COMPONENTS

OF CNC
MACHINES
Definition of CNC Machines

CNC stands for computer numerical control. The CNC

machine comprises of the minicomputer or the micro
computer that acts as the controller unit of the machine.
While in the NC machines the program is fed into the
punch cards ,in the CNC machines the program of
instructions is fed directly into the computer via a small
board similar to the traditional keyboard.
Conventional vs.NC vs. CNC machine
ADVANTAGES OF A CNC
MACHINE
 Flexible, high accuracy
 Short production time
 Complex shapes
 Short setting time
 No skill requirement
 Short inspection time/ high quality product
 Low cost
DISADVANTAGES OF A CNC
MACHINE
 High machine cost
 Complicated maintenance
 Skill & training are required for programming and
maintenance.
 Parts are imported from aboard.
 High tooling cost
 Temperature, humidity & dust must be controlled.
 CNC MACHINES

LAYOUT
The given figure
illustrates the various
components of a CNC
machine
 Drives
Basic function of a CNC machine is to provide automatic and precise
motion control to its elements such work table, tool spindle etc.
Drives are used to provide such kinds of controlled motion to the
elements of a CNC machine tool.
A drive system consists of drive motors and ball lead-screws. The control unit
sends the amplified control signals to actuate drive motors which
in turn rotate the ball lead-screws to position the machine table or
cause rotation of the spindle.
 Power drives
Drives used in an automated system or in CNC system are of different types
such as electrical, hydraulic or pneumatic.
Electrical drives

These are direct current (DC) or alternating current (AC) servo

motors. They are small in size and are easy to control.

Hydraulic drives

These drives have large power to size ratio and provide stepless
motion with great accuracy. But these are difficult to maintain and
are bulky.
Generally they employ petroleum based hydraulic oil which may
have fire hazards at upper level of working temperatures.
Also hydraulic elements need special treatment to protect them
against corrosion.
Pneumatic drives
This drives use air as working medium which is available in abundant and
is fire proof. They are simple in construction and are cheaper.
However these drives generate low power, have less positioning
accuracy and are noisy.
In CNC, usually AC, DC, servo and stepper electrical drives are used.
The various drives used in CNC machines can be classified as:
1) Spindle drives to provide the main spindle power for cutting action
2) Feed drives to drive the axis
Components of CNC Machines

Feed drive
Measuring system  Direct / Indirect
Tool turret
Coordinate systems
Coolant systems
FEED DRIVE
MEASURING
SYSTEMS
TOOL TURRET
AXES OF CNC LATHE
AXES OF CNC MILLING
CNC SYSTEMS - MECHANICAL
COMPONENTS
  The drive units of the carriages in NC machine tools are generally
the screw & the nut mechanism. There are different types of screws
and nuts used on NC machine tools which provide low wear, higher
efficiency, low friction and better reliability.
 Recirculating ball screw
 The recirculating ball screw assembly shown in figure has the flanged nut
attached to the moving chamber and the screw to the fixed casting. Thus
the moving member will move during rotational movement of the screw.
These recirculating ball screw designs can have ball gages of internal or
external return.
 In these types of screws, balls rotate between the screw and nut and convert
the sliding friction (as in conventional nut & screw) to the rolling friction. As a
consequence wear will be reduced and reliability of the system will be
increased.
 The traditional thread used in conventional machine tool has efficiency
ranging from 20% to 30% whereas the efficiency of ball screws may reach
up to 90%.
Recirculating ball screw
 There are two types of ball screws.
 In the first type, balls are returned through an external tube after
few threads.
 In another type, the balls are returned to the start through a
channel inside the nut after only one thread

These ball screws have the problem that minimum diameter of the ball (60 to 70%
of the lead screw) must be used, limiting the rate of movement of the screw
 Roller screw
 These types of screws provide backlash-free movement and their
efficiency is same as that of ball screws. These are capable of
providing more accurate position control.

 Cost of the roller screws are more compared to ball screws.

 The thread form is triangular with an included angle of 90

degrees.
 There are two types of roller screws: planetary and
recirculating screws.
 These types of screws provide backlash-free movement
and their efficiency is same as that of ball screws.
 These are capable of providing more accurate position
control. Cost of the roller screws are more compared to
ball screws.
 The thread form is triangular with an included angle of
90 degrees.
 1. Planetary roller screws:

 Planetary roller screws are shown in figure The rollers are threaded with
a single start thread.
 Teeth are cut at the ends of the roller, which meshes with the
internal tooth cut inside the nut.
 The rollers are equally spaced around and are retained in their
positions by spacer rings.
 There is no axial movement of the rollers relative to the nut and they are
capable of transmitting high load at fast speed.
2. Recirculating roller screws:

 The rollers in this case are not threaded and are provided with a
circular groove and are positioned circumferentially by a cage.
 There is some axial movement of the rollers relative to the nut.
 Each roller moves by a distance equal to the pitch of the screw for each
rotation of the screw or nut and moves into an axial recess cut inside the
nut and disengage from the threads on the screw and the nut and the
other roller provides the driving power.
 Recirculating roller screws are slower in operation, but are capable of
transmitting high loads with greater accuracy.
 Spindle drives

