CNC turning (also known as CNC lathes) is a subtractive manufacturing process in which a stationary cutting tool removes material by making contact with the spinning workpiece to create the desired shape.

During processing, a blank bar of stock material is held in the chuck of the spindle and rotated with the spindle. Extreme precision and repeatability can be achieved under the control of computer instructions for the movement of the machinery.

When CNC turning rotates the workpiece in a chuck, it’s generally to create round or tubular shapes and achieve far more accurate rounded surfaces than CNC milling or other machining processes.