The role of the center seat: a solid fulcrum for swiss lathe

Hello everyone, this is HANBS, a company that is passionate about sharing tips on swiss lathe and cnc lathe. Today I would like to share with you a very specialized knowledge, which may be known to those who are very familiar with swiss lathe, and that is the center seat of swiss lathe!

 

What is the center seat of swiss lathe? The center seat is also known as the guide seat or slide seat. As we all know, swiss lathe is different from cnc lathe in terms of tool movement for production, swiss lathe relies on the movement of the main and secondary spindles for production to ensure that the dual spindles run simultaneously and also to improve productivity. Then it can be imagined that the center seat is a very critical part. It is mainly used to support the workpiece, and to ensure that the workpiece in the machining process is stable, accurate position. The following are its main features and functions:

 

1. Appearance and structure:

Usually a quadrilateral structure, made of high precision machining and high strength materials (castings) to ensure high rigidity and stability.

Inside with precision guide bushings to support the workpiece through the holes of the guide bushings.

Some center holders come with an adjustable feature for fine tuning when changing workpieces or tools.

 

2. Function:

Supporting the workpiece: In a swiss lathe, the workpiece passes through the center seat by means of a guide bush and is pushed axially or longitudinally by the spindle, which keeps the workpiece stable and prevents it from shaking and affecting accuracy.

Improvement of machining accuracy: Since the workpiece is always supported by the center seat during cutting, the distance between the cutting point and the support point is very short, which significantly reduces the deformation and vibration of the tool on the workpiece, thus improving machining accuracy.

Suitable for machining long and thin parts: particularly suitable for machining long and thin parts, as the center seat provides continuous support along the length of the workpiece, avoiding bending and vibration.

 

3. Difference with traditional lathe:

In traditional lathe, the workpiece is usually fixed in a three-jaw chuck or collet, and the tool carries out mobile cutting.

In Swiss lathe, however, the workpiece is supported by guide bushings and the tool cuts near the workpiece and is moved by the main and vice axes. This design, greatly improves the stability and accuracy of slender parts.

 

4. Application Scenario:

swiss lathe is widely used in slender shaft parts, precision small parts, for example, precision electronic components, medical instrument parts, clock parts and so on.

 

In a word, the center seat is an important part to support the unique design of swiss lathe, which helps to maintain the accuracy of precision and the stability of the main and secondary axes, and in Chinese words, it is the cornerstone and plays the role of the mainstay. It does not cut the workpiece directly, but plays a role in stabilizing, supporting and improving machining accuracy, just like “giving a hand” in the key position, making the whole machining process smoother and more accurate.