CNC Lathes / Turning Centers

A CNC lathe spins the workpiece and brings a stationary tool to it. That makes it the machine for round parts: shafts, bushings, flanges, fittings, anything whose main features share one axis. The simplest machines move the tool in two axes, X across the diameter and Z along the length. Driven tools in the turret let the lathe drill and mill cross holes and flats. A Y axis takes those features off the centreline, and a sub-spindle finishes the back of the part in the same cycle.

Where turning stops and milling takes over, the neighbours begin. A mill-turn machine replaces the turret's small driven tools with a full milling spindle and a tool magazine. For long, slender parts cut from bar, a Swiss-type lathe supports the stock right at the tool. When the same part runs in very large numbers, multi-spindle automatics cut several pieces at once. Vertical lathes, which hold heavy discs flat on a horizontal chuck, are listed here too.

Compare the chuck size and the maximum turning diameter first, then the turning length, and the bar capacity if the work comes from bar. Spindle power and torque show how the machine handles large diameters at low speed. After that it's configuration: turret stations, driven tools, Y axis, sub-spindle, tailstock. Many models come as a family of letter variants, so check which variant a figure belongs to.