CNC Machining Equipment

CNC Lathes

A CNC lathe is a lathe equipped with a numerical control system. The machine structure is similar to conventional lathes, as shown in Figure 1-22. CNC lathes consist of a main machine containing the bed and feed mechanism, a numerical control device, and a drive device.

The main machine is the main body of the CNC machine tool, including mechanical components such as the bed, spindle, and feed mechanism, which are used to complete various cutting processes. The numerical control device is the core of the CNC machine tool, including hardware and corresponding software, used to input digitized processing programs, and complete input information storage, data transformation, interpolation calculations, and various control functions.

The drive device is the driving component of the executive mechanism of the CNC machine tool, including the spindle drive unit, feed unit, spindle motor, and feed motor. Under the control of the numerical control device, it realizes spindle and feed drive through an electrical or electro-hydraulic servo system. When several feeds are linked, it can complete the positioning of the tool relative to the workpiece, and the movement trajectory of straight lines, plane curves, and space curves.

In addition, CNC lathes also include other necessary supporting components to ensure the operation of CNC machine tools, such as cooling, chip removal, lubrication, lighting, and monitoring systems. This comprehensive setup ensures that CNC lathes can work in harmony with other manufacturing processes, including injection machine moulding, to create complete precision components.

CNC lathes are mainly used for multi-process machining of shaft and disc rotating parts. CNC turning is a widely used processing method in CNC machining. Due to the characteristics of high machining accuracy, ability to perform linear and circular interpolation, and automatic speed change during processing, CNC lathes have a much wider process range than ordinary machine tools.

They are most suitable for processing rotating parts with high precision, low surface roughness, complex contour shapes, and special threads. When combined with injection machine moulding processes, CNC lathes can provide the finishing touches to plastic components that require metal inserts or precise mating surfaces.

CNC Engraving Machines

CNC engraving processing, also known as CNC engraving, works exactly the same as CNC milling processing. It also has the functions of automatic tool feeding and automatic feeding, and can process a variety of complex curved surfaces. While traditional milling uses low feed rates and large cutting parameters, CNC engraving uses high feed rates and small cutting parameters.

CNC engraving machines typically use small tools, small cutting amounts, and high-speed processing techniques. Therefore, the spindle speed of CNC engraving machines is relatively high, generally 15,000~40,000 r/min, and the maximum can reach 100,000 r/min. The minimum diameter of the tool is only 0.1mm. This precision makes them ideal for creating intricate details on molds used in injection machine moulding.

When cutting steel, the cutting feed rate is about 400 m/min, which is 5~10 times higher than traditional milling. When processing mold cavities, compared with traditional processing methods (such as traditional milling, EDM forming processing, etc.), its efficiency is increased by 4~5 times. In addition, since the workpiece temperature rise is small during high-speed cutting (about 3℃), there is no metamorphic layer or microcracks on the surface, and the thermal deformation is also small.

The surface roughness Ra of CNC engraving is generally less than 1μm. At present, the engraving machines produced by domestic engraving machine manufacturers can achieve precise cutting control with 0.1μm feed and 1μm cutting depth, and the surface roughness of the processed surface reaches 0.01μm, which completely eliminates the need for grinding and polishing. This level of finish is particularly important for injection machine moulding tools where surface quality directly affects the final product's appearance.

In the field of mold manufacturing, it is mainly used for engraving text and patterns on the surface of型腔, corner cleaning of mold parts, processing of multiple and fine stripes, processing of copper and graphite electrodes (which can efficiently and finely process EDM electrodes with sharp corners), and processing of hardware stamping dies and precision punches.

Hardware stamping dies mainly use C12 as the processing material. CNC engraving has obvious advantages in processing small precision punches. It can cut steel with a hardness of 50-54 HRC, and the maximum hardness of milling can reach 60 HRC. This capability to work with hardened materials makes CNC engraving invaluable for creating long-lasting tools for injection machine moulding processes.

The combination of high speed and precision in CNC engraving machines allows for the creation of complex textures and patterns that would be impossible or prohibitively expensive with other manufacturing methods. When these engraved tools are used in injection machine moulding, they can reproduce these intricate details consistently across thousands or even millions of parts.

Furthermore, the efficiency of CNC engraving reduces lead times for mold production, enabling faster turnaround from design to production in injection machine moulding operations. This speed-to-market advantage is crucial in competitive manufacturing environments where product lifecycles are increasingly shortened.