ZPS America's new eight-spindle ZPS 867 CNC multispindle production centre is designed to accommodate stock to 72 mm in diameter. Provided with a double Siemens 840 D CNC control, the European-built machine offers up to 72 CNC axes and can perform nearly any metalcutting operation on precision parts, from drilling and tapping to milling, spline gears, broaching and hobbing, the company says. The 867 has a cast iron base, total weight of more than 20 tons, and a spindle torque of 191 NM. Standard features include: eight independent AC-driven CNC horizontal spindles; eight independent compound slides (X and Z); eight independent tool carriers with eight 12,000-rpm driven tools; five backworking tools (three driven); and a wide range of standard presettable VDI tooling for quick changeover to increase flexibility.

Each of the machine's eight spindles is linked by a composite shaft to its own motor into the spindle drum, which employs a precise Hirth coupling. This makes it unnecessary to reverse-index the drum at the end of each 360-degree cycle, connect and disconnect the motors to the spindles with each indexing, and cool the drum to dissipate the heat generated by the spindle motors. Spindle indexing takes one second, saving time, and reducing energy and cost, the company explains.

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