What Is The Difference between An Inclined Bed CNC Lathe And A Flat Bed CNC Lathe?

Comparison of Machine Layout

The two guide rails of a CNC lathe with a flat bed are parallel to the ground plane. The two guide rails of the inclined bed CNC lathe intersect with the ground plane, forming an inclined plane with angles of 30 °, 45 °, 60 °, and 75 °. From the side view of the machine tool, the bed of a flat bed CNC lathe is square, while the bed of an inclined bed CNC lathe is a right angled triangle. It is obvious that under the same guide rail width, the X-direction drag plate of the inclined bed is longer than that of the flat bed, and the practical significance of applying it in lathes is to arrange more cutting positions.

Comparison of cutting rigidity

The cross-sectional area of a CNC lathe with an inclined bed is larger than that of a flat bed of the same specification, which means it has stronger resistance to bending and torsion. The cutting tool of the inclined bed CNC lathe cuts downwards from the inclined top of the workpiece, and the cutting force is basically in the same direction as the gravity of the workpiece, so the spindle runs relatively smoothly and is not easy to cause cutting vibration. On the other hand, when the flat bed CNC lathe cuts, the cutting force generated by the tool and the workpiece is 90 ° with the gravity of the workpiece, which is easy to cause vibration.

Comparison of machining accuracy

The transmission screw of a CNC lathe is a high-precision ball screw, and the transmission gap between the screw and the nut is very small, but it does not mean that there is no gap. As long as there is a gap, when the screw moves in one direction and then drives in the opposite direction, it is inevitable to produce reverse clearance, which will affect the repeated positioning accuracy of the CNC lathe and thus affect the machining accuracy. The layout of the inclined bed CNC lathe can directly affect the clearance of the X-direction ball screw, and gravity directly acts on the axial direction of the screw, making the reverse clearance during transmission almost zero. The X-direction screw of the CNC lathe with a flat bed is not affected by axial gravity, and the gap cannot be directly eliminated. This is the inherent precision advantage that design brings to inclined bed CNC lathes.

Comparison of chip removal capabilities

Due to the influence of gravity, the inclined bed CNC lathe is less prone to generating winding tools, which is beneficial for chip removal; Simultaneously cooperating with the central screw and guide rail protective sheet metal can prevent chips from accumulating on the screw and guide rail. The inclined bed CNC lathe is generally equipped with an automatic chip removal machine, which can automatically remove chips and increase the effective working time of workers. It is difficult to install an automatic chip removal machine in the structure of a flat bed.

Comparison of automated production

The increase in the number of machine tools and the configuration of automatic chip removal machines are actually laying the foundation for automated production. One person on duty for multiple machine tools has always been the direction of machine tool development. The inclined bed CNC lathe is equipped with a milling power head, an automatic feeding machine tool or a robotic arm, which can automatically load and clamp all the chip cutting processes in one go, and automatically discharge and discharge chips. This has become a highly efficient automatic CNC lathe. The structure of a flat bed CNC lathe is at a disadvantage in automated production. Although the inclined bed CNC lathe is more advanced than the flat bed CNC lathe, its market share is far behind. The advantages of easy production of flat bed CNC lathes account for over 90% of the market share of CNC lathes.