On a CNC lathe with servo spindle control, has anyone experimented with machining stock into non-cylindrical shapes by running the spindle at slow rpm's and moving the x-axis in/out as a function of spindle angular position. Are there any CAM programs that support such a feature?
I agree that it would require a spindle with high torque and fast and accurate x-axis movement.
Of course one can do a little with offsetting a part in a 4-jaw independant chuck, but the above concept has a lot more flexibility.