No. “Live tool”, “driven tool”, “live tooling”, “driven tool holder”, “rotary tool holder” and “powered tool” all describe the same thing: a holder that mounts on a CNC lathe turret and has its own spindle, turned by the turret’s internal drive, so a drill, tap or end mill can cut while the main spindle is stopped or indexed. The name tells you nothing about whether a holder fits your lathe — the interface does.
| English | live tool, live tooling, live tool holder, driven tool, driven tool holder, driven unit, rotary tool holder, powered tool |
|---|---|
| German | angetriebene Werkzeuge, angetriebener Werkzeughalter |
| Italian | utensili motorizzati, portautensili motorizzati |
| Spanish | herramientas motorizadas, portaherramientas motorizados |
| French | outils tournants, porte-outils entraînés |
| Russian | приводной инструмент, приводной блок |
| Chinese | 動力刀座 / 动力刀座, 動力刀具 |
| Japanese | 回転工具ホルダ, ミーリングホルダ |
“Live” is the more common word in North America, “driven” in European and Asian catalogues. Mongtec uses both. When you search for a replacement, search under every name — the same holder is often listed under a different one by each supplier.
| Turret interface | VDI (DIN 69880 — VDI16 to VDI60) or BMT (BMT45 to BMT85), or a builder-specific mounting. This decides whether the holder mounts at all. BMT is not a published standard, so two “BMT55” turrets can differ. See BMT or VDI? |
|---|---|
| Drive coupling | How the holder picks up rotation from the turret — the coupling differs by turret builder even where the mounting looks the same. |
| Orientation | Axial (cutter along the turret axis, for face work) or radial (cutter at 90°, for cross work), plus offset, double-output and adjustable versions. See axial or radial? |
| Output | ER collet size, Weldon, arbor, or a quick-change system — this sets the largest cutter. |
| Ratio and rating | 1:1 or speed-increasing, maximum rpm and torque. The holder, not the turret motor, sets the limit. |
| Coolant | External, or internal through the holder to the cutter. |
A live center is a tailstock centre that spins on bearings with the workpiece. It has no drive and holds no cutter — the word “live” is the only thing it shares with live tooling. See why live centers fail.
An angle head also drives a cutter at an angle, but it goes in the spindle of a machining centre, not on a lathe turret. See what is an angle head?
Whatever it is called, a live tool is specified by four things: the machine and turret it goes on, the orientation, the output, and the rating. If you already run one, the article number on its name plate or a few photos are enough to identify it — see how to identify a driven tool holder.
Mongtec publishes 228 driven tool holder article numbers for VDI and BMT turrets, and a turret interface for 409 lathe models across 57 machine brands. Browse driven tool holders → · find your machine →
Mongtec confirms fit and quotes from four details. Email them to info@mongtec.com or use the quote form — we reply within one working day.