Used Swiss-Type Lathe: What to Check Before You Buy

A Swiss-type lathe slides the bar through a guide bushing and cuts right next to it, so it can hold tight size on long, thin parts. It also packs more axes, more tool positions and more ways to wear into a small machine than a regular turning center. This checklist covers what is different about a Swiss. Use it next to the used CNC lathe checklist and the machining center checklist, which cover hours, control backups and the photos to ask for.

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1. Know exactly what machine it is

• Get the make, model and serial number off the nameplate. Swiss-type models come in many versions with different axis counts, tool positions and back-working setups, and the model suffix tells them apart.
• Confirm the maximum bar diameter and the longest part length per chucking against the parts you run. A Swiss that is right at its bar limit for your work leaves no room.
• Ask the builder or its dealer to look up the serial number for the build date and how it left the factory.
• Read the electrical nameplate and confirm voltage and phase match your shop.

2. Control, timers, alarms and options

• Photograph the power-on and run-time timers and read the alarm history in person. Repeated headstock, guide bushing, servo or overload alarms show where the trouble has been.
• Check which options are active on the control: back working, live tools on the gang and back side, C-axis, guide-bushingless mode, synchronous or superimposed control between paths. A listing is not proof.
• Ask for the parameter backup, the macro programs and the tool-layout sheets, and make sure they come with the machine. Two- and three-path Swiss programs are hard to rebuild from nothing.

3. Guide bushing and sliding headstock

• Pull the guide bushing and look at the bore and slots for galling, scoring or bell-mouthing. Ask which bar sizes the bushings on hand fit.
• Find out whether it is a rotary or stationary guide bushing. On a rotary bushing, run it and listen for bearing noise.
• Jog the headstock (the Z axis that feeds the bar) end to end, slow and fast, and watch the load readout for spots where it climbs. Indicate a reversal for backlash.
• Turn a test part a few inches long and measure the diameter near the bushing and out at the end. Taper or chatter points to bushing, headstock or setup trouble.

4. Main spindle and collets

• Warm the spindle up and run it through its speed range. Listen for noise and feel the headstock for heat and vibration.
• Indicate the collet nose for runout with a ground pin or a test bar in the collet.
• Cycle the collet many times and check that it grips evenly. Count the collets that come with it and check their faces and slots. Worn collets mark parts and slip.
• Index the C-axis to several positions and check that it holds without drifting.

5. Sub-spindle and back working

• Run a pick-off with both spindles in sync. The part should transfer without a mark, step or burr where it was gripped.
• Check the sub-spindle collet for runout and even clamping, the same as the main.
• Run the back-working tools and any back-side live tools. Check the part ejector and the parts conveyor or catcher; a catcher that drops parts means scrap and dents.

6. Gang slide, tool posts and live tools

• Look over the gang slide and tool posts for crash damage: cracked holders, bent posts, chewed T-slots or fresh repairs.
• Run every live-tool spindle on the gang and back side through its speed range. Listen for growl, feel for heat, and with the drive stopped rock the tool by hand for play.
• Check that the cross-drilling and milling heads in the tool list are actually on the pallet. Count only the live tools that run quiet and true.
• Ask for the tool-holder list. Swiss holders are often specific to the builder and model, so missing ones can be slow and costly to find.

7. Bar feeder and spindle liners

• If a bar feeder comes with it, run it with real bar. Check the alignment to the spindle, the interface signals with this control, and the remnant and bar-change cycle.
• Ask which spindle liners or reducers come with it and which bar sizes they fit. Running bar without the right liner causes whip and vibration at speed.
• Confirm the feeder's power and any separate controls match your shop.

8. Coolant, oil mist and fire safety

• Ask what coolant or cutting oil is in the machine. Many Swiss machines run straight oil, and mixing oil types or switching to water-based coolant takes a full cleanout.
• Check the tank, the chip conveyor and the filters for sludge and packed chips. It tells you how the machine was kept.
• Run the mist collector. With oil at high speed, a working mist collector and a serviced fire-suppression system are part of running the machine safely. Ask whether the machine has one and when it was last checked.
• Look under the covers and around the gang slide for packed chips and coolant damage, and confirm the way lube system works.

Photos to ask for before you travel

The timer and alarm history screens, the active options screen, the nameplate, the guide bushing pulled out, the main and sub-spindle collets, the gang slide and tool posts, the bar feeder, and the inside of the work area. Add a short video of a part running start to finish, including the pick-off.

Selling a used Swiss?

Send the model, serial number, control, the options that are active, the guide bushings, collets and holders that come with it, the bar feeder, and the photos above. See how to prepare a machine for sale and how a CNC machine valuation works.

Used Swiss lathe FAQ