Workshop Equipment: Complete Guide 2026

The minimum equipment for a professional mechanical workshop includes 7 machine tools: bench grinder (from €140), metal band saw (from €360), drill press, parallel lathe, welding machine, milling machine, and hydraulic press. At Krollit, official Bernardo distributors since 2007 with 10,000+ professional clients, we have selected, installed, and serviced these in thousands of Italian workshops.

The total cost ranges from €6,000–€12,000 for an advanced hobbyist up to €300,000+ for an industrial SME. In this guide, you will find real 2026 prices, the logical purchasing sequence, and available tax incentives.

Each machine in the list covers a specific phase of the metalworking cycle. Skipping one creates bottlenecks that cost time and third-party services.

1. Bench grinder. Used daily for tool sharpening, deburring, and edge finishing. Power 150 W–2.2 kW. Bernardo starts from €140 (combined belt/disc) up to €2,422 for industrial Flott models. Among the 26 available models, you will find single-phase and three-phase versions.

2. Metal band saw. Cuts bars, profiles, and tubes before the piece reaches the lathe or milling machine. Portable from €360; semi-automatic from €2,623; automatic CNC Flott up to €57,000. A hydraulic lowering motor becomes necessary for continuous production.

3. Drill press. For precise holes on steel, cast iron, and aluminum. Capacity from Ø16 mm to Ø32 mm in steel; power 750–1,100 W for drill bits up to Ø25 mm. Bernardo and Flott: from €200 to €8,000. The version with a digital speed indicator eliminates setup errors on different materials.

4. Parallel lathe. The central piece of a mechanical workshop. Key parameters: distance between centers (300–5,000 mm), center height (100–800 mm), bar passage (20–160 mm). The Bernardo Hobby 350V starts from €1,183; models with DRO from €4,500; heavy-duty Titan models up to €41,100. Three-phase power is mandatory above 1.5 kW.

5. MIG/MAG welding machine. Closes the cycle: fabrication, repair, and joining without leaving the workshop. 150A inverter: €200–400; professional 250A MIG: €800–2,000; industrial systems up to €8,000. Requires dedicated fume extraction at 1,000–2,000 m³/h per station.

6. Universal milling machine. Flat surfaces, grooves, T-slots, threads. The Bernardo UWF 80 E Vario costs €11,474; UWF 95N–150 models exceed €20,000. Requires three-phase 400V. For those entering CNC, the next step is a 3-axis VMC from €40,000.

7. Hydraulic press. Pressing bearings, shaft extraction, cold bending, straightening. The Bernardo WK 15 TH Pro costs €671 and is sufficient for 90% of artisan workshops; industrial presses 100–200 t reach €15,000.

The budget depends on the intended use. The 163,244 Italian mechanical companies, of which 83,770 are artisan (51.3%, Confartigianato 2024 data), are distributed across three levels with very different investments.

Level Machines Included Investment Area Power Supply

Before purchasing machines, the workshop must comply with the structural requirements of Legislative Decree 81/2008 and CEI 64-8 standard (updated November 2024). Penalties for non-compliance range from €2,847 to €9,112 with possible suspension of activity.

Space: Annex IV of Legislative Decree 81/2008 sets a minimum height of 3 meters and a minimum gross volume of 10 m³ per worker. Distances between machines: at least 1 meter on all sides, 1.5 m recommended, corridors 1.2 m. Reinforced concrete floor: 150 mm for hobbyist workshops, 200–300 mm for loads up to 7,000 kg.

Electrical system: CEI 64-8 standard requires a minimum IP44 rating on outlets and a dedicated circuit with a differential circuit breaker for each machine. Three-phase (400V) power is mandatory above 2.2–3 kW: professional lathes, milling machines, industrial band saws all require three-phase. DPR 462/2001 mandates verification of the earthing system every 2 years, documented and retained.

Ventilation: for welding stations, 1,000–2,000 m³/h of extraction is needed at 15–30 cm from the work point. For mechanical processing without welding: 3–5 air changes per hour. Oil mist extraction for lathes and milling machines with cutting fluid: 500–1,500 m³/h per machine. Krollit distributes metal extraction systems compatible with any layout.

The criterion is the actual workflow: first, the raw material is cut, then drilled, then turned, then welded. Anyone who buys a milling machine before a lathe will find themselves outsourcing 70% of parts for months.

Step 1: Bench grinder (€150–350). In use from day one. Sharpens every tool that comes next, from the first carbide insert to the first HSS drill bit.

Step 2: Horizontal band saw (€1,000–2,500). Cuts raw material independently. Without it, every bar to be cut means a trip to a third-party service provider.

Step 3: Drill press (€500–1,500). Precise holes on most parts from the first week. Quickly amortizes on any type of work.

Step 4: Parallel lathe (€2,500–9,000). From this point, you can work independently on shafts, bushings, flanges, and rotational parts. 70% of the machining operations in a mechanical workshop involve the lathe.

Step 5: MIG/MAG welding machine (€500–2,000). Fabrication, repair, and assembly without leaving the workshop. Closes the production cycle for almost all jobs.

Step 6: Universal milling machine (€5,000–12,000). Flat surfaces, grooves, complex shapes: everything the lathe doesn't do. Necessary when specialization requires it.

Step 7: Hydraulic press (€500–3,500). Pressing bearings, straightening, bending. Also useful for repair parts coming from outside.

Subsequent steps depend on specialization: chop saw, shear/bender, grinding machine, first CNC lathe or machining center.

The Italian machine tool market produced €6,420 million in 2025 (+1.5%, source UCIMU), with domestic consumption growing by 20.5% to €4,465 million. For 2026, UCIMU predicts production at €6,590 million. Those purchasing in 2026 have a new incentive compared to previous years.

Super Amortization 2026 (Budget Law 2026, Law no. 199 of 30/12/2025): replaces the Transition 4.0 and 5.0 tax credits, both of which have expired. It functions as an increase in the fiscally recognized cost: for interconnected CNC machine tools (Annex IV), the rate is +180% for investments up to €2.5 million. This means that on a €10,000 lathe, you can fiscally amortize €18,000, with an IRES saving of approximately €1,920/year at 24%. The benefit is distributed over the duration of the amortization (6–8 years for machinery), it is not immediate like the old tax credit.

Bernardo CNC lathes with Siemens 808D and vertical machining centers fall under Annex IV as interconnected numerical control machine tools. For investments below €300,000 per single asset, a self-certification from the legal representative is sufficient; above this amount, an expert technical appraisal by an engineer or industrial expert registered with the professional body is required. The incentive is valid from January 1, 2026, to September 30, 2028, and also applies to financial leasing and operational rental. The Krollit team supports the technical interconnection documentation necessary to access the benefit.

With a budget of €6,000–12,000 (advanced hobbyist): Bernardo grinder from €140, Hobby 350V lathe from €1,183, drill press. Single-phase power is sufficient, 25–40 m² is enough.

With a budget of €30,000–55,000 (independent artisan): lathe with DRO, UWF 80 E Vario milling machine (€11,474), semi-automatic band saw. Three-phase power mandatory, minimum 80 m². With the 2026 super amortization at +180% on interconnected CNC machines, on a €11,474 milling machine, you can deduct €20,653 in amortization.

With a budget of €110,000+ (SME): contact us for a consultation on CNC configuration with a free technical inspection and support for Transition 4.0/5.0 procedures.

Call our team at +39 0825-1494022 for a free consultation on setting up your workshop.