A rotary lathe is used to form thin-walled ductile metals into cylindrical or semi-cylindrical shapes. External tools are used to force the metal into shape, and the material must have high ductility. The lathe can be operated manually or with CNC, and heating may be necessary for some materials.
A rotary lathe is a lathe that forms thin-walled ductile metals into a variety of cylindrical or semi-cylindrical shaped parts. This type of lathe was derived from both the wood and power lathes, and when properly equipped, any type of machine is capable of turning. A rotary lathe has all the major components of a wood lathe or power lathe, but the types of tools used and how they are mounted differ. Wood lathes or power lathes are usually designed to cut material, but a rotary lathe is designed to form material.
External tools, such as hardening rollers or forming spoons, are used to force the rotating metal into the desired size and shape. Sometimes, a mandrel might also be employed to help form the interior of the spun metal shape. The spinning lathe makes a variety of products, from metal cones to compressed gas cylinders.
For a rotary lathe to work properly, the material to be spun must be chosen correctly. A variety of metals can be chosen, but each of them should have high ductility. Some of the metals that have been spun are brass, copper, steel, stainless steel, and aluminum.
After a metal has been chosen, it is therefore important for the lathe operator to determine the initial shape and final shape of the material. The initial and final shape will help the operator determine the size of lathe to use. For example, if a metal disc is being spun, a lathe with a large swing should be used. If the material is smaller or possibly cylindrical in shape, the swing distance may be reduced.
A lathe is used for the production and unique pieces. Spinning lathes set up for production will generally have standardized tooling and may have rapid format changeover capability. Individual parts will not necessarily be used with a dedicated lathe and tooling may be more general in nature.
With spinning lathes, operations can be performed with a computer numerical control (CNC) or manually. Production spinning of very large parts could generally be combined with a CNC machine. When small quantities or relatively small parts are needed, an experienced lathe could produce such items.
For some spinning turning operations, it is beneficial to heat the material as it is being formed. Heat builds up naturally as the product spins. If the material is thicker or susceptible to stress fracture, additional heat may be applied to promote material flow while the lathe is operating.
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