Auto bay
A Gauteng automotive workshop needed a practical way to repair worn shafts for taxi and truck fleets, focusing on fast turnaround and reliable fit to keep vehicles on the road.
The workshop sits on the East Rand, handling a steady flow of taxi, truck and small agri spares. Their main headache: worn input and output shafts from constant stop-start driving, scoring or rust at the seal journals, and bush housings that need to go another round before full replacement.
They needed a way to refit or sleeve shafts with basic staff, keep track of each job for fleet records, and avoid sending work out for weeks on end. The team wanted results in hours, not days, and a repeatable method they could trust.
We recommended the Feature Lathe Compact, which fits well in a bay with limited floor space. Its 3-jaw chuck and live-centre tailstock made quick work of re-truing shaft journals and prepping for new bushings. The pendant control meant the operators could easily repeat steps without constant PC interaction, and the setup worked from standard 230 V supply.
For accessories, a soft jaw set let them grip worn or stepped shafts without marking. The insert shadow board kept tools on hand and accounted for. Our team at Sunnyrock installed the lathe, ran the electrical checks with a registered electrician for a valid Certificate of Compliance, and trained the staff on guarding and safe operation.
Within two weeks, the workshop had cleared its queue of worn shafts. Operators quickly got up to speed on the CNC routines, using canned cycles for facing, turning and spigot prep. They could now bush up to four shafts per day with repeatable concentricity, and the press-fit results were more consistent than before.
The team noted less downtime waiting for outside machining, and could keep better job records with shaft measurements and before/after photos for each fleet vehicle. The Feature Lathe Compact ran off a small UPS to protect ongoing jobs from sudden power cuts, common with local cable faults.
For workshops repairing shafts in South African conditions, compact CNC lathes can make a real difference to turnaround and quality, provided the basics are covered: proper tooling for each shaft type, clear job records, and operator training. Keep soft jaws ready for worn or irregular parts, and use a standard insert board to avoid tool mix-ups.
In coastal areas like Durban, protect the machine with regular oiling and a dehumidifier in the cabinet to prevent rust. Always keep the operator's area clear, and make sure all guarding is secure. For any new electrical work, use a registered electrician and get your Certificate of Compliance in line with SANS 10142-1.
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