Metals are casted into different shapes and sizes and used for various applications. This shaping and metal forming process is usually carried out with the help of various kinds of machinery in industries like automobile, engineering, electronics etc. Some of the widely used categories of metal forming equipment include lathe machines, press brakes and grinding machines.
Lathe Machine
A lathe machine for metalworking applications comes in various forms and specifications. There are light duty, medium and heavy duty, roll turning and all geared lathe used to carry out different metal shaping tasks in different industries. While light duty lathes are widely preferred for low volume metal shaping tasks like in tool rooms, the medium and heavy duty lathe are usually preferred for industrial applications where bulk metal forming is the requirement. There are different uses with lathe. It can be used to cut, drill, knurl and deform different kinds of metals. Metals can be shaped to create objects that have symmetry about an axis of rotation.
Press Brake
Press brakes are common at the workplaces where metal bending is performed. With a press brake, metal sheets and plates can be bent and shaped to different dimensions and sizes accurately. A press brake forms predetermined bends by clamping the work piece between a matching punch and die. The shape of die determines the shape to which metal is bent. Therefore for performing shaping of metals to different shapes usually different kinds of dies are used. Press brake for metal bending now comes in different forms and specifications. Mechanical as well as hydraulic press brakes are two widely used forms of metal bending press brakes. Mechanical are generally preferred for low volume tasks where as the hydraulic ones are apt for large volume metal formations.
Grinding Machine
Grinding machine in metal forming applications is widely used to grind metals for better surface finish. It is very easy to work on the metals which must show high surface quality and high accuracy of shape and dimension. It like jig grinders can also be used for grinding holes and pins where as the belt grinders are apt for applications like finishing, deburring, and stock removal. Apart from these there are tool & cutter grinding machine which are best for low volume tool room applications and also the cylindrical grinders that are widely used in industries for making precision rods, tubes, bearing races, bushings, and many other metal parts.
