Conventional Lathe

Q : What is a Matrix clutch?

Matrix clutch is a mechanical clutch made by Matrix Engineering of U.K.   It is installed in the headstocks of THL-1550 and PHL-18/21 lathes.  The clutch assembly allows the spindle motor to always rotate in one direction only and always stays constant speed.   Standard lathe without the clutch will reverse the spindle direction by changing the direction of the spindle motor and sudden change of  the motor speed.  The frequent start/stop/reverse of the motor causes undesirable effects of sudden change in power voltage and wear on the motor.  The benefit of mechanical clutch are less wear on the spindle motor, faster response of spindle start up and reverse, and longer life on the headstock spindle and gears.   

Q : Do I need a follow rest or a steady rest?

If you want to cut long shaft parts with high quality finish and accuracy, the steady rest is highly recommended for cutting parts longer than 300mm.  The steady rest supports the rotating machine part on three roller or copper tip rods.  The follow rest is not as frequently used.  The follow rest travels alongside the cutting tool, and is used to stabilize the part and the tool tip during cutting.

Q : What is a frictional clutch safety device?

The frictional clutch safety device is a brass taper housing assembly installed in the apron and gear box.  If the operator wants to stop the carriage, he can just hold tight the hand wheel on the carriage.  This will cause the frictional clutch to slip and stop the carriage from moving forward.   This feature is very good in preventing collision between the carriage and the chuck.  If the operator sees that the carriage will hit the chuck.  He can just tighten the hold on the carriage and stop the carriage from moving further.  

Q : Should I get a 3 jaw or a 4 jaw chuck?

Three jaw chuck is for clamping circular parts.  4 jaw chuck is for clamping non-circular parts such as square, rectangular, polygon, or irregular shape parts.   Three jaw chuck normally has better accuracy and can withstand higher rotating speed.  Four jaw chuck are normally more robust and can be adjusted to align the part against the rotating center. 

Q : What is a Automatic Leadscrew Reverse device?

Automatic Leadscrew Reverse is used to simplify the cutting operation of long threads on the shaft parts.  The operator sets two mechanical stops, one at the start of the thread and another at the end of the thread.   And the carriage will automatically move to cut thread between the two mechanical stops.   The carriage will move back to starting position by reversing the leadscrew direction at the end of each thread cutting cycle.  The operator only will have to adjust the thread depth on the cross slide at the start of each cycle.   Checking the thread indicator is no longer necessary, which greatly reduces the error of overlapping thread cuts.