Live centers and tool posts

Live centers are tools used in machine tools that work with rotary motion. They are designed with the function of supporting the piece to be machined. To perform this function they are positioned on the opposite side of the spindle. This way the workpiece will be fixed at both ends as it rotates. There are mainly two types, they can in fact be of the rotating type, mounted on bearings, or fixed.

The tool posts, on the other hand, are placed on the machine carriage and allow you to mount different tool holders. Through these tool holders it is possible to keep the different tools that have to carry out the machining on the machined piece. They can be of two types, quick change or fixed. In the quick-change model, thanks to the practical central lever, it is possible to lock or unlock the tool holder with a single rotation. In the fixed models, on the other hand, the various tool holders are already present which cannot be dismantled.

Rotating live centers are mainly used for turning jobs on lathes that use medium / high revolutions. They are tools designed to allow the housing of radial and axial bearings. There are different types in order to meet the needs of more or less high loads.

The fixed live centers have the purpose of holding the pieces with precision in order to obtain high precision machining. It is also possible to purchase tool holders that allow the use of different tools in order to be able to carry out different processes.