The CNC turning process is a typical subtractive manufacturing process that uses a cutting tool to remove material from the outside of a material. As the workpiece rotates (continuously turns), the excess material is removed until the final product’s desired shape, diameter, and size is achieved.

CNC turning is suitable for turning metals and plastics. The basic principle of CNC turning involves rotating the workpiece and feeding the cutting tool; in this way, parts of the material are removed from the outside of the workpiece until the desired shape, diameter, and size are achieved.

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CNC Turning Services

Turning vs. Milling: What’s the Difference?

This is a common question. The simplest way to remember it is:

• Turning: The workpiece rotates against a stationary cutting tool. (Think: making a baseball bat).
• Milling: The cutting tool rotates against a stationary workpiece. (Think: carving a flat surface or a complex 3D shape).

Many modern machines, called CNC Turning Centers or Mill-Turn Centers, combine both capabilities into one machine for maximum flexibility.

Types of CNC Turning Process Operations

‌CNC turning operations‌ mainly include straight turning, knurling, parting, taper turning, threading, and grooving. They range from basic diameter reduction to complex shape processing, suitable for different materials and processing requirements.

• Line turning is using a cutting tool to uniformly reduce the diameter of a workpiece, aiming to machine material to a specified thickness.
  This technique can quickly remove some material and prevent the product diameter from changing, but additional machining may be required to achieve dimensional accuracy.
• Knurling introduces a jagged, angled, or cross-cutting pattern into the workpiece surface, enhancing friction. It is suitable for making bolts and nuts for threaded holes and may require specially designed knurling tools.
• Splitting: Using a single-point cutting tool to create a deep groove in a material, remove its internal components, produce a part, or cut off a portion of an original.
• ‌Taper turning‌ gradually reduces the diameter of the material from one end to the other. The angular movement between the material and the cutting tool results in a transition and reduction in the diameter of the workpiece. The final turned product is cylindrical.
• Threading is moving a cutting tool along the side of a material to cut threads, which have spiral grooves of a specific length and pitch, into the external features of a workpiece.
• Grooving is the process of creating a narrow cut—a groove—in a workpiece. It involves the action of a sharp tool tip on the material, cutting at the same width as the cutting tool, which can produce grooves with wider diameters.

Materials suitable for CNC turning

CNC turning is mainly suitable for machining rotating parts. This is because CNC turning is usually used to machine workpieces with rotational symmetry, such as shafts, round components, etc. These workpieces can be precisely dimensioned and shaped through the rotation of the lathe and the feed of the tool.

When selecting materials suitable for CNC turning, the cutting performance, hardness, and toughness of the material, as well as the accuracy and surface quality requirements after processing, should be considered.

Advantages of CNC Turning Process

CNC turning is a high-efficiency, high-precision, and highly flexible mechanical processing equipment. It has the characteristics of high precision, high efficiency, robust reliability, and good repeatability. It is widely used in aviation, automobile, electronics, racing, mechanical processing, and other fields.

1. High Precision and Repeatability: CNC machines produce incredibly accurate parts, and every part in a production run is identical.
2. Excellent Surface Finish: The continuous rotating motion often results in superior surface quality right off the machine.
3. Speed and Efficiency: The process is fast, especially for cylindrical parts, and modern lathes with bar feeders can run untended for hours.
4. Versatility: With live tooling (tools that can rotate and perform milling operations while the part is held stationary), modern turning centers can complete almost all machining in a single setup, drastically reducing production time.

What Can You Make with CNC Turning?

CNC turning is ideal for producing parts that are symmetrical around an axis. Common examples include:

• Shafts and axles
• Bolts, screws, and nuts
• Bushings and bearings
• Pulleys and rollers
• Nozzles and fittings

CNC Turning Processing Manufacturers

We are a professional CNC turning manufacturer from China. Our CNC machining workshop has CNC turning and milling equipment, allowing us to provide one-stop, customized high-precision CNC machining parts for customers in various industries.

Our CNC machining service can turn metal and plastic materials. The roughness of the turned metal parts can reach Ra0.4 and the precision tolerance can reach ±0.005mm.

Need high-precision turned parts for your next project? Our factory is equipped with state-of-the-art CNC turning centers to deliver quality components on time and to spec. Request a quote today and let our experts handle your manufacturing needs.

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