an imaginary axis with the workpiece being held in CNC turning

Although some considerations must be taken into account when turning heavy parts, some of these considerations are not always required when turning standard parts. This is particularly true when it comes to horizontal setups; however, these considerations are not always required when turning standard parts. In the opinion of the experts, there are a number of guidelines that all operators should be aware of before applying the cutting tool to the material.

Megatel in Mississauga, Ontario, has a sales and applications engineer named Moe Obradovic who says that the part size and length, as well as tolerances and the material being cut, are just a few of the variables to consider. Before beginning the job, it is critical to thoroughly examine the part's specifications and to ensure that the CNC machine is properly configured. The use of a vertical setup may be preferable if the part is particularly large or heavy; however, in the majority of cases, a horizontal setup would be the most appropriate configuration.

Following the guidelines outlined above, it is critical to select the most appropriate machine for the job at hand. Using the heaviest horizontal CNC Machined ABS Parts available to make particularly heavy parts is recommended by Obradovic when a shop has a number of horizontal lathes available. If the part is particularly heavy, Obradovic recommends using the heaviest horizontal CNC parts available.


Heavy parts placed on a turning center that is not designed for the cutting specifications required may result in damaged or deformed parts being scrapped, resulting in additional costs. It is critical to evaluate all of the machine's parameters before beginning to cut a part in order to ensure that the machine is properly suited for the task at hand before beginning to cut a part.

Horizontal lathes have a better track record in terms of chip management and machining when compared to vertical configurations. When it comes to horizontal turning centers, the most common configuration is a slant bed, which means that the X axis is at an angle to the horizontal turning center. Because the chips have a straightforward path to follow down and out of the turning envelope, it is possible to remove a significant amount of material as a result of this.

Cameron Salley, an applications engineer at Hurco in Indianapolis, Ind., says that when working with heavy parts, workholding is a critical component of the process. Although the chuck itself is essential for operation, it is the jaws that hold the part in place that are most important. A hardened jaw for the machine is usually recommended when working with heavy parts, according to my experience.

Following their machining and grinding, the jaws are hardened in order to increase their strength and stability, according to Salley's presentation. Because of the high clamping forces required in heavy-part turning, hardened jaws are recommended in situations where high clamping forces are required. Thus, the clamping force can be transferred to the part without causing any distortion to either the jaws or the part being clamped, which is a significant advantage.

It is critical to ensure that your setup is correct and that the part is securely held in place so that it does not move around during the manufacturing process, according to Bruce DeFuria, CNC machine technician at Kaast Machine Tools in Aldan, Pennsylvania. A proper setup ensures that you will achieve the desired results from the process. If your setup isn't correct, it's nearly impossible to obtain a good part. In the long run, it is not going to work out.

If you're working with heavy parts, heavier machines tend to provide more stability as well as better cutting performance than lighter machines when compared to lighter machines. Megatel provided the image used in this post, which was used with permission.

In addition, as Salley points out, using a steady rest in conjunction with a live center can lead to complications. In his book, he goes into detail about why this is the case. Depending on the size of the part, it is possible that you will not be able to drill the center hole into it for the live center support until after the part has been loaded into the CNC machine. This is especially true for larger parts. Once the center has been restored, you will need to hold it in place and turn it several times before you can reattach it.

As Salley explained, you will need to use a steady rest to support the part in front of the chuck while still allowing the end of the part to be accessible for a drill or a center drill to enter and make the pilot hole at this point. It is believed that the most effective method is to trap the part between two centers; the headstock would have a dead center and the tailstock would have a live center, and trapping the part between these two centers would aid in keeping the part running concentric throughout the process.

In order to reduce the amount of additional and unnecessary stress placed on the machine, as well as the amount of stress placed on the cutting tools, Baresic believes that the workpiece's balance is critical. Working on a casted part is especially important because it necessitates checking to make sure the part isn't running wildly out of balance and, if it is, re-balancing the piece.

It doesn't matter to DeFuria that the component is not spinning at breakneck speed; he is still convinced that momentum will build and that this will result in problems. According to the expert, we must either weight it or weld it, depending on which part of the body we are working on, in order to attempt to counteract the weight imbalance, which will have a negative impact on your cut.