Second-hand lathes, mills and machining centres across Europe. What to look at, what moves the price, and how we document every machine.
CNC machine tools are the most liquid used industrial asset in Europe: demand is constant, the equipment lasts decades, and a well-maintained ten-year-old machine still turns out parts within tolerance. It is also where not asking the right question costs the most.
Vertical and horizontal machining centres, conventional and CNC lathes, multitasking turning centres with Y axis and sub-spindle, milling machines, grinders, wire and sinker EDM, and shop-floor ancillaries: pallet changers, bar feeders, chip and coolant systems and tool presetters.
Two machines of the same model can be very different equipment depending on the year and the control. The first thing we ask a seller for is a clear photograph of the nameplate and one of the control powered on: serial number, real year of manufacture, voltage and frequency, and the exact CNC version.
The control version matters for two practical reasons: it determines whether spare parts and manufacturer support are still available, and whether existing programs can be moved to another machine in the shop without rewriting them.
Almost every control keeps at least two counters: hours with the machine powered on, and spindle hours in cut. The first includes whole afternoons sitting idle; the second is what tells you how much work it has actually done. Asking for a photograph of the counter screen, rather than a figure typed into an email, prevents most misunderstandings.
Just as important: how long it has been standing. A machine switched off for two years in an unheated building can have corrosion on ways and ballscrews and dried-out seals, however low its hours.
In order of how much weight each one really carries in a valuation:
In machining and turning, the names that hold resale value best in Europe tend to be those combining a large installed base with available service: Haas, DMG Mori, Mazak, Okuma, Doosan, Hurco, and Fanuc on controls. That does not mean other brands are not worth buying; it means these have more market comparables, so it is easier to tell whether a price is reasonable.
No asset goes to market without this: nameplate and serial number, real year, control and version, counters, real dimensions and weight as prepared for transport, equipment included and excluded, known defects, photographs of the machine and of the access, and loading conditions. If a seller cannot provide it, we say so before wasting their time.
That same listing is what the buyer receives, in their own language and downloadable as a PDF, so it can be circulated internally without anyone rewriting it.
If you are after a specific machine and it is not in the inventory, we look for it across the international network and let you know when something fits. If you have a machine standing idle, we document it, position it and present it to qualified buyers: no upfront cost, and commission only if the sale closes.
Before deciding, it is worth reading what to check before buying used industrial machinery and what it costs to move a machine across Europe. Both change the final figure more than people expect.