Live Tool

A Driven Tool / Live Tooling, used on CNC lathes and turning centers, is a special tool-holding system mounted on the machine turret that transmits rotary motion to the cutting tool through its own drive mechanism. On a standard lathe, the main cutting motion is generated by the rotation of the workpiece. When live tooling is used, the turret’s internal drive system rotates the cutting tool through the driven tool holder. This allows operations such as drilling, milling, tapping, slotting, face machining, and similar processes to be performed in the same setup without transferring the workpiece to another machine. Depending on the application, driven tools can be designed as axial or radial types and can operate with different speeds, torque capacities, and gear ratios. This makes it possible to complete both turning and non-turning operations in a single setup on CNC lathes and turn-mill machines.