Energy Savings with EVS vs. Gearhead Manual Lathe

I heard that an Electronic Variable Speed (EVS) manual lathe has energy savings over a Gearhead (GH) model. Is this true? I am referring to a lathe with a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) and fixed motor speed (constant torque) and a GH machine with similar constant torque. Any suggestions? Thanks.

doinel13 said:

I heard that an Electronic Variable Speed (EVS) manual lathe has energy savings over a Gearhead (GH) model. Is this true? I am referring to a lathe with a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) and fixed motor speed (constant torque) and a GH machine with similar constant torque. Any suggestions? Thanks.

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I just finished a real nice repeat lathe job and just for fun I calculated to the dollar how much money I made, This was a 30 hour job and I made $86 dollars an hour. Not many jobs pay as much as this.It cost me about 25 cents an hour for electricity WHEN THE LATHE WAS ACTUALLY CUTTING. What I am getting at is,the electrical cost is so little ,it doesnt matter. HOWEVER i DO HAVE A VARIABLE SPEED CONTROLER ON MY LATHE and it is well worth the money because it saves machining time. I think that if you were to start a lathe manufacturing company from scratch you could design and produce an electrical variable lathe MUCH CHEAPER THAN A GEAR HEAD LATHE. This is just my opinion. Edwin

What size of lathe are we talking about? A small toolroom lathe with a few hp, and engine lathe with several or some monster with tens of hours power.
For the larger machines, maximizing efficiency may be worth the effort and perhaps more expensive components. Otherwise as stated above the cost of labor greatly over shadows the running cost.

If we can negate the running cost, the following priority is the performance. Speed is determined by the tools and cutting condition. So whats left is the torque, gear head machines have the benefit of eminence torque at lower speeds for a given motor power. Direct drive machines and those with a fixed mechanical reduction can at best expect a flat rate of torque across all speeds.

Unplug your cell phone charger when it's not in use and you'll save more money than a VFD will save you.