Introduction to Ordinary Lathes

A common lathe is a horizontal lathe capable of performing multiple processing procedures on various types of workpieces such as shafts, discs, and rings. It is often used to process the inner and outer rotary surfaces, end faces, and various internal and external threads of workpieces. With the appropriate tools and accessories, it can also perform drilling, reaming, tapping, and knurling, etc. The ordinary lathe is the most widely used type of lathe, accounting for approximately 65% of the total number of lathes. It is called a horizontal lathe because its spindle is placed horizontally.

Structural function

The main components of a common lathe include: headstock, feed box, slide box, tool rest, tailstock, smooth screw, lead screw and bed.

Headstock: Also known as headstock, its main task is to transfer the rotational motion transmitted by the main motor through a series of speed-changing mechanisms to enable the main shaft to achieve the required forward and reverse rotational speeds. At the same time, the headstock distributes part of the power to transfer the motion to the feed box. The medium-sized spindle in the headstock is a key component of a lathe. The smoothness of the spindle's operation on the bearing directly affects the processing quality of the workpiece. Once the rotational accuracy of the spindle decreases, the usage value of the machine tool will also decline.

Feed box: Also known as the tool path box, the feed box is equipped with a speed-changing mechanism for feed motion. By adjusting its speed-changing mechanism, the required feed rate or pitch can be obtained. The motion is transmitted to the tool rest through a smooth screw or lead screw for cutting.

Lead screw and smooth screw: They are used to connect the feed box and the slide box, and transfer the motion and power of the feed box to the slide box, enabling the slide box to achieve longitudinal linear motion. Lead screws are specifically designed for turning various threads. When turning other surfaces of the workpiece, only smooth screws are used, not lead screws.

The slide box is the control box for the feed motion of the lathe. It is equipped with a mechanism that converts the rotational motion of the smooth screw and the lead screw into the linear motion of the tool rest. Through the transmission of the smooth screw, the longitudinal feed motion, lateral feed motion and rapid movement of the tool rest are achieved. The lead screw drives the tool rest to perform longitudinal linear motion for thread turning.

Tool rest: The tool rest component is composed of several layers of tool rests. Its function is to hold the cutting tool and enable it to perform longitudinal, transverse or oblique feed movements.

Tailstock: It is equipped with a rear center for positioning and support, and can also be fitted with drill bits, reamers and other hole processing tools for hole processing.

The bed: On the bed, all the main components of the lathe are installed to keep them in accurate relative positions during operation.

Main features

1. Large low-frequency torque and stable output

2. High-performance vector control

3. Fast torque dynamic response and high speed stabilization accuracy

4. The deceleration and parking speed is fast

5. Strong anti-interference ability