What is the difference between a CNC lathe and a CNC milling machine?

Let’s get to know CNC lathes and milling machines before deciding to buy them to suit our business.

In today’s industrial environment, turning is one of the fundamental engineering tasks. It involves cutting and shaping metal workpieces, primarily symmetrical, into the desired shape. Turning is a technique that requires high precision and expertise; otherwise, damage can easily occur. This has led to the invention of a machine that can help with turning with greater precision: the CNC lathe.

What is a CNC lathe?

A CNC lathe, or Computer Numerical Control, is a computer-based machine used to produce or shape workpieces to meet high standards. Furthermore, CNC lathes can operate automatically via computer commands based on pre-programmed instructions. Furthermore, CNC lathes are unique and different from conventional lathes in that they can control precision down to 0.001 mm. As a result, CNC lathes produce more detailed, refined workpieces and, most importantly, produce more workpieces in a shorter period of time than conventional lathes. In addition to lathes, CNC systems are also connected to a variety of machinery, including printers, grinders, and even cutting machines, to produce more beautiful and refined workpieces.

Advantages of CNC lathes

CNC lathes are different from conventional lathes in several ways. CNC lathes have the following advantages:

  1. Using a CNC lathe provides precise and efficient work because the measurements are done by computer and controlled, resulting in greater precision than manual work.
  2. The work is of the same quality and standard because the lathe is set up to be the same and the lathe does not show any fatigue, loss of power or miscalculation of distance from the original.
  3. It takes up little space and can do a variety of things. Working with a CNC lathe primarily requires only a person to write instructions for producing the workpieces. This allows for control of the variety and precision by using force in production. Using human labor with a CNC machine primarily requires only a programmer or someone to enter instructions. No need for a lathe expert to be able to do delicate work.
  4. Reduce production time and steps because the program is programmed to work on multiple machines at the same time.

Work suitable for CNC lathes

CNC lathes can work with many types of materials, such as stainless steel, iron, metal, plastic, aluminum, etc. The work that can be most cost-effectively used with CNC lathes is work that is detailed, meticulous, and of high quality. The production volume is large and every piece is the same, such as:

  • Automotive parts manufacturing
  • Medical equipment manufacturing
  • Aircraft parts manufacturing
  • High-cost mass production of parts

What is a CNC milling machine?

CNC milling machine or CNC Milling machine is a combination of milling machine and computer technology to increase efficiency of CNC milling machine. It will have the milling head work in the desired direction to cut out unwanted parts on the workpiece.

CNC milling machines or automatic milling machines are strong, efficient, and have high milling accuracy. They can produce specific machine parts as required.

Examples of manufacturing industries that require CNC milling include automotive parts or aircraft components. Since aircraft engine parts are complex, specific and require the highest level of accuracy in production, production must be controlled by computers to facilitate design and production control.

In addition to the large-scale manufacturing industry in the production of automotive parts, there are other industries such as furniture, tools, machinery, models, and carving that also rely on the capabilities of CNC milling machines.

Suitable work for CNC milling machine

CNC milling machines are suitable for milling applications that require high precision and can work with materials that are highly durable, such as:

  • Flat milling is the movement of the cutter in a direction parallel to the surface of the workpiece, and flat milling depends on the cutter.
  • Milling is used in milling operations that include forming irregular surfaces and creating curved or straight shapes on the workpiece surface as required.
  • Corner milling is the movement of the cutter along the corner of the workpiece.
  • Face milling is the movement of the cutter at right angles around the perimeter of the workpiece, which results in a flat surface.

Difference between CNC lathe and CNC milling machine

  1. CNC milling machines use rotating heads and perpendicular movements to remove material from the surface of a workpiece, while CNC drilling and turning allow engineers to create holes and shapes in spaces of precise diameters and lengths.
  2. Part Design CNC milling machines are ideal for surface finishing, both vertical and horizontal. On the other hand, CNC lathes are ideal for producing low-volume prototypes in symmetrical, cylindrical shapes, and can also be used for high-volume production of specialty parts.
  3. Both CNC machines are essential to modern CNC machining, with CNC lathes rotating the parts and milling machines rotating the tools.

Based on the above information, there are currently many industries that widely use CNC lathes or CNC milling machines. Now that you know how lathes and milling machines work or how they differ, if you are interested in CNC lathes for quality production, please contact us at Idda Machine Tool Co., Ltd. The company has collaborated with Japanese engineers who designed the structure and brought CNC lathe / CNC milling machine technology from Japanese brands to CNC lathes under the brand MAKITA, resulting in quality machinery at a friendly price. If you are interested, try contacting us to discuss the details of the work first. Our staff will be happy to serve you.

If you are interested in CNC lathes or other machinery, please contact us at
Tel : 02-315-4808 , 094-821-4821
Line ID : @idda.machine
Facebook : เครื่องจักร CNC BY IDDA Machines TOOLS
Email : marketing@idda.co.th

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