Adding live tooling to a CNC lathe enables manufacturers to cut slots, drill cross holes, and mill part features that previously required secondary operations on one of the shop’s machining centers. This streamlining of processes saves time and money while boosting productivity. Driven tools also have stronger gears, making them better suited for completing heavy-duty customizations to materials. The fewer times operators need to move materials around the shop, the more room for error is eliminated.
More Versatility
If you’re used to turning a workpiece and then moving it to a milling machine for finishing, a live tooling lathe can save you time and money. Using it to complete secondary machining operations on the same piece can also nurture new types of business and increase your shop’s capabilities. But first, you have to get the most out of your live tool investment. Ensure a machine can handle the task before investing in live tools. Take the rpm limitations of a live tool turret seriously and avoid running the machine beyond its capacities, especially when indexing. A cutting tool extending three to four times its diameter could overburden the relatively small spindle bearings within the turret’s body, and it might hit the workpiece when indexing—a reasonably catastrophic event. Shops should also be mindful of how their lathe will use the tools in their turret. In addition, shops should avoid excessive tool stick-out in a live tool holder, as it can overburden the turret’s bearings and cause chatter and vibration, leading to premature wear.
Stronger Gears
The gears used in live tooling are getting better and better constantly. They can handle heavier customizations to materials, reducing the number of CNC setups you need to complete a project. That’s a big deal for shops that face tight deadlines and limited budgets. If a shop uses a lathe with live tooling, choosing the right tools and following the proper maintenance procedures is essential. For example, cleaning and lubricating the lathe ways and leadscrew before threading is essential. Doing so will reduce the wear on the carriage and improve thread quality. CNC lathes with live tooling eliminate the need for secondary operations, saving time and boosting efficiency. For example, a shop that needs to cut slots and drill cross holes in a part made of 316 stainless steel can use a shear cut on the lathe with a live tooling attachment to do both tasks. That eliminates the need to transfer the workpiece to a separate milling machine, reducing production time and improving accuracy and consistency.
More Accuracy
In addition to making a machine more versatile, live tooling allows for machining operations that wouldn’t be possible without it. The main benefit customers see is being able to do an operation that would have required another setup off of the lathe. That saves time and thwarts possible errors, which leads to higher quality parts and a better return on the investment in the machine. The computer-numerical-controlled apparatus that makes up live tooling, also known as driven tools, mates with the turret of various spindle and powered sub-spindle configurations on CNC lathes to perform milling, drilling, and other functions while the workpiece is held in orientation with the main spindle. Typically, the live tools (BMT or VDI) are customized to each machine tool builder’s turret assembly. Most live tools have a serrated shaft that slides into a hole in the turret’s face or periphery and mates with a toothed cam-lock drawbar mechanism. A servo motor then actuates that shaft to rotate the cutting tool. Various clamping systems can hold the cutting tool. The choice of which system is suitable for a shop depends on the turret’s size, the type, and frequency of work to be performed, and whether or not the shop produces families of parts where offline tool presetting is beneficial.
Increased Efficiency
Typically, the workpiece is turned against a static cutting tool in a turning operation. A lathe can also be used for milling, drilling, and tapping with live tooling. By incorporating these additional operations into the same setup, multiple CNC setups can be eliminated. This reduces setup time and increases throughput. It’s important to note that when evaluating different types of live tools, it’s critical to consider long-term flexibility. This is the most often overlooked consideration in purchasing live tooling. Be sure that the system you are considering can adapt to a variety of applications and that it can handle any sized tool you may need in the future. Additionally, if you plan to use coolant with your tooling, ensure the system delivers the required coolant pressure. If not, you may need to purchase additional parts or opt for a different system.
