Twin-turret or single-turret lathe: what do more turrets add?
A second turret is worth having when your parts have enough work to split between two tools: it cuts on its own axes at the same time as the first, on the same part or at the other spindle, and a third turret makes it three. When a part has little to split, a single turret with a Y axis and a sub-spindle, or two separate lathes, can do the same work, and bar size, floor space, programming and volume decide.
Published Nov 10, 2026
What does a second turret add?
A second tool in the cut. Each turret has its own axes, so two tools follow two different paths at the same time. Eurotech's double-turret machines use that in three ways:
- Both turrets on the part in the main spindle, with the sub-spindle holding the far end like a tailstock (an option on the Rapido).
- One turret on the main spindle and the other on the sub-spindle, at the same time.
- Three tools in the cut, which Eurotech gets from a sub-spindle that moves on two axes and what it calls superimposition.
It also adds tool stations: 30 on the double-turret Trofeo BMX, against 15 on the single-turret Ultima B620. What it does not help is a part with nothing to split. If one turret has nearly all the work, the other waits.
The machines in this guide, from one turret to three:
| Machine | Turrets | Y axes | Spindles | Bar capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eurotech Ultima B620 | 1, 15 stations | 1 | Main and sub | 2.00, 2.76 or 3.15 in |
| Eurotech Stallion | 1, 12 or 16 stations | 1 | Main and sub | Up to 4.03 in |
| Eurotech Rapido BMX 45Y2 | 2, 12 stations each | 2 | Main and sub | 1.77 in |
| Eurotech Trofeo BMX | 2, 15 stations each | 2 | Main and sub | 2.0, 2.75 or 3.15 in (51, 70 or 80 mm) |
| Eurotech Multipla T3Y3 | 3, 12 stations each | 3 | Main and sub | 1.77 (2.00), 2.56 (2.75) or 3.15 in |
| Hwacheon TTC-10 | 2, 12 stations each | None | Two, side by side | 2.32 in (59 mm) |
| Hwacheon T2 | 1 or 2, 12 stations each | Optional | Main, sub optional | 2.55 in (65 mm) |
How far does one turret with a Y axis go?
A single-turret turn/mill center with live tools, a Y axis and a sub-spindle already finishes a part on both ends in one setup: the part passes from the main spindle to the sub-spindle, and the same turret machines both sides. The limit is that every tool rides on that one turret. Even Eurotech's option for the Ultima B620 that cuts with two tools at once, one at each spindle, holds both on the turret, so they share its axes.
For large bar, the single-turret Stallion goes further than any multi-turret machine here: bar up to 4.03 in, against 3.15 in at most on the double- and triple-turret machines. Eurotech calls the B1250, with 51.6 in of Z travel, particularly suitable for long shafts.
Whether a part needs a multitasking turn-mill instead is another question, covered in multitasking turn-mill or a lathe with live tools.
What sizes do the double-turret machines come in?
Eurotech's double-turret machines put two turrets, two spindles and two Y axes on one bed. The Rapido BMX 45Y2 is the compact one: 10 axes, two 12-station turrets with live tooling on every station, two 6,000 rpm spindles and bar up to 1.77 in, for what Eurotech calls small-sized parts. The Trofeo BMX has 11 axes and two 15-station turrets, all 30 stations live, with live tools driven at up to 20 HP and 10,000 rpm, and takes bar up to 2.0, 2.75 or 3.15 in (51, 70 or 80 mm) on the 51-SY2, 70-SY2 and 80-SY2.
On both, the sub-spindle also moves across, so it can sit off the main spindle's center line. Eurotech says that keeps the two turrets from interfering.
What does a third turret add?
A third tool in the cut, and a turret that can work either end. Eurotech's Multipla has three 12-station live-tool turrets, each with its own Y axis, on two C-axis spindles: 13 axes on the T3Y3. Two turrets sit above the spindles and one below, and the lower one works on either spindle. Eurotech shows two turrets on the main spindle while the third works the sub-spindle, and the reverse, so three tools cut at once.
Where do Hwacheon's TTC-10 and T2 fit?
Hwacheon calls the TTC-10 a twin spindle turning center: two spindles side by side, 18.11 in (460 mm) apart, each with a 10 in chuck and its own 12-station turret, run by a two-path FANUC 0i-TF Plus. Hwacheon says the two spindles run together but independently, and shows the machine on flanges, wheels and brake disks. It is a turning machine: Hwacheon lists no milling version.
