CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Lathe Machine is used in all the engineering applications and also in the college

Workshops. Lathe machine is used to perform all the basic operations such as

drilling, cutting, tapping, turning, etc. with the help of different tools placed in the

work environment.

Here in this article, I am going to discuss the Lathe Machine along with its

Definition, Parts, Types, Working Principle, Operations, Specifications,

Applications, Advantages, and Disadvantages.

1.1 Definition of Lathe Machine

Lathe Machine is a machine tool that uses a cutting tool for removing the material

from the surface of the workpiece which is held in the chuck for holding the

workpiece and feed was provided by the tool on to the workpiece for the removal

of material. It is the most versatile and widely used machine in industries,

institutions, etc.

Now lets discuss the parts of lathe machine along with its accessories with the help

of a Line diagram.

Line Diagram of Lathe Machine:

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Diagram of lathe machine

Parts of Lathe Machine:

The Parts of the lathe machine are as follows.

Bed

Lead Screw

Guideways

Prime mover

Transmission system
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Headstock

Spindle

Chuck

Feed Gearbox

Thread Chasing Dial

Split nut

Carriage

Slideways with saddle

Compound rest

Toolpost

Tailstock

Quill

The detailed explanation of all the parts is as follows.

Bed:

It should be rigid enough to withstand for the forces acting during machining and

self-weight of the workpiece.

It should have high damping qualities i.e. it can absorb the vibrations induces

during machining.

It should act as a house for keeping some of the parts in a machine tool like Prime

mover of a machine, gearbox, coolant tank, etc.

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Material:

Grey C.I: It is used for manufacturing of bed of the machine because it has high

damping qualities and rigid qualities.

Manufacturing Method:

Casting is a manufacturing method because it gives high damping qualities.

Shape:

The shape of the bed is selected such that the reduction in the rigidity of machine

tool should be minimum and it should provide the maximum amount of the space.

Lead Screw:

It is used for converting rotational movement into linear movement.

The material of the lead screw must be selected such that it should have high wear

resistance

Due to this, the best preferable material for the manufacturing of lead screw is the

brass.

Because of the sagging problem, the maximum length of the brass lead screw will

be 2 meters only.

The type of threads used on the lead screw is square thread because it gives the

highest efficiency of power transmission. For example, Buttress Thread.

Guideways:

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They are guiding the moving parts in a machine tool. They act as a mediator for

transmitting forces to the bed of a machine tool.

The material used for the manufacturing of guideways should possess High wear

resistance, high damping qualities, and low ductility.

Prime Mover:

Whatever the energy required for performing the machining operation is obtained

from Prime mover.

The very first Prime mover used in machining is IC engine but because of noise

pollution and result of the reciprocating parts after the invention of electrical

Motors, the electrical Motors are used as a prime mover in the machine tools.

Whenever the power supply is given to the induction motor, it always starts

rotating at only one particular rpm i.e. designed rpm.

Transmission System:

Even though prime mover is rotating at only one particular RPM, to get the

different RPM of the spindle on a job during machining of different sizes of the

components at different velocities, it is required to use mechanical transmission

system between the prime mover and the spindle.

The most commonly used mechanical transmission system is the belt drive with

stepped pulley because during machining operation any sudden increase Inf forces

will cost to split the belt but no failure is taking place.

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Head Stock:

The headstock is acting as a house for keeping some of the parts like transmission

system, Prime mover, etc. and it also acts as a support for supporting the

components at one side.

Spindle:

It is the hollow shaft used for transmitting power from the transmission system to

the workpiece.

It also supports the longer length of the workpiece during machining.

Chuck:

It is a work holding device used for holding the workpiece at one end.

Chuck Is classified into two types:

3-Jaw chuck: It is used for cylindrical and circular shape jobs

4-Jaw chuck: It is used for non-circular jobs.

Feed Gear Box:

It is used for transmitting power from spindle to the lead screw at different speeds.

