INDEX Corporation

The TNL18 and the TNL18P are sliding headstock automatic lathes designed to be changed over quickly to produce precision parts with or without a guide bush for long or short parts ranging to a 20-mm-diameter bar.

The Traub TNL18 P production turning machine is capable of five-axis machining in a single setup.

When the part doesn't require a guide bushing, being able to remove that housing provides increased flexibility and often even improves accuracy.

 The turn-mill center continues to evolve its capabilities. This new machine machine from Index is an example.

Index Corporation’s MS40C is a CNC multi-spindle for virtually unlimited operations on small workpieces from bar as long as 40-mm (1. 57”) diameter or for chucking as long as 120 mm (4.

Index Corporation’s C200 series of production turn-mill centers offers a choice of controls: either Fanuc 31i CNC or Siemens 840D CNC. The unit is available in two spindle sizes for the main and counterspindles.

The C100 series of production turn-mill centers are versatile, high production machines linked in real-time to the company’s Virtual Machine programming and simulation suite. Virtual Machine includes user software that is a mirror of the real machine configuration. The data allow users to program, set up and operate the “virtual machine” in exactly the same way as the real machine.

This shop added a CNC multi-spindle to its operation and reduced its cycle time and setup time.

With three 14-position tool turrets and identical main and counterspindles, the Index C100 is designed for fast production of medium complexity parts, turned parts from barstock from 30 to 42 mm diameter. For small to medium lot sizes, the three-turret machines are targeted to handle fixed headstock work often run on Swiss-type machines.

Leupold & Stevens has found the key to successful precision machining. It operates more than 30 Index machines, primarily multifunction turning machines used to produce the bodies and tubes for the rifle scopes from aircraft-quality aluminum.

It’s probably blasphemous to describe Germans as giddy, but that’s the best word I can conjure for the mood at the recently completed EMO exhibition in Hannover.  

Recently, I was able to catch up with Olaf Tessarzyk, the busy president and CEO of Index Corporation, at the company’s U.S. headquarters in Noblesville, Indiana.

This family-owned job shop is more interested in what its capital investments can do than how much they cost. Keeping its demanding automotive customers happy means paying attention to the details and applying the right technology to the job.

With three 14-position tool turrets and identical main and counterspindles, the space-saving C100s are designed for fast, cost-competitive production of medium-complexity turned parts from barstock with diameters between 30 mm and 42 mm. Suited for small to medium lot sizes, the three-turret machines deliver high performance within a small floor space and handle fixed headstock work often run on Swiss-type machines. The center, with 30-mm bar capacity, comes with 9,000-rpm spindles, and 42-mm bar capacity is available with 7,000-rpm spindles.

The turn-mill center Traub TNX65/42 is designed as a modular system equipped with two, three or four tool turrets. Thus, machining with as many as 80 fixed or driven tools is possible without a magazine. The machine processes geometrically complex series parts with a diameter of as much as 65 mm and a length of as much as 300 mm.

- Brochure describes the features and benefits of the TNX65/42 CNC turn-mill center- Photographs and diagrams show the detailed features of the turrets and modular system- The Traub TX8i-s CNC control is illustrated- Technical data is listed in the back of the brochure.

An example of the "set it and forget it" guide bushing adjustment is a programmable guide bushing available on Traub’s TNL series by Index Corp. It offers the ability to program the CNC to provide a series of guide bushing pressures on the bar based on dynamic conditions.

To bridge the gap between traditional multi-spindle technology and full CNC, Index Corporation (Noblesville, Indiana) has developed the MS22C, a six-spindle CNC multi for the medium-complex workpiece market, which has been dominated by the cam-controlled multi-spindle automatics and simple sliding and fixed headstock automatics.

SureFire LLC (Fountain Valley, California) has found one name in machine tools it can trust, and therefore, has invested in several different types of machines with at least one thing in common—the name "Index" in large letters written on the machines’ bodies.

- Describes the benefits of Index's SpeedLine C42/C65 production turning machine by using photos, diagrams and charts- Illustrates the machine's ability to live as much as 30 percent longer than other machines- Technical data is listed on the back of the brochure.

- Features of the TNL 26 CNC sliding headstock are highlighted by using photos, diagrams and bullet-point text- Information on the Traub-TX8i control technology is included- Technical data is also listed.

The V160 vertical grinding and machining center incorporates ID/OD grinding, auto loading and rough machining (hard turning) with automatic in-machine wheel dressing and in-process gauging. The machine produces precision parts in a single chucking. The system is capable of performing inverted vertical OD and ID-grinding and turning on one platform, saving users through-put time and capital cost while improving cycle times and precision for a wide range of parts, according to the company.

