[squale]

what does this mean when they say live tooling? or a live center versus a dead center? sorry for the newbie questions, I just want to learn more.. and i can't find a good description online..

[toastydeath]

Live tooling means a cnc turning center that also has a milling component to it. Some of the pockets on the turret have motors or power for motors for milling/drilling/grinding.

This does not mean it has an extra axis, just means you can put rotary tools in the turret. Live tooling lathes are usually very expensive compared to lathes without.

[squale]

I wonder how you fit a small little motor to drive a drill bit attached to the turret..

[toastydeath]

Use a big turret.

Sometimes there's only one motor, and there are gears driving attachment spindles. Other times there's just a power hookup and the spindle has an integral motor, and it bolts to the turret itself.

[squale]

ah okay I got it now, interesting to me though that the spindle would have enough power (torque) to say bore a hole through the side of a piece of hard 316ss with it's only little integrated motor. Maybe with one bigger motor driving all the live tools via gearing it could have enough power, but still wouldn't be nearly as close to the power of a stand alone milling head I wouldn't think

[acondit]

Squale,

You ought to see some of the videos of the live tooling lathes. They would blow your socks off. Checkout these two.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9e8oU...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkKyq...eature=related

Alan

[squale]

wow that really is impressive, I can only image what a machine like that costs, lol

[squale]

one of the shops I work work is swiss turn cnc lathes with live tooling, they make these parts for us.. http://www.thewholepkg.com/images/Ph...arts/stems.jpg

they can turn these 316ss parts down and use live tooling to cut the flutes all in one pass.. pretty impressive and the accuracy is within or less than .001"

[ConKbot of Doom]

As for the live center/dead center, a live center has a bearing in it allowing the tip of it touching the part to rotate with it, where a dead center is just a taper to fit in the tail stock with a pointy tip