The topics of energy efficiency, resource conservation and lightweight design are driving the development of new types of hybrid materials in all industries. For example in machine tool design the combination of structural components made out of steel with a machine bed made of polymer concrete has been a well-known and widely used approach for years. Improved damping properties compared to cast iron components, good thermal stability and easy processing coupled with a reduction of more than 30 % in CO2 equivalent compared to grey cast iron parts also make polymer concrete an interesting material for use in structural machine components. But at first view polymer concrete does not appear to be suitable for use as a structural component of a machine tool due to its comparatively low tensile strength and its strong tendency to creep. A possible solution discussed in this investigation is the integration of prestressed carbon fibres in a matrix of polymer concrete. In experimental investigations, unfilled polymer concrete specimens are compared to reinforced polymer concrete specimens and specimens out of steel. Different mineral casting materials are also considered. In bending tests of a long cantilevered test beam, the compliance of the structure under defined loading conditions was investigated. In addition, the load collective of an existing bed milling machine was determined. The focus here is on the cantilever of the structure. Based on the test results, the requirements and design problems of structural machine parts made of polymer concrete prestressed carbon fibres are discussed.