Used CNC Lathes for sale.

View our available used CNC lathes for steel turning and metal working. We carefully select our used CNC lathes, ensuring recent control systems such as Fanuc and Siemens, useful features such as hydraulic chucks and chip conveyors and other accessories are included. We sell our second hand CNC lathes to engineering workshops in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Zambia. Looking for new CNC lathes? Click here.

All of our used machine tools are:

  • Multi-point checked by our fitters and electricians

  • Quality checked and/or refurbished and painted

  • Supplied with a 3 month guarantee (where applicable)

  • Can be supplied at your request with new wear and tear parts and accessories such as chucks, tool holders, blades, vee dies and other tooling.

What is a used CNC Lathe?

In a metalworking lathe, metal is removed from the workpiece using a hardened cutting tool, which is usually fixed to a solid moveable mounting, either a tool-post or a turret, which is then moved against the workpiece. On conventional lathes this is done using using handwheels driven by a shaft or lead screw connected to the gearbox in the headstock. In a CNC lathe, computer controlled motors are used and receive their instructions from a program loaded into the control, typically a Siemens or Fanuc type. The lathe (cutting) tools come in a wide range of sizes and shapes depending upon their application. Some common styles are diamond, round, square and triangular.

The tool-post is operated by lead-screws that can accurately position the tool in a variety of planes. The tool-post may be driven manually or automatically to produce the roughing and finishing cuts required to turn the workpiece to the desired shape and dimensions, or for cutting threads, worm gears, etc. In a CNC lathe, the tool post often features indexing and automatic tool changing. Cutting fluid may also be pumped to the cutting site to provide cooling, lubrication and clearing of swarf from the workpiece. In a CNC lathe, the computer operation of this process allows for mass production of parts, with high accuracy and repeatability.

The workpiece may be supported between a pair of points called centres, or it may be bolted to a faceplate or held in a chuck. A CNC lathe typically uses a hydraulic chuck that has movable jaws that can grip the workpiece securely. This is especially useful when pairing the lathe with a CNC bar feeder, for automatic feeding of shafts through the headstock, completely automating the turning process.