Turning Center vs CNC Lathe

[jrlandau]

What is the difference between a Turning Center and a CNC Lathe? Or are they the same thing?

Thanks,

Joe Landau

[lpc]

Turning center has an enclosure and is control operated only, cnc lathe is open with manual controls available?

[Monte]

Hi,
New to the group. I'm reading Peter Smid's book "CNC Programming Handbook" (light bedtime reading). He describes a "turning center" this way, "The term 'turning center' is rather unpopular, but an accurate overall description of a computerized lathe (a CNC lathe) that can be used for a great number of machining operations during a single setup." It sounds like a lathe with a automatic tool changer, barfeeder, etc.

Monte

[Doug_C]

Another trait to turning centers is the ability to use live tooling to drill, tap and mill external features utilizing the indexing spindle. This makes the Turning Center more versatile.

Typically CNC lathes are presumed to be a single point cut only. A great asset for Tooling and R&D.
Still viable for production if you can afford a human tool changer. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smile.gif"%20alt="[/img]

DC

[D_R]

Joe,

I'd say they're different terms referring to the same machines. I own "CNC lathes", but a customer always asks me if I have time to run his parts on my "turning centers". Same difference....

The ones I don't know what to call them are the newer machines like the Mazak Integrex(sp). These aren't just lathes with live tooling, and they aren't just mills that have a turning function.

D_R