There are two types of lathe centers: front center and rear center. The characteristics of the CNC lathe center are used to center and bear the gravity and cutting force of the workpiece.
(1) Front center The front center can be directly installed in the taper hole of the lathe spindle. The front center and the workpiece rotate together without relative movement, so quenching is not necessary. Lathes can sometimes use a three-jaw self-centering chuck to clamp a homemade steel front center with a 60-degree taper angle. In order to prevent the center from being displaced due to the axial force during turning, the clamping part of the chuck on the self-made center should be made into a step type. After the CNC lathe center is removed from the chuck, if it is used again, the 60-degree taper must be re-turned.
(2) Back center There are two types of back center: fixed center and rotary center. When in use, the rear center point can be inserted into the tapered hole of the tailstock sleeve of the lathe. The fixed tip has good cutting performance and accurate centering, but there is sliding friction between the center hole and the hard tip, which can easily wear and burn the tip. Lathes are therefore only suitable for low-speed machining of workpieces with high precision requirements. When a CNC lathe supports a small workpiece, a counter-center can be used. At this time, the end of the workpiece is made into a center.