Thread Chasing Dial (TCD):

It is used in thread cutting operation for reducing multiples start of the thread with

multiple cuts.

Split nut:

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Split nut with the lead screw will be used for converting rotational movement into

linear movement.

Carriage:

The carriage is the device used for carrying a moving part in a lathe machine

globally.

Slideways with Saddle:

It is used for moving the tool locally.

Compound Rest:

It is used for rotating the tool to perform the taper turning operation.

Tool Post:

It is the device which is used for holding the tool.

Tailstock:

It is used for supporting the workpiece at the other end.

Quill:

For localized movement of the Dead Centre, Quill will be used.

In general, the axis of the Dead Centre will be coinciding with the axis of the

spindle or chuck but sometimes to perform the taper turning operation, the dead

center can be absent by moving the tailstock in the transverse direction.

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 CHAPTER TWO

2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW

ACCESSORIES OF LATHE MACHINE

Accessories of Lathe Machine:

The Lathe Machine Accessories are as follows.

Steady rest

Catch plate or Dog plate

Face Plate

Mandrel

Follower rest

Types of Lathe Machine:

The various types of lathe machines are as follows.

Bench Lathe

Speed Lathe

Tool Room Lathe

Capstan and Turret Lathe

Center or Engine Lathe

Automatic Lathe

Special Purpose

CNC Lathe Machine

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Lets study all the types of lathe in a detailed way along with its figure.

Bench Lathe Machine:

It is a small lathe machine which is mounted on the workbench that has all the

parts of speed lathe and engine lathe.

Speed Lathe Machines:

An image of Speed Lathe

As the name speed indicates that the headstock spindle is rotating with high speed.

This machine does not have any feed mechanism like engine lathe and the speed

ranges from 1200 RPM to 3600 RPM.

It is used in polishing, spinning, centering and machining of wood.

Tool Room Lathe:

An image of Tool Room lathe

This machine works at a speed of 2500 rpm.

It is mainly used in die gauges, grindings, working on the tool where high accuracy

is maintained.

Capstan and Turret Lathe:

capstan and Turrette lathe used in industries

Capstan and Turrette lathe used in industries, Image Courtesy:IndiaMart

It is an advanced version of Engien lathe machine and is used for mass production.

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Instead of Tailstock, these machines are provided by hexagonal turret head in

which multiple operations can be performed without changing the tool in a

sequence.

The Capstan and Turret lathes are applicable only for larger components.

Less skilled operators also can do the job on this Capstan and Turret lathe.

Center or Engine Lathe:

center lathe or engine lathe in industry

This type of Center lathe machine was the basic machine and it will be used in

many of the workshops too.

Various types of lathe operations can be performed on this machine like turning,

taper turning, grooving, threading, knurling etc.

To do any operation on the lathe machine, the headstock is fixed and the tailstock

can be movable depending upon the workpiece.

If the workpiece is small then there is no need of Tailstock and if the workpiece is

large, then only there is a need of it to support the workpiece.

Automatic Lathe:

As the name indicates that it works its operations automatically, that is there is no

need of operator during the performance of experiment.

Depending upon the operation, it can changes its tool automatically and there is no

need to change the tool one operation after the other manually.
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This type of lathes are applicable for heavy duty type and high speed.

The automatic lathe does various operations and can be applicable for mass

productions.

Due to this automatic machines, a single operator can handles more than one

machine effectievely.

Special Purpose Lathe:

An image of special purpose lathe

As the name indicates that it is a Special Purpose lathe, which means that it can

perform only special operations which are not performed by standard machines.

The Special prurpose lathe are applicable for heavy duty production.

Some of the special purpose lathes include Wheel lathes, Multi Spindle lathes,

Vertical lathes, T-lathe, Tracer lathes, etc.

CNC Lathe Machine:

CNC stands for Computer Numerical Control.

CNC lathe used in Industries

The components produced by the CNC lathe are having high dimensional

accuracy. No manual operators are required. Just a program is written in the form

of G-Codes and M-Codes to run various operations on the components.

