Five-axis machines carry the highest ticket in most shops and the highest expectations, so funders look as closely at the work as at the iron.
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Yes. A five-axis machining centre is funded as a hard asset, generally on hire purchase, and the values involved mean more than one funder may be worth comparing. Used five-axis machines are fundable, though a funder will want to know the trunnion or head condition and whether the kinematic calibration still holds. The trap is the surrounding spend. Post-processors, CAM seats, probing, tool measurement, chillers and training frequently add a large slice to the quote, and much of that is soft cost a funder will not advance. Price the project, then ask what is fundable.
Used kit: Yes — used five-axis machines fund well, typically up to around twelve years old, with more scrutiny on rotary axis condition and calibration than on age.
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Business asset finance is quoted on a flat rate, so that is what this shows — with the equivalent APR underneath, because the two are not the same number. A quick guide only; your actual rate depends on the asset, term, deposit and lender.
Representative example: on Hire Purchase, borrowing £25,000 over 48 months at a 6.0% flat rate (equivalent to 11.5% APR representative), you would repay around £646 a month; total amount repayable approximately £31,000, of which £6,000 is the cost of finance. This calculator is for illustration only — it is not a quote or an offer of finance, and the rate and repayments you are offered will depend on the asset, term, deposit and your circumstances. CW Asset Finance is a credit broker, not a lender, and may receive a commission from the lender that funds your agreement. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval. CW Asset Finance is an Appointed Representative of Rural Finance Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 630701).
Funders see five-axis as strong security with a proviso: the buyer pool at resale is smaller and more discerning than for a VMC. A simultaneous five-axis machine on a current control with a documented service history sells internationally; one with a damaged trunnion, a non-supported control or no calibration record does not. That is why control generation and OEM support status matter more to an underwriter than the year of manufacture. They will discount CAM licences, post-processors and training entirely as soft. Sector exposure is watched: aerospace build rates and defence spend drive these deals, and funders remember what happened to that order book once before. Declines tend to come where a young company buys a large five-axis machine on the strength of a single unsigned enquiry.
Examples of the machines we are asked to fund. This is not an exhaustive list — if what you are buying is not here, it does not mean we cannot fund it. Your supplier quote is what the agreement is written against.
| Machine | What it is |
|---|---|
| DMG Mori DMU 50 | Five axis centre for toolmaking and prototypes |
| DMG Mori DMU 65 monoBLOCK | Rigid five axis machine for complex parts |
| Hermle C 42 U | High precision five axis centre for moulds |
| Hermle C 22 U | Compact five axis machine for small components |
| Matsuura MX-520 | Five axis centre with pallet automation option |
| Haas UMC-750 | Affordable five axis machine for subcontractors |
| Haas UMC-500 | Smaller five axis centre for compact parts |
| Mazak Variaxis i-600 | Simultaneous five axis machine for aerospace work |
| Grob G350 | Horizontal five axis centre for automotive parts |
| Okuma MU-5000V | Five axis centre for mixed precision production |
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Commonly an aerospace or medical subcontractor that has been quoting five-axis work and subcontracting it out, and has finally won enough to bring it in-house. Also mould and die shops replacing three-plus-two workarounds, and F1 and motorsport suppliers where lead times decide the contract. The trigger is often an approval — a customer audit or a new part family that cannot be held in three setups without losing tolerance.
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Bought on hire purchase, business plant and machinery normally qualifies for capital allowances on the full cost even though you pay for it monthly, which is a large part of why hire purchase is the common structure. On a finance lease you generally set the rentals against profit instead. The rules change between budgets and your position depends on how you trade, so treat this as the direction of travel and get your accountant to confirm the detail before you commit.
A little. The asset is worth more, so the underwriting is more detailed, and they will ask what work is going on it rather than accepting capacity as the reason. Condition evidence matters more on a used machine. Beyond that it is the same hard-asset assessment, and there is no shortage of funders comfortable with five-axis.
Usually not within the same hard-asset facility, because software has no resale value if the funder ever has to recover it. Some funders allow a small soft-cost element alongside the machine, and others offer a separate software facility. Assume the seats are a separate conversation and you will not be caught short at the last minute.
Yes, and funders treat ex-demo favourably. The machine is effectively new, carries a warranty, has been maintained by the builder and comes with a proper invoice from a dealer the funder likely already knows. The discount is real money and the funding is no harder than for a brand new machine.
It can be done. Funders will want to pay the supplier directly, and will need clarity on currency, import duty, VAT treatment and who carries the risk in transit. Duty and freight are usually outside the advance. Deals with a UK agent handling the import are simpler than buying direct from an overseas seller with no UK presence.
On higher value used machines, sometimes. That may be an engineer’s report, a dealer inspection or a video of the machine running a test part. It is not an obstacle, it is how a funder gets comfortable advancing a large sum against something they have not seen. New and ex-demo purchases from established dealers rarely need it.
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Not an offer of finance. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval.
Tell us what you’re looking to fund and Conor will come back to you personally — usually the same day.
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