CNC turning is a subtractive manufacturing technology and refers to the process of removing material from a cylindrical stock piece of material — though CNC turning can also be performed on a wide range of stock shapes such as hex or square bar. The machine spins the workpiece while a tool moves to engage and remove material until the desired shape is achieved. CNC Turning is a specific type of CNC Machining, referring to the particular subtractive machining process where the final piece, or material, is spun at high speed and a cutting tool shaves away material.
CNC turning is primarily used to construct cylindrical or conical surfaces. In contrast, the turning procedure necessitates the use of a lathe, which is a machine tool capable of revolving a workpiece around an axis of rotation, of executing various operations, including cutting, drilling, turning, and threading.