Hydraulic vs. Pneumatic in Swiss CNC Lathes

Swiss Lathe: Hydraulic or Pneumatic?

Hello everyone, this is HANBS, a company that loves to share swiss lathe and cnc lathe with you, today I want to talk to you about the difference between hydraulic and pneumatic pressure in swiss cnc lath.

 

So one might ask, where exactly do you need to use hydraulic and pneumatic pressure? Swiss cnc lathe mainly relies on the movement of the spindle to produce, this hydraulic and pneumatic pressure in the end where is it used? Can it help production?

 

In fact, hydraulic and pneumatic pressure is only an auxiliary, and will not be directly involved in the production, so why do we need to introduce him? This is because the hydraulic pressure or pneumatic pressure is mainly to ensure that the spindle or sub-axis in the clamping of the workpiece, the workpiece can be fixed more firmly, to prevent loosening or offset in the process of machining, to improve machining accuracy and stability.

 

The Swiss Lathe usually uses both hydraulic and pneumatic drives, depending on the design of the machine and the application requirements. The main differences are as follows:

 

1. Hydraulic:

Principle of operation: The hydraulic oil is used to transmit pressure to realize the functions of clamping, feeding and prop movement.

Advantages: Provide greater clamping force, suitable for larger, harder workpieces

Maintain a stable pressure, higher precision, suitable for high rigidity cutting.

Can provide smoother feeding and motion control, reduce vibration and improve machining quality.

 

Disadvantages：

Higher maintenance costs, requires regular hydraulic oil changes and checking line seals.

May have oil contamination issues and require additional handling of oil leaks.

The overall weight of the equipment is higher and not as light as pneumatic pressure.

 

2. Pneumatic pressure:

Working principle: use compressed air to drive the chuck,, feeding device or other actuators.

Advantages: fast response time, suitable for high-frequency operation (such as rapid clamping, relaxation)

Simple structure, low maintenance costs.

Clean and free of dirt, no need to add additional lubricant.

 

Disadvantages:

Air pressure may not be stable enough, resulting in fluctuations in clamping force or feeding accuracy.

Suitable for lightweight, small precision parts, not suitable for high torque, high rigidity applications.

 

Practical application options:

For small precision parts (e.g., electronic parts, medical devices), choose an air pressure system with a fast response time that allows for a high degree of cleanliness.

Larger or more rigid parts (e.g. stainless steel, titanium alloys, etc.) are suitable for hydraulic systems with stable clamping force and higher tolerance.

For high-precision, high-repeat positioning applications, hydraulic is preferred because its pressure stability is higher than that of pneumatic.

 

Overall, most high-end Swiss Lathes prioritize the use of hydraulic systems, especially when machining hard materials or when high precision cutting is required. There is also a market for pneumatic systems for cost-sensitive or lightweight applications.