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Resale Value of CNC Machines – What You Need to Know

CNC machines can be a valuable asset for a machining shop if you understand the machine’s details and how to maintain it properly. The machines will not only help you earn money with the help of manufacturing different products, but you will also be able to gain a good amount while reselling the machine in the used CNC machine market. 

However, several people often get scammed when selling CNC machines. In this blog, we aim to help machinists worldwide with their CNC machine depreciation rate by explaining to them what affects the CNC machine depreciation rate and how to manage it. 

Factors that Affect CNC Machine Depreciation Rate: 

Cutting Hours: 

The next major factor that contributes to the CNC machine depreciation rate is the cutting hours of the machine. Cutting hours helps the new buyers get an idea of the overall condition of the machine, and a very high cutting hours for a CNC machine won’t be able to get you a good price. Here are things that are affected by the cutting hours of the CNC machine:

  • Spindle Condition: The spindle of a CNC machine with long cutting hours is actually a big hurdle for reselling the machine, as it is destined to have wear and tear.
  • Tool Condition: If cutting tools have been employed for several thousand hours, then they will definitely develop some issues, and that brings down the price of the machine.
  • Precision Loss: A CNC machine that has been machining for long hours can lose its precision machining capabilities due to wear and tear in the cutting tool, spindle, or misalignment of axes.

Age of the Machine:

One of the major factors that determines the CNC machine resale value is the age of the CNC machine. For how many years the machine has been owned and employed is a real game changer. Here are two major things you need to keep in mind when discussing the age of the machine: 

  • First Year Hit: The major depreciation in the value of the CNC machine happens in the first one or two of the CNC machine. So when you are buying a new CNC machine, you lose a huge chunk in just the first few years.
  • The Tech Cliff: Another major factor about the age of a CNC machine is what tech options the CNC machine offers. The more advanced technology the machine lacks, the lower price you are going to be able to fetch in the resale market.

Control System:

The next factor that affects the resale value of your CNC machine is the control system of the machine. The control system is considered to be the brain of the machine, and no one would like to buy a CNC machine with outdated controls. Here are the factors you need to be concerned about:

  • Technology Obsolescence: One of the biggest technological drawbacks of a CNC machine is an obsolete control system. A machine with an outdated or discontinued CNC control system is very hard to sell. The modern control system offers faster processing, better connectivity, and easier programming.
  • Software Matters: A current control with available software backups and parameter lists is far more valuable than one with a corrupt or lost memory card.

Machines with control systems of Fanuc, Siemens modern versions, and Haas or Okuma’s proprietary systems are more common and have more demand in the market.

Overall Machine Condition:

The last of the four major factors that can affect the CNC machine depreciation rate is the overall machine condition and looks. Always remember, first impressions last. If the outside image of the machine is not attractive to the potential buyer, then they would never be the buyer at all.

  • Make sure to have a clean machine. Machines full of coolant residues and chips won’t ever fetch a good price in the used CNC selling market.
  • A machine with scratches in the body, worn wipers, or rust in the work envelope can be seen as a sign of neglect to the buyer, which can affect the CNC machine resale value.

But all these factors are sometimes over highlighted by the buyers, which can reduce your machine’s price, but to get an honest resale price for your CNC machine, you can sell your machine to MachineStation.

The Brand and Axes Factor:

One major factor that decides what price you are going to get when selling your CNC machine in the used CNC machine market is the brand of your CNC machine. Some brands are highly popular among machines all around the world and can get you a good price at any point, while some unknown brands, on the other hand, can be more affordable during purchase but won’t be able to get you a good price in the used market. 

Here are some brands that can definitely get you a good price in the selling market:

  • Haas CNC Machines: One of the most trusted brands in North America, popular for its affordability and widespread service network. 
  • DMG Mori CNC Machines: One of the most well known brands that can fetch you a good price because their machines are powerful and long lasting. 
  • Mazak CNC Machines: The CNC machines of Mazak are always equipped with high end technology and known for their high precision cutting performance, helping you get a better price. 
  • Okuma CNC Machines: A well celebrated brand known for its long lasting machines, which are also capable of heavy duty machining works, which helps you get a good price for their used machines.
  • Doosan CNC Machines: This CNC brand is known for its reliable and high precision CNC machines, which have good demand in the used CNC market too.

One more major factor that decides the CNC machine depreciation value is the axes of the machine. Machines with 5 or more axes can get you a good price in the used CNC machine market. 

But if you already have a CNC machine you are planning to sell, then these two factors are out of your control, as you can’t change the brand or axes. But if you want to replace it with another machine or buy a new one, then you must check our collection of used CNC machines that have different brands and different axis configurations.

Conclusion: 

CNC machine’s depreciation value is affected by several factors, and we have covered them for you. In conclusion, we can say that people will judge the book by its cover, so always have a good outer condition to get a good price for your CNC machine, and ensure that the machine is well maintained, which increases the price for sure.

FAQs:

1. What to do with old CNC machines?

Ans: You can definitely sell your old CNC machines to platforms like MachineStation to get some amount of return on the machine.

Ans: One can expect a CNC machine to last 15-20 years approximately, but with proper care and maintenance, a CNC machine could see a lifespan of over 30 years

Ans: If you are looking to sell a used CNC machine, then MachineStation is there to help you out in selling that machine and get a good price.

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