The origins of the center drive lathe can be traced back to the 1930s, pioneered by American inventor Stanford Ovshinsky. In 1946, he founded his own machinery company, the Stanford Roberts Machine Company, and developed his first patented invention—the Benjamin Center Drive Lathe, named after his father. This lathe played a significant role in the post-WWII period and even during the Korean War, contributing to the mass production of artillery shells.

From the mid-20th century to the present, this technology has seen widespread application in automotive drive shafts, and oil & gas pipe couplings. According to case studies, center drive lathes significantly reduce deformation in long parts, improve dual-end concentricity, and shorten cycle times by 40–60%. Today, it remains a core solution for high-precision and high-efficiency production in the energy, automotive, aerospace, and hardware sectors.