A six-spindle mill-turn centre, the MS22C, has been added to the lower end of the Index range, which until now comprised machines with maximum bar capacities of 32, 42 and 52 mm. According to configuration, it can have up to 62 CNC axes, including 12 compound slides with X and Z travels of 62 and 85 mm. Each spindle is configured with a full C-axis and a number of Y-axis slides can be added according to customer requirements.
Simultaneous back-working is achieved using one or two scara robot arms carrying synchronous pick-up spindle(s) that present the parted-off components to six separate tools, four of which can be driven.
As the MS22C's tool carriers/slides are arranged in a V shape, two CNC slides can work on one spindle simultaneously. Each of the 12 slides can perform internal or external turning, or boring, or driven tool work. Workshops are therefore not locked in to running one kind of tool in one position, because there is no set order as to where to run which tool. Only the toolholder determines the type of machining. This flexibility of tool layout plays a key role in optimising machining times, according to Index.
