Cnc-Lathe

Shops often ask me whether they should use a CNC lathe for gun drilling or buy a dedicated machine. The answer depends on the volume, the hole requirements, and the depth-to-diameter ratio. I’ve used both approaches on hundreds of jobs, and each has its place. When a CNC Lathe Works A CNC lathe with live tooling and through-coolant capability can handle shallow gun drilling work up to about 10:1 L/D ratio. The main limitations are coolant pressure — typically 300-500 psi — and the lack of a guide bushing support for the drill entry. ...

When a CNC Lathe Makes Sense for Gun Drilling A dedicated gun drilling machine is the right tool for production deep hole work. But I have run plenty of successful gun drilling jobs on standard CNC lathes when the volume did not justify a dedicated machine. The key is knowing the limits. In my experience, a lathe with live tooling and through-coolant capability can handle L/D ratios up to about 10:1 reliably. Beyond that ratio, the alignment challenges and coolant pressure limitations make a dedicated machine necessary. ...