The components produced in an auto lathe are usually small and cylindrical, and it is normally the diameter that determines in which machine a part is manufactured. The tolerances are often narrow, which means that auto turning is a high precision process. In addition, many auto lathes are equipped with CNC (computer numeric control), a modern technology to control auto lathes with computers.
Automatic turning is faster and is generally for smaller parts than CNC turning. It is usually performed in work shops that do fine mechanics.