Men have been using lathes since 3,000 years ago. But with the advent of the Computer Numerical Control (CNC) lathe, machinists are discovering the great benefits of automating their metalworking tasks.
Used for turning, drilling and cutting wood and metal, a lathe functions by rotating metal against the edge of a cutting tool. In the manual approach, machinists would move this cutting tool on the horizontal beam across the metal piece, facilitating the transformation of the metal piece into an object of perfect symmetry along the axis of rotation.
But with the automated lathe, all that is needed is for the operator of the system to enter commands that will be interpreted by the computer. The computer will drive the attached tool to perform the task in the most precise way. A CNC lathe enables a machinist to simply specify the coordinates that will determine the area for cutting, and the device will accomplish it quickly and with little to zero risk for errors.