Manufactured in the 1960s by what was then the Werkzeugmaschinenfabrik Gildemeister & Comp AKT.GES in Bielefeld, Germany the RTV40 was beautifully constructed production lathe. Like Pittler production lathes, instead of the turret sitting on top of the bed - as found in the great majority of the "capstan" type - on the Gildemeister it was turned through 90° towards the headstock, set centrally, low down between the bed ways with the tools all facing the spindle. An immediate advantage was the ability to mount up to 16 instead of the usual six or eight tools of a conventionally-arranged machine - the design dating back to the earliest days of the company in the early years of the 20th century.
Gildemeister was founded by Frederick Gildemeister in 1870. The original factory, located at the Cöln-Minden Rail Station concentrated on machine tools and by the early 20th century had established an extended range - the Company becoming a public limited liability one in 1899. More on Gildemeister history here..