For an operator's viewpoint, he must, of course, understand the machine's basic components, its directions of motion, and all buttons and switches available on the machine tool itself.

Lathes are machine tools that use turning tools to turn rotating workpieces. On the lathe, drills, reamers, reamers, taps, die and knurling tools can also be used for corresponding processing. Lathes are mainly used for processing shafts, disks, sleeves and other workpieces with rotating surfaces. They are the most widely used machine tools in machinery manufacturing and repair plants.

CNC turning centers and lathe machinery look are the same, but they usually refer to slightly different machine tools. Lathes can usually only turn, while turning centers can be more advanced. These machines can perform end face, thread, knurling, drilling, boring, reaming, and taper turning. Horizontal CNC lathes are more common, while vertical machine tools use gravity. CNC turning centers can benefit from predictive maintenance.