CNC Lathe info/Program needed

[sofl_g]

Hello,
I am looking for information to see if what I am looking for is possible and if so the possibility of a program for a CNC Lathe. I am a partner in a business and we need to have a CNC lathe cut aluminum pieces to a convex speherical surface and also a toric surface. If any of you run, or program for a CNC lathe, I can explain in detail with drawings. The parts are no more than 4" in Dia and need as accurate surfaces as possible. The parts would be held in a fixture and we would need a range of available Radii. We are not looking for a freebie. I can email anyone who may be able to help a rough drawing. Please Reply here or PM me.
Thank you!

[Geof]

I know what a convex spherical surface is but a toric surface eluded me. It still does after I found this at www.reference.com:

"In mathematics and theoretical physics, toric geometry is a set of methods in algebraic geometry in which complex manifolds are visualized as fiber bundles with multi-dimensional tori as fibers."

What does this have to do with CNC lathes?

[sofl_g]

My apologies. A toric surface is a section taken out of a Torus IE: doughnut, if you were to take a slice out off the edge of a donut, you would have a surface with a compound curve, one radii in one meridian and a smaller radii curve 90 degrees from the first. The first radii would be the OD of the donut and the other radii would be the OD of the circles that you would see if you cut the doughnut in half

[Geof]

Okay, doughnuts I understand, thank you; the explanation from reference.com was a bit foggy. What you want is most likely possible on a CNC lathe but I am not in the position to do this sort of thing.

[sofl_g]

Originally Posted by Geof Okay, doughnuts I understand, thank you; the explanation from reference.com was a bit foggy. What you want is most likely possible on a CNC lathe but I am not in the position to do this sort of thing.

Thank you. I have also researched more it appears that a section out of an ellipsoid would be the same thing.

[lakeside]

here a quick iges of your donut 4" od 2"id this shape can be made on a cnc lathe used to make o-rings from 1/4 to 10" od any cross section you wanted the company still around called seal jet There the bobcad salesforce of seals when i worded for them. here's a link use them at your own risk
http://www.sealjet.com/

[imtdick]

I can furnish you with a CNC program for this type of part.
I can also furnish you with a system to program the parts.
If it can be made on a turning/milling machine we can program it.
Programs also supplied for Multi-Tasking Machines up to 14 Axis

[sofl_g]

Here is a picture of what I am talking about. Hopefully this helps.

[imtdick]

It is hard to tell by the pictures.
Are these forms surface of revolution or do they require variable lead programming? i.e. are they turned with a constant feed following a cross section or with a cam-like motion? If it is a cam-like motion (feed is both advancing and retracting inside of a single rotation) the lathe would require a special function to operate at a very high RPM. If the lathe was equipped with a full C-Axis and milling capability it would be easier to produce both the part and program. I have experience with both.

[lakeside]

stander lathe g and m code

[sofl_g]

Originally Posted by imtdick It is hard to tell by the pictures. Are these forms surface of revolution or do they require variable lead programming? i.e. are they turned with a constant feed following a cross section or with a cam-like motion? If it is a cam-like motion (feed is both advancing and retracting inside of a single rotation) the lathe would require a special function to operate at a very high RPM. If the lathe was equipped with a full C-Axis and milling capability it would be easier to produce both the part and program. I have experience with both.

I do not know how a modern CNC Lathe would create these parts, I am thinking from your description, a cam like motion. They are done currently by either 1 of 2 methods. 1 is a machine made to make just these parts that uses oscillating cutter arm and 2 lead screws/slides to set the Radii of the cutter head. The other is the same machine that cuts the lenses, it's mainly designed to cut plastic lenses and plastic tools and does very poorly with aluminum. It has a rotating cutter which works fine in plastic but chatters horribly in aluminum. The machine does plunge the cutter head in and back out as the part rotates though. the part does not turn all that fast, probably a few hundred RPM.
The machine that makes the lenses is for all purposes a lathe made for a very specific task. The lens/lap is held in the chuck and it rotates and the cross feed advances slowly from edge to center as the lead screw moves the cutter toward and away from the part to create the desired tool path. I hopew this helps.

[semery]

Can you sent print,drawing, Iges
semery@semo.net