for anyone thats interested: http://www.kashima-coat.com/pdf/English_pamphlet.pdf basically, its molybdenum disulfide deposited in the aluminum's oxide layer ed: I meant to reply to Ynotgorilla's post

All the CNC lathes I've operated have manual controls. They allow you to bring stock down to a convinient size before you run your program, or do quick part offs. That looks like a CNC lathe to me.