. It also keeps a stockpile of the pieces that have been finished.

Machine Shop as a Business

Establishing a machine shop is pretty demanding. It requires a lot of funding as the vast majority of the machinery is costly. Additionally, it requires skilled workers, particularly if you are operating as a shop that specializes in repairing/producing the parts for engines, for instance.

You might be picturing 100’s of workers arduously working in a machine shop; well, the vision is slightly accurate, but it doesn’t really hold true in today’s world. Today’s machine shops do not have multitudes of workers; a lot of the operations are automated and regulated by computers such as robotics, microprocessors, control chips, and programable logic controllers. An instance is a CNC machine typically used in a machine shop.

East Valley Precision – Custom Machinery Specialists

East Valley Precision offers custom CNC Turning in the Chandler, Arizona and surrounding areas. When you need precision CNC turning and milling contact East Valley Precision. Call us at 480-288-6601 for more information or use our form for a quote.

What is Precision Machining
Written by webtechs

Precision Machining

Precision machining is a machining technique that utilizes CNC machining and milling tools with the supervision of a machinist to cut, shape and remove excessive materials from a work piece to meet the dimensional details for a finished component or part.

Because no 2 parts can be made to match each other, a permissible level of deviation is permitted to exist between any 2 products’ finished dimensions. This permissible deviation is viewed as a set of measurable values referred to as tolerances. Tolerance plays an important role in manufacturing processes, as finding the correct degree of tolerance has a direct influence on turnaround time and manufacturing expenses.

Other Common Precision Machining Definitions and Roles

  • Precision Machine: A high-precision machining tool that is used to achieve extreme degrees of accuracy. For instance machines used in precision manufacturing comprise of grinders, lathes, CNC milling machines, a cutting tool and possibly high-speed automation.
  • Precision Manufacturing: Precision manufacturing is defined as a technique that removes excessive raw material from a work piece while fulfilling the tight tolerances required to create a final product.
  • CNC Manufacturing: CNC manufacturing involves a broad range of automated manufacturing processes where CNC machining devices cut, shape, and mill raw materials to fulfill provisions defined in CAD software.
  • Computer-Aided Design:  CAD software aids in the development, review, and optimization of a design while taking the role as the product’s blueprint in which Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) software then converts those specifications into automated manufacturing guidelines for CNC machines.

What is Precision Machining Used For?

Precision machining is an extremely precise and efficient manufacturing process that is utilized when parts are required to be machined with a significant degree of precision and regularity. When a part requires strict tolerances, then high-precision CNC machining devices are used to fulfill set standards.

Precision Machining Applications (By Industry)

A lot of today’s manufacturing relies on the wide-scale applications and extreme accuracy of precision machining. The below industries benefit from precision machining:

  • Aerospace Industry
  • Automotive Industry
  • Military and Defense Industry
  • Medical Industry

Locating the Right Precision Machining Company

By practice and definition, precision machining is one of the most ideal ways to manufacture complex or one-off parts. Subject to your manufacturing requirements, a reputable precision machining company can assist you in designing, sourcing, and manufacturing high-precision parts that fulfill your specifications. At East Valley Precision, we’ve been machining quality parts since 2004 while our quality control guarantee keeps you safeguarded.

East Valley Precision – Custom Machinery Specialists

East Valley Precision offers custom CNC Machining in the Chandler, Arizona and surrounding areas. When you need precision CNC machining and milling contact East Valley Precision. Call us at 480-288-6601 for more information or use our form for a quote.

CNC Turning
Written by webtechs

What is CNC Turning?

Are you thinking about different manufacturing methods to make your part(s)? Want to learn more about CNC turning to determine if it’s suitable for your application?

CNC Turning is a method of manufacturing in which bars of material are kept in a chuck and “turned” while a device is fed to the piece for removing material to create the required shape. A turret, with a device attached is programmed for moving the bar of raw material and eliminates material to create the pre-programmed result. This is also known as “subtraction machining” due to it involving material “subtraction”. If the machine shop has both tuning and milling abilities the rotation can be stopped for allowing the milling out of additional shapes.

