A new high-frequency spindle option has been introduced by SHW Werkzeugmaschinen for its fork-type milling head, which may be specified for use on its large-capacity machining centres — sold in the UK and Ireland by Gosport-based Geo Kingsbury Ltd (www.geokingsbury.com).

The head has continuously variable A- and C-axis movements, providing a full five-axis machining capability.

With speeds up to 26,000rev/min, the integrated spindle is ideal for machining light metals and for finishing dies and moulds; and when machining steels, high-speed or high-feed cutting strategies can be used. The tool interface is HSK-A63.

Developed in co-operation with Kessler, the spindle head is available for use on SHW’s UniSpeed and PowerSpeed machines. Traverses of up to 30m in X, 2.6m in Y and 1.5m in Z offer users a considerable degree of flexibility for the five-axis machining of large pieces weighing up to 6 tonnes.

Six alternative spindle variants are available; these include those with speeds down to 12,000rev/min, torques up to 119Nm, powers to 30kW (25kW continuous) and an HSK-100A interface.