High accuracy is obtained compared to conventional lathe machine.

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These are the various types of Lathe machines. Now lets see the working principle

of it in a detailed way.

Diagram of CNC lathe machine

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 CHAPTER THREE

3.0 MATERIALS AND METHODOLOGY

The basic function of the Lathe machine is to remove the material from the surface

of the workpiece by the usage of cutting tools providing the necessary amount of

feed and this can be done by placing the workpiece in the chuck which rotates with

the help of a motor.

For Circular workpieces, Three Jaw Chuck will be used whereas for the

Rectangular/Square workpieces, Four Jaw Chuck will be used for better stability.

The headstock consists of a Power transmission system where the action will be

provided by engaging with suitable levers. It also consists of a chuck where it can

hold the workpiece firmly.

For smaller workpieces, there is no need for Tailstock whereas, for larger

workpieces/specimens, there is a need for it for supporting such that the workpiece

can be fixed firmly without any vibrations during machining.

The tool is placed in the Tool post and is perpendicular to the workpiece for

removing the material from the circumference of the workpiece such that the

diameter can be reduced.

When the power supply is given, the chuck starts rotating with the help of a power

transmission system and the workpiece placed inside the chuck also rotates. With

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respect to the workpiece, the Tailstock is used. Now w.r.t. the type of operation,

the tool is placed either perpendicular or angular to the workpiece.

For Turning operation, the workpiece and the tool are perpendicular to each other

whereas, in the Taper turning operation, the tool and the workpiece are inclined to

each other.

In this way, by giving the necessary amount of feed, material removal takes place.

The speed can be increased by the levers in the Headstock by changing them w.r.t.

the material removal.

The lathe machine can be performed Manually or Automatically. In small scale

industries, we can go with manual operation whereas, in large scale industries,

CNC machines are used where they can run automatically with the help of the

program.

This is the detailed explanation on the Working of Lathe machine.

Lathe Machine Operations:

The operations which are performed on the lathe machine are called lathe

operations and are as follows.

Turning

Facing

Thread Cutting

Drilling
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Boring

Counterboring

Countersinking

Reaming

Trepanning

Spot Facing

Honing

The detailed explanation of the above lathe operations was as follows.

Turning:

The process of removing material from the circumference of the workpiece is

called Turning Operation.

Turning operation on lathe

Turning operation by Mohammed Shafi, Founder of Mechanical Students.com

Step Turning Operation:

If the material is removed in terms of steps from the surface of the workpiece then

it is called a Step turning operation.

Taper Turning Operation:

The turning operation used for producing tapered components is called a taper

turning operation.

Facing or Face Turning Operation:

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The turning operation used for reducing the length of the component by removing

the material from the face of the workpiece called a face turning operation.

facing operation on lathe facing operation on lathe by Mohammed Shafi, Founder

of MechanicalStudents.com

Thread Cutting:

The turning operation used for producing the threads on the surface of components

is called as thread cutting operation.

Threading operation on lathe

Threading operation by Mohammed Shafi, Founder of Mechanical Students.com

Drilling Operation:

It is an operation used for producing holes in the components.

drilling operation on lathe

drilling operation by Mohammed Shafi, Founder of MechanicalStudents.com

Boring Operation:

It is an inter turning operation used for enlarging the existing hole by some amount

called boring operation.

boring operation on lathe

boring operation by Mohammed Shafi, Founder of MechanicalStudents.com

Counterboring Operation:

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The Boring operation used for enlarging the end of the hole is called as

counterboring.

Counterboring operation on lathe

Counter Sinking Operation:

Conical enlargement of an end of the hole is called a countersinking Operation.

Countersinking operation on lathe

Reaming:

Reaming is similar to drilling operation used for removing a small amount of

material for sizing and finishing of the hole to get exact dimensions.

Reaming operation on lathe

The maximum size of the hole produced by using in stages method of drilling

operation is up to 50 mm only.

