| Comparing surface roughness values in turning applications throughout a range of supported and unsupported workpiece extension lengths was investigated. The goal of this research, which examined straight turning operations, was to identify a region along the length of the workpiece where the surface roughness values of the unsupported workpiece were statistically comparable to the supported workpiece. A reference chart was developed, highlighting this region, to illustrate where an operator could forego the use of a tailstock during setups. This chart, like the commonly used feed rate, spindle speed, and depth of cut charts, would serve as a reference to operators who routinely perform lathe setups. It would eliminate the experimenting and guess work typically involved in this phase of the setup. The potential benefits to industry come in the form of cost savings from reduced time, materials, and tooling used as the operator attempts to find the optimal machine setup. |
