What is Facing Operation & Difference Between Facing, Turning and Milling Operation

Besides CNC turning and milling, there are many other operations that can be done on CNC machines for different purposes. Here we are going to talk about facing operation, what is facing in lathe machine? How to perform facing on a lathe and which type of feed is needed? Follow us to go through all these questions and find the answers, understand more about the facing process.

What is Facing Operation?

Facing is a machining operation that can be performed on a lathe or a milling machine. Facing on the milling machine is primarily face milling, while facing on the lathe is commonly used in turning and boring operations. Facing operation is one of the primary ways we can do on the lathe machine when we want to get any shape on a particular part.

Which type of surface is produced in facing operation? Whether on lathe or milling machine, facing is typically used to remove materials from the block to produce a flat surface.

Facing Operation on Lathe Machine - How to Perform Facing on a Lathe

The function of facing on a lathe is mainly to reduce the length of the workpiece. How does facing is performed on a lathe machine? To do the facing operation, a facing tool is mounted into the tool holder that rests on the carriage of the lathe. The part would be clamped in the headstock of the machine. During the facing process, the workpiece needs to be rotated in an anti-clockwise manner along the axis of the lathe, it is supported with the help of dead-center. Which type of feed is needed in facing operation? The cutting tool would be fed in a direction perpendicular to the rotational axis of the piece as it spins in the jaws of the chuck. Facing operation can be performed either by moving the tool from the center away from the workpiece or from the workpiece towards the center. What happens is the material removed in the form of chips and the length of the component reduced to the desired size. The feed is given with the help of the cross slide in a perpendicular direction to the axis.

Operators can choose to hand feed the machine or use a power feed, the latter one is more ideal when a smoother surface is needed. Speeds and feeds, material hardness, cutter size, clamping types, and more factors will affect the quality and effectiveness of facing on the lathe.

Facing on Milling Machine

Facing operation on a milling machine removes the material by rotating the facing tool in the counterclockwise direction as the table feeds the workpiece across the cutter. The tools for face milling including end mill, face mill, shell mill, or fly cutter. Similarly, face milling can also be performed in a manual way and CNC machining, which provides a constant feed that results in an optimal surface finish.

Difference Between Facing, Turning and Milling Operation

1.The first difference between facing, turning and milling operation is that, in facing and turning, the material block or part to be machined is rotated, while in milling, the tool is rotated.

2.The turning and facing tools are single-point cutters, while the milling tools are usually multi-point cutters.

3. In the turning operation, the tool generally reduces the diameter of the cylindrical workpiece, which can be done by cutting into the part for some depth and move the tool parallel to the axis of the part. While facing operation reduces the length of the piece, the tool is moved perpendicular to the axis of the part. In milling operation, the cutter rotates and removes material by moving along a particular direction and angle of the axis of the workpiece.

4. Facing is not restricted to workpieces with cylindrical profiles. Using a 4-jaw chuck, you can face rectangular or odd-shaped work to form cubes and other non-cylindrical shapes.

What is Facing Operation & Difference Between Facing, Turning and Milling Operation | CNCLATHING