4.

TURNING MANUFACTURING PROCESS Turning is one of the most common of metal cutting operations. In turning, a workpiece is rotated about its axis as single-point cutting tools are fed into it, shearing away unwanted material and creating the desired part. Turning can occur on both external and internal surfaces to produce an axially-symmetrical contoured part. Turning is a machining process to produce parts round in shape by a single point tool on lathes. The tool is fed either linearly in the direction parallel or perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the workpiece, or along a specified path to produce complex rotational shapes. The primary motion of cutting in turning is the rotation of the workpiece, and the secondary motion of cutting is the feed motion.

Figure 4.1: Schematic illustration of the basic turning operation showing depth of cut d, feed f and spindle rotation N in rev/min. Turning manufacturing process is the core turning class designed to convey concepts, functionality and application of turning module. Turning manufacturing process is taught from the perspective of an NC/CNC programming session and emphasizes programming concepts and techniques which take advantage of the late developments in turning equipment and technology.

Figure 4.2: Turning operations

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4.1

CNC TURNING MACHINE Computer-controlled (numerically controlled, NC, CNC) lathes incorporate a computer system to control the movements of machine components by directly inserted coded instructions in the form of numerical data. A CNC lathe is especially useful in contour turning operations and precise machining. A CNC lathe is essentially a turret lathe. The major advantage of these machines is in their versatility - to adjust the CNC lathe for a different part to be machined requires a simple change in the computer program and, in some cases, a new set of cutting tools

Figure 4.3: Example of CNC Turning Machine

4.2

CNC TURNING OPERATION a. Roughing, or rough turning Roughing cuts are used to remove large amount of material from the starting workpart as rapidly as possible, i.e. with a large Material Removal Rate (MRR), in order to produce a shape close to the desired form, but leaving some material on the piece for a subsequent finishing operation. The roughing cycle can be created with just a rough or a rough and finish combination. This can include a Face rough cycle or a Face Rough and Finish combination.

Figure 4.4: Roughing turning operation

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b. Finish turning Finishing cuts are used to complete the part and achieve the final dimension, tolerances, and surface finish. In production machining jobs, one or more roughing cuts are usually performed on the work, followed by one or two finishing cuts.

Figure 4.5: Finishing turning operation c. Grooving Grooving is the process of cutting a narrow channel or passageway into the outside diameter of a cylindrical workpiece. A single-point turning tool moves radially, into the side of the workpiece, cutting a groove equal in width to the cutting tool. Multiple cuts can be made to form grooves larger than the tool width and special form tools can be used to create grooves of varying geometries.

Figure 4.6: Grooving turning operation d. Cut-off (parting) Cut off is a cutting process, also known as parting, that cuts a finished part from bar stock. Similar to grooving, a single-point cut-off tool moves radially, into the side of the workpiece, and continues until the center or inner diameter of the workpiece is reached, thus parting or cutting off a section of the workpiece.

Figure 4.7: Parting turning operation

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e. Thread cutting Thread cutting is the process of cutting a long, spiraling groove into a workpiece with a single-point tool. Threading processes are essential for the creation of fasteners. A singlepoint threading tool, typically with a 60 degree pointed nose, moves axially, along the side of the workpiece, cutting threads into the outer surface. The threads can be cut to a specified length and pitch and may require multiple passes to be formed.

Figure 4.8: Thread Cutting f. Drilling Drilling is the process of using a multi-point tool to penetrate the surface of a workpiece and make a round hole. A drill enters the workpiece axially through the end and cuts a hole with a diameter equal to that of the tool.

Figure 4.9: Drilling Turning Operation

4.3

PROCESS PLANNING IN TURNING The general steps when turning external workpart hold in a chuck should follow the next sequence, 1. First rough cuts are applied on all surfaces, starting with the cylindrical surfaces (largest diameters first) and then proceeding with all faces; 2. Special operations such as knurling and grooving (if any) are applied; 3. Diameters are finished first, then the faces. The maximum surface finish if turning steel is Ra ~ 1.6 m. If higher surface finish is required, grinding should follow machining. 4. External threads (if any) are cut; 5. De burring is applied, if necessary.

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If the part is to be mounted between centres, plan should precede by, 1. The workpiece is hold in a chuck, and the face is squired; 2. A centre hole is drilled using a center drill; 3. The workpiece is reversed in the chuck. Steps 1 and 2 are repeated for the other face; 4. The workpiece is mounted between centres and the general plan is followed. If the workpart has a central hole, the hole is drilled starting with a centre drill, and increasing drill diameters gradually. Finally, boring is applied to achieve the final diameter of the hole. Machining of the internal features is scheduled after rough cuts and before special operations (after step 1 in the general steps plan).

4.4

THE TURNING OPERATION CAD CAM SOFTWARE. All of the machining operations can be found in one location rather than scattered throughout the CAM interface. The Job Tree Manager organizes everything for speed. Once the tools and post processor configuration has been set for the machine tool, the operator can begin the tool path creation phase of the process. Typical programming options for straight 2 Axis CNC Turing will be: Roughing Finishing Grooving Threading & Drilling Cut Off & Stock Feed CNC Programming Workflow Imported CAD Part Files & Drawn OD/ID Geometry Stock Definition Turning Tools, Holder & Insert Data Material Database selection Machine Post Processor Configuration & Machine Parameter Setup Machining Operations & Tool path Generation Simulation/Verification NC Code Output/Post Processing Communications & DNC

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