ABSTRACT
Lathes are one of the most common machining stations and are nowadays used with different cutting tools for different machining processes. Now, machining centers come with all the cutting tools arranged in a magazine from which the appropriate tools are used programmatically. The work piece can be placed with perfection on the order of micrometers. Part programs, written for CNC machining centers, control the whole process. These CNC machines are now being used from the manufacturing of very large scale integration (VLSI) wafers by micromachining to manufacturing of chassis of large space vehicles or missiles through blast machining and cryo-grinding.
