Wheel lathes are machines used to manufacture and recondition railroad car wheels. They work by turning the wheel on a fixed cutting point to trim its profile. There are different types of wheel lathes, including floor-mounted, portable, portal, and horizontal lathes. Modern wheel lathes use computer numerical control (CNC) for automated programming. They are used not only for rail vehicles but also for other vehicles with metal wheels. Wheel lathes are in demand in countries with heavily used railway infrastructure and can be purchased secondhand.
A wheel lathe is a machine tool used in the manufacture and reconditioning of railroad car wheels. Wheel lathes are used to trim the profile of the wheel in cases where the wheel has been worn or compromised due to excessive use. Like other lathes, the wheel lathe works by gripping the work object, in this case the wheel, in a workpiece called the chuck and turning the object around a single, fixed cutting point. When the wheel rotates along the axis of the cutting tool, strips of metal are shaved off its surface. The machine operator controls the lathe and shapes the wheel in a process known as turning.
There are several varieties of wheel lathes. Floor mounted wheel lathes are large machines designed to reprofile wheels while the wheelset is still attached to the vehicle. These lathes improve manufacturing efficiency, but their large scale makes them ideal for only certain uses.
Portable lathes are smaller machines that can be transported from location to location and are often used for emergency field repairs. Portal lathes and horizontal lathes are stationary machines used in the workshop. Wheel assemblies can be removed from the vehicle and loaded into these stationary lathes for turning.
Modern wheel lathes incorporate computer numerical control (CNC) and are usually operated through automated programming. In CNC systems, the machine operator pre-selects parameters and dimensions for the wheelset, such as tread diameter and wheel profile specifications. A wheel lathe can be partially or fully automated. CNC capability simplifies the manufacturing process and provides tighter, more specific control over the finished product.
While wheel lathes are most commonly used to finish the wheels of passenger and freight rail vehicles, they also have wider applications. They can be used to recondition metal wheelsets on many types of vehicles. Subway trains, intra-city light rail vehicles, and even various non-rail vehicles with metal wheels require a wheel lathe for production and repair.
Wheel lathes are in demand in industrialized countries with heavily used railway infrastructure. Wheel lathe manufacturers are often found in such areas. Wheel lathes can also be purchased secondhand from machine shops or on the Internet.
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