A bar feeder is a device that automatically feeds long bars of material into the machine.
It is also called a "material feeding device."
Each time a part is cut from the bar, it advances the material by the amount consumed, ready for the next cut.
A Closer Look
Thanks to the bar feeder, machining can continue without anyone swapping in material piece by piece.
It is one of the most important mechanisms behind the CNC automatic lathe's unattended, continuous volume production.
As long as there is bar stock, the machine can keep making parts through the night and over weekends.
Some feeders can be replenished before the bar runs out, or feed multiple bars in succession, enabling even longer unattended runs.
The bar feeder is the unsung hero that puts the "automatic" in automatic lathe.