 The spindle drives are used to provide angular motion to the work
piece or a cutting tool.
 The figure shows the components of a spindle drive.
 These drives are essentially required to maintain the speed accurately
within a power band which will enable machining of a variety of materials
with variations in material hardness.
 The speed ranges can be from 10 to 20,000 rpm. The machine tools mostly
employ DC spindle drives. But as of late, the AC drives are preferred to DC
drives due to the advent of microprocessor-based AC frequency inverter. High
overload capacity is also needed for unintended overloads on the spindle due to
an inappropriate feed. It is desirous to have a compact drive with highly smooth
operation.
 Feed Drives
 These are used to drive the slide or a table. Figure shows various
elements of a feed drive. The requirements of an ideal feed drive
are as follows.
 The feed motor needs to operate with constant torque
characteristics to overcome friction and working forces.
 The drive speed should be extremely variable with a speed range of
about 1: 20000, which means it should have a maximum speed of
around 2000 rpm and at a minimum speed of 0.1 rpm.
 The feed motor must run smoothly.
 The drive should have extremely small positioning resolution.
 Other requirements include high torque to weight ratio, low rotor inertia and quick
response in case of contouring operation where several feed drives have to work
simultaneously.
 Variable speed DC drives are used as feed drives in CNC machine
tools. However now-a-days AC feed drives are being used.
Electrical drives

Classification of motors
 DC motors
 A DC motor is a device that converts direct current (electrical energy) into rotation of an
element (mechanical energy).
 These motors can further be classified into brushed DC motor and brushless DC
motors.
 1. Brush type DC motor
 The working is based on the principle that when a
current-carrying conductor is placed in a magnetic field,
it experiences a mechanical force, this force is called
torque. This torque will cause the armature to
turn, whose direction is given by Fleming's left-hand
rule. The magnitude of the force is given by
 F = BIL sinθ (4.1.1)
 Where, B is magnetic field density in weber/m2
 I is the current in amperes and
 L is the length of the conductor in meter
 θ is the angle between the direction of the current in the
conductor and the electric field
Advantages of brushed DC motor :
 The design of the brushed DC motor is quite simple
 Controlling the speed of a Brush DC Motor is easy
 Very cost effective
Disadvantages of brushed DC motor :
 High maintenance
 Performance decreases with dust particles
 Less reliable in control at lower speeds
 The brushes wear off with usage
2: Brushless DC motor

 A brushless DC motor has a rotor with permanent

magnets and a stator with windings.

 The rotor can be of ceramic permanent magnet type.

The brushes and commutator are eliminated and the
windings are connected to the control electronics.

 The control electronics replace the commutator and

brushes and energize the stator sequentially.

 Here the conductor is fixed and the magnet moves

Advantages of brushless DC motor :
 More precise due to computer control
 More efficient
 No sparking due to absence of brushes
 Less electrical noise
 No brushes to wear out
 Easy to cool
 Motor can operate at speeds above 10,000 rpm under loaded and unloaded conditions
 Responsiveness and quick acceleration
Disadvantages of brushless DC motor :
 Higher initial cost
 Complex due to presence of computer controller
 Brushless DC motor also requires additional system wiring in order to power the electronic
commutation circuitry
 AC motors
 AC motors convert AC current into the rotation of a mechanical element (mechanical
energy)
 The working principle ,Consider the rotor to be a permanent magnet. Current flowing
through conductors energizes the magnets and develops N and S poles.
 The strength of electromagnets depends on current.

 First half cycle current flows in one direction and in the second half cycle it flows in
opposite direction.
 As AC voltage changes the poles alternate.
AC motors can be classified into synchronous motors and induction
motors.
 1: Synchronous motor
 A synchronous motor is an AC motor which runs at constant speed fixed by
frequency of the system.
 It requires direct current (DC) for excitation and has low starting torque, and hence
is suited for applications that start with a low load.
 It has two basic electrical parts namely stator and rotor as shown in figure
 Induction motor
 Induction motors are quite commonly used in industrial automation

 Induction motors can be classified into two types:

 Single-phase induction motor : It has one stator winding and a squirrel cage rotor. It
operates with a single-phase power supply and requires a device to start the motor.
 Three-phase induction motor : The rotating magnetic field is produced by the
balanced three-phase power supply. These motors are self-starting.
Working :
 In an induction motor there is no external power supply to rotor.
 It works on the principle of induction.
 When a conductor is moved through an existing magnetic
field the relative motion of the two causes an electric
current to flow in the conductor.
 The induced current which is produced in the rotor results in a
magnetic field around the rotor.
 As the magnetic field of the stator rotates, due to the effect of
the three- phase AC power supply, the induced magnetic field
of the rotor will be attracted and will follow the rotation
Advantages of AC induction motors
 It has a simple design, low initial cost, rugged construction almost unbreakable
 The operation is simple with less maintenance (as there are no brushes)
 The efficiency of these motors is very high, as there are no frictional losses, with
reasonably good power factor
 The control gear for the starting purpose of these motors is minimum and thus simple
and reliable operation

Disadvantages of AC induction motors

 The speed control of these motors is at the expense of their efficiency
 As the load on the motor increases, the speed decreases
 The starting torque is inferior when compared to DC motors