Trepanning Operation:

It is the operation of producing large size holes without drilling operation called

the Trepanning.

Spot Facing:

Making the surface of the hole flat and Square for the proper sitting of the bolt

head or nut is called Spot facing Operation.

Spot facing is done by using an end mill cutter with a drilling machine.

Honing Operation:
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Honing is the finishing operation used for producing an excellent surface finish on

the holes.

Knurling Operation:

It is a pattern of straight, crossed or angled lines on the surface of the tool which is

pressed against the workpiece such that it can forms an impression on the surface

of workpiece. The holding of the workpiece will be better by this operation.

Knurling Operation on lathe

Knurling Operation by Mohammed Shafi, Founder of MechanicalStudents.com

These are the different lathe Operations performed on the lathe machine with high

dedication and accuracy.

Lathe Machine Specifications:

The specifications of Lathe Machine are as follows.

The distance (L) between the two centers-750 to 800 mm.

The diameter of Chuck is 160mm.

The guide length of carriage is 350-365 mm.

The width of lathe bed is 260mm

The pitch of the lead screw is 6mm.

The Length, width, and height of a lathe are 2000, 1000, and 1400 mm.

The spindle bore is 35 mm.

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 CHAPTER FOUR

4.0 RESULT AND DISCUSSION

The Applications of Lathe Machine are as follows.

It is mainly used in industries to shape change the metal components as well as

wooden components by machining lathe and wood lathe.

It is used in Thermal spraying and Metal spinning.

A CNC lathe finds its applications in the fields of Aerospace, Automotive,

Medical, Textile, industries of automobiles, etc.

The lathe is also used in various institutions for doing lab experiments.

Advantages of Lathe Machine:

The Advantages of Lathe Machine are as follows.

The accuracy is very high in the case of CNC lathes compared to Normal

Machining lathes.

The flow of production is more.

It requires few operators in a manual lathe.

The machining in the lathe and CNC lathe was very fast.

Due to the CNC lathes, the time to carry out the experiment was very less than

conventional machines.

The lead time will be very less.

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Disadvantages of Lathe Machine:

The limitations of lathe machine are as follows.

If the maintenance was not good then it results in the damage of machine parts by

not using lubrication.

The tool also wears out fastly, if the operator is not good to handle the experiment.

Due to the cutting speeds, the odor in the environment will be very high which

impacts the health also.

These machines were more expensive than other conventional machines because

you can do almost all operations on the lathe machine.

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 CHAPTER FIVE

5.1 Conclusion

A lathe machine is a heavy duty and high-powered tools largely used in

engineering. They are used to cut and shape metals, woods or plastics and even

drill holes with added parts. There are different kinds of lathes used in engineering

depending on what the job is, such as mechanical engineering.

5.2 Recommendation

In operating the lathe machine, make sure that use a face mask or an eyeglass

because while the machine is removing a part of the metal, there are chips that are

flying everywhere. Make sure that the rotation of the machine is fit with the tool

that you are using otherwise it will not cut the metal. While filing the spherical

shaped end of the metal, make sure that the rotation of the machine is rotating

towards you so that the file will effectively smoothen the metal otherwise both the

file and the rotation will move away from you and the file will not be able to

smoothen the metal. In case of emergency, just step on the yellow metal bar below

the machine so that it will automatically stop. Ask for assistance in moving the

angle of the tool handle so that no accidents and inaccuracy will occur.

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REFERENCES

Benford, Tom (2006), Garage and Workshop Gear Guide, MotorBooks/MBI

Publishing Company, Mapúa

Clifford, Brian. "A brief history of woodturning". The Woodturner's Workshop.

Woodturners' Guild of Ontario. Retrieved 2018-07-24.

Lathes in Chapter 7 of US Army Training Circulation published in 1996 (Chemical

Engineering Department, Carnegie Melon University website)

Murthy, S. Trymbaka (2010). Textbook of Elements of Mechanical Engineering.

ISBN 978-9380578576.

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