Turning

Turning is a machining process that involves the use of a cutting tool to remove material from a rotating workpiece. The cutting tool is typically held in a fixed position and moved along one or more axes to create the desired shape and size of the workpiece. Turning is one of the most common and versatile machining processes, as it can produce cylindrical, conical, helical, or spherical shapes. The cutting tool can also be used in the center of the work piece in the case of center hole boring, a common process in gear manufacturing for example.

A lathe is the machine tool that performs turning operations. The main parts of a lathe are the headstock, the tailstock, the carriage, and the bed. The headstock holds and rotates the workpiece, while the tailstock supports the other end of the workpiece. The carriage moves along the bed and carries the cutting tool, which is mounted on a tool post. The carriage can be controlled by hand or by a power feed mechanism. The bed is the rigid base of the lathe that supports all the other parts.

The turning process is controlled by several factors, such as the speed of rotation of the workpiece, the feed rate of the cutting tool, the depth of cut, and the geometry and material of the cutting tool. These factors affect the quality and accuracy of the turned part, as well as the tool life and power consumption. The optimal values of these factors depend on the type and condition of the workpiece material, the desired shape and size of the part, and the machining requirements.