The T2 shows what a second turret changes on one machine. Hwacheon offers it in eight configurations: one or two 12-station turrets, with or without a sub-spindle, with or without a Y axis, every one with turnmill (live tools), a C axis and the same 122.05 x 85.83 in (3,100 x 2,180 mm) floor space. With a Y axis and a sub-spindle, the one-turret T2-1TYSMC weighs 17,637 lb (8,000 kg) and needs a 75 kVA supply; the two-turret T2-2TYSMC weighs 20,944 lb (9,500 kg) and needs 85 kVA. The second turret is the lower one, and it turns up to 15.4 in (390 mm) in diameter, against 18.1 in (460 mm) for the upper.
One twin-turret machine or two single-turret lathes?
Put the same questions to both options.
- Floor and power. With their swarf conveyors, one Trofeo BMX measures 209 x 88 x 94 in and weighs 23,810 to 24,912 lb, and one Ultima B620 measures 179 x 81 x 80 in and weighs 14,330 to 14,770 lb. The TTC-10 takes 118.11 x 111.81 in (3,000 x 2,840 mm) of floor and a 75 kVA supply. Draw both layouts, then check what your shop needs ready.
- Loading. On bar work, a bar feeder loads the machine and its own catcher and conveyors empty it: Eurotech lists a bar-feeder interface, a programmable parts catcher and gantry, and parts and chip conveyors as standard on the Trofeo. Hwacheon lists a bar-feeder interface as standard on the TTC-10 as well, and its catalog names a gantry, loader or robot for automating it. See cobot, robot, gantry loader or pallet system.
- Programming. A twin-turret machine runs one program path per turret at the same time: Hwacheon lists the TTC-10's control as two-path, and Eurotech says the Trofeo's upper and lower turrets are programmed independently. Two single-turret lathes run two ordinary programs. Settle who writes and proves out the multi-path programs before the machine ships.
- Part mix. Two lathes run two unrelated jobs, and one can be set up while the other cuts. If one is down, the other keeps running; when a twin-turret machine is down, both spindles wait.
- Volume. Eurotech's double- and triple-turret machines are built to finish bar parts in one setup, and Eurotech aims the Multipla at medium-sized batches of complex parts. On short runs of simple parts, the extra turret has less to do.
What should you send for a quote?
The part, the material, the yearly quantity and the machines you run now: the quote form asks for each. If you are weighing one twin-turret machine against two lathes, say so, and use the form's boxes for robot loading, a machine to trade in or financing.
Common questions
How many turrets do Eurotech's turn/mill centers have?
One, two or three. The Ultima B620 and the Stallion have one live turret with a Y axis and a sub-spindle. The Rapido BMX 45Y2 and the Trofeo BMX have two turrets, two spindles and two Y axes. The Multipla has three turrets, each with its own Y axis, on two spindles.
What bar sizes do Eurotech's double-turret machines take?
1.77 in on the Rapido BMX 45Y2, and 2.0, 2.75 or 3.15 in (51, 70 or 80 mm) on the Trofeo BMX 51-SY2, 70-SY2 and 80-SY2, as Eurotech's brochures give them.
Is a twin-spindle lathe the same as a twin-turret lathe?
No. Spindles hold the part and turrets hold the tools. A lathe with a sub-spindle and one turret machines both ends of a part with every tool on that one turret; a second turret adds a second tool in the cut. Hwacheon's TTC-10 has two of each: two spindles side by side, each with its own turret.
Can a single-turret lathe cut with two tools at once?
Eurotech lists an option for the Ultima B620 that does: two tools at the same time, one at each spindle, both held on the one turret and sharing its axes. With two turrets, each tool has its own axes.
Sources
- 1.Eurotech Rapido BMX 45Y2 brochure · eurotechelite.com
- 2.Eurotech Trofeo BMX 51-SY2, 70-SY2, 80-SY2 brochure · eurotechelite.com
- 3.Eurotech Trofeo BMX 51-SY2 product page · eurotechelite.com
- 4.Eurotech Multipla brochure · eurotechelite.com
- 5.Eurotech Multipla B465-T3Y3 product page · eurotechelite.com
- 6.Eurotech Ultima B620 brochure · eurotechelite.com
- 7.Eurotech Stallion B750 and B1250 brochure · eurotechelite.com
- 8.Eurotech Stallion B750 product page · eurotechelite.com
- 9.Hwacheon TTC-10 catalog · hwacheon.com
- 10.Hwacheon T2 catalog · hwacheon.com