The Traub TNL26 sliding headstock machine from Index Corp. is available with two 12-station turrets (Y axis optional on both turrets), a five-station endworking tool carrier, a counterspindle and a five-station backworking tool carrier; the maximum Z-axis travel is approximately 10" on the L version and 4" on the K version. The maximum number of fixed tools is approximately 58.

- Brochure includes component and operation descriptions of the TNL12 CNC sliding headstock automatic and TNL12K CNC single-spindle bar automatic- Photos and diagrams accompany these descriptions to help illustrate- Technical data is also included.

The Index Group, located in Esslingen, Germany, is one of the world's leading manufacturers of precision turning and multitask machine tools. Its products include single- and multi-spindle equipment, as well as sliding headstock machines.

Structure Medical is not new to the medical supply industry; it is a spin-off of a company called Inovo, which is a manufacturer of oxygen regulators used in hospitals, nursing homes and the like. Inovo’s principals had been looking for growth opportunities.

- Literature highlights the TNX80/65 turn-mill center and provides specifications - Illustrations show the machine in operation as well as a diagram of the components in relation to where they are attached to the machine - Listed are the bar capacity, turning length, chuck diameter and more .

As machines become more complex, training becomes an even greater issue. Regardless of what machine features attract a customer, if the operator does not learn how to take advantage of these features, the machine can quickly become a white elephant.

The C65 CNC Single Spindle Bar Machine features a counterspindle and Y axis for extended machining flexibility and increased speed. With optional 42-mm (1 5/8inch), or 65-mm (2 ½”) bar capacity, a maximum spindle speed of 6,300 rpm, respectively 5,000 rpm at 20 kW or 26 Hp at 100 percent (60 min) duty rating and 105 Nm (77 foot pounds) of torque, the C65 has enough power to do a lot of work in a short time, the company says. Both turret slides and the counterspindle slide offer a 1 G acceleration rate, and rapid traverse rates of 25 and 50 m/min (75 and 150 ft/min), adding to the productivity because of its faster motions.

To handle the steady flow of incoming orders, this company has prepared itself by building facilities and purchasing equipment that are able to complete its jobs quickly and efficiently.

When the Index MS line, with its open front-end design, hit the streets 4 years ago, it was obviously different. The question is why is it so different? The answer is revealing.

The Traub TNL and TNL-K machine series offers both fixed and sliding headstock designs on the same machine platform for small turned parts. Four machines are available in this series. TNL offers long/sliding headstock Swiss-type turning, and TNL-K offers fixed headstock screw machine-type turning.

This literature highlights the company's multi-spindle line with illustrations, an overview of the CNC tool carrier concept and the centerpiece. A summary of benefits and technical data are also included. .

This British shop is writing off simple, low-margin jobs, concentrating instead on tough-to-make parts in medium to high volumes for its new CNC multi-spindle machines.

This British shop is writing off simple, low-margin jobs, concentrating instead on tough-to-make parts in medium to high volumes for its new CNC multi-spindle machines.

Applying the right tools and technique to CNC part programming will let shops get the most out of their multitasking equipment.

Like much of the metalworking lexicon, often our words fail to adequately describe, or keep up with, our technological innovations. The truth is, in the business of making precision parts it really doesn't matter much if a lathe is a turning center or a mill is a machining center.

There are several new brochures. This one covers CNC automatic machines. Others cover CNC, multi-slide and automatic; CNC sliding headstock automatic; and CNC, bar loading and magazines. Series are TNK, TNM, DN and TNL. CNC Automatic Machines INDEX Corp.

The V100, a chucking machine concept that uses double rod kinematic linkage instead of slides to move the spindle in three axes. The machine targets chuck work to allow more efficient machining of formed or premachined parts. The V100 is a 5" chucking machine with a turning spindle suspended in space by three double

The industry trend today is heading towards an increasing miniaturization--parts become smaller and more complicated and tougher materials put higher demands on machining capabilities. TRAUB Turning Machines, a division of INDEX Werke, Esslingen, Germany, has responded with the development of productive and flexible

The TNL 12/7 machine model takes CNC Swiss turning to a higher level due to increased speed and productivity, the company says. At the same time, the modular concept allows the machine to be tailored to handle either simple or more complex work for cost-optimized manufacturing. The TNL 12/7 is offered in three versi

The MS32P is a CNC-controlled multispindle machine with a 32 mm/1¼" diameter capacity from the Multiline series. A programmable C axis and Y axis have been added. A quick-change tooling system and free chip fall, as well as a highly precise spindle drum locking via a Hirth coupling system are also part of this machi