By definition hard turning is performed on steel with hardness values of 45 Rc or above, and typically in the 60 – 68 Rc range. This method has a number of advantages for manufacturers including the elimination of specialized grinding equipment and the ability to perform multiple CNC machining

Machining success depends largely on component rigidity, the geometry to be turned, lathe rigidity, and vibration damping characteristics. Rigidity is critical for successful hard turning. The rigidity of tooling, workholding, and the machine tool itself are all crucial elements that will

When considering hard turning, the question is not “Can it be done?” because many machine tools can hard turn. Instead the question is, “How well can it be done?” Success in hard turning is largely a measure of the machine construction and design along with the workholding and tool holding. The

Grinding does–and likely always will–have a place in manufacturing, as all components can not be hard turned due to tolerance requirements and the surface integrity of the part.

Hard turning is defined as the process of single point cutting of part pieces that have hardness values over 45 Rc.