Meaning of CNC Turning

CNC Turning can be broke down into 2 parts:

  • CNC” is an acronym for computer numerical control and portrays the mechanization of a machining method.
  • Turning” is a method in which the workpiece turns whereas a single pointed cutting device removes material.

The initial material, though usually round, can be other shapes like hexagonal or squares-shaped raw materials.

Subject to the bar feeder, the length of the bar can differ. This impacts how much handling is needed for high-volume jobs.

CNC lathes or CNC turning machine shops have tools installed on a turret in which is controlled via computer. The more tools that the turret can accommodate, the more choices are available for intricacies on the part.

CNCs with “live” tooling choices, can stop the bar rotation and add additional features like drilled holes, slotted and/or milled areas.

Many CNC turning shops have a single spindle, allowing work to be done all from one side, whereas other turning shops, have two spindles, a primary and sub-spindle. A part can be partially machined on the primary spindle, moved to the sub-spindle and have added work done to the other side of this configuration.

CNC Turning

There are many various kinds of CNC turning shops with different types of tooling and spindle options, outer diameter restrictions in addition to speed and power capacities that impact the types of parts that can be inexpensively made on it.

Turning is an adaptable machining method capable of making a wide variety of profiles subject to the turning method used. The usefulness of lathes and turning shops allows for straight turning, knurling, taper turning, external grooving, boring, threading, and drilling.

Overall, lathes are limited to more simple turning operations, such as straight turning, external grooving, threading, and boring processes. The tool turret on turning shops allows the shop to finish all the operations of a lathe in addition to more complex operations, like drilling off the rotation axis.

East Valley Precision – Custom Machinery Specialists

East Valley Precision offers custom CNC Turning in the Chandler, Arizona and surrounding areas. When you need precision CNC turningand milling contact East Valley Precision. Call us at 480-288-6601 for more information or use our form for a quote.

Machine Shop Near Me
Written by Brian B

Machine Shop Near Me

If you are searching for “machine shop near me” or “cnc machine shop near me” in the Phoenix valley area, then this post is for you! Keep reading for more information about East Valley Precision, a top CNC machining shop in Chandler, AZ.

Best Machine Shop Near Me

Equipped with over 40 years of experience, East Valley Precision has been offering top-notch customer service and machinery work throughout the valley. EVP specializes in CNC milling, turning, surface grinding, engineering and water jet cutting. This company also has extensive experience in machining aluminum, stainless steel, titanium and plastics. With customers from the medical, semiconductor and pharmaceutical industries, you can rest assured that any of your needs can be taken care of by EVP.

CNC Machine Shop

CNC machining (computer numerical control) is a process of creating different types of products with the use of computer-controlled tools. An experienced and dedicated engineering staff will help mold your idea into reality through their CNC process. Material options are seemingly endless, whether you desire plastic or any other metal to be used.

CNC milling services are utilized to cut solid metal or plastics rapidly, forming final parts. Turning then turns the material into a tubular or circular shape. Last but not least, CNC surface grinding produces mirror finishes for the desired final outcome. To receive a free quote contact the EVP team today!

CNC Machining can handle the following:

  • Wood routing
  • Turret Punching
  • Wire-Bending Abilities
  • Foam Cutting
  • Laser Etching and Cutting
  • Cylindrical Grinding
  • 3D Printing
  • Glass Cutting
  • Embroidery Machines

Read more about CNC machining here.

Water Jet Cutting Services Near Me

Looking for more than CNC machining? Well, EVP also offers water jet cutting solutions. Industries such as architecture and aerospace have been using water jet cutting services lately. A water jet cutter is a newer industry tool that is used to cut a variety of materials with high-pressured jets of water. Abrasive jet machining is used to also cut materials like titanium and fiberglass, with a granular abrasive added to increase the power of the water jet’s cut. All of these machining services can be found at East valley Precision.

Read more about water jet cutting here.

East Valley Precision – Custom Machinery Specialists

East Valley Precision offers custom CNC Machining in the Chandler, Arizona and surrounding areas. When you need precision CNC machining and milling contact East Valley Precision. Call us at 480-288-6601 for more information or use our form for a quote.