Autofeeding CNC Lathe Cranks Out Parts All By Itself

Maher Lagha has created a fully automated CNC lathe work cell for producing wooden honey dippers. In this setup, wooden dowel blanks are dispensed from an infeed rack and secured between centers on the lathe’s headstock and pneumatic tailstock. A two-axis stage in front of the workpiece moves a tool against the spinning stock, efficiently carving out the honey dipper in just a few minutes.

After the lathe work is completed, the spindle stops, and the tailstock retracts the honey dipper from the headstock. A pneumatic piston then knocks the almost-finished part into a collection bin. The entire process is automated and repeats for continued production.

While Maher doesn’t provide extensive details, the work cell features industrial automation components, including linear rails and ballscrews for the X- and Y-axes, and a sturdy aluminum extrusion bed. Acrylic guards are employed to contain wood chips and protect delicate mechanisms. This automated system demonstrates an effective solution for small-scale manufacturing, especially when dealing with low-margin products that benefit from efficient and consistent production processes.

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