Aimed at production shops where manual mills may still be in operation, but equally suited to use on a CNC vertical machining centre, a manually adjustable indexing head has been introduced by 1st Machine Tool Accessories.

RotaVice can be rapidly set to position a component at multiple rotary angles in the horizontal plane for milling and drilling.
Manufactured in the UK, the unit is designed to be secured in a One-Lok work-holding device manufactured by Chick in the US, for which 1st MTA is the sole agent in the UK and Ireland.
Costly fixtures and the need to change machine set-ups can be avoided, saving money and time. In smaller job shops employing four-axis VMCs equipped with a full or indexing rotary table, where there may be only one or two people able to program the machine, the load can be lightened by having an operator of a lower skill level set up a component manually for three-axis machining.
Everything about RotaVice is said to be fast. First, a One-Lok may be bolted quickly on to a VMC table. Next, positioning the moveable jaw using the integral time-saving ratchet mechanism leaves only a few turns of the handle to clamp the indexing head in a special RotaVice jaw, also made by 1st MTA, which replaces the standard One-Lok jaw. Lastly, the workpiece is secured in moments in a horizontal orientation using an array of work-holding options, which include a three-jaw chuck.
Adjusting the angle is also rapid and accurate, and is effected by turning a circular locating plate to the required angle and inserting a pin into the relevant hole, an array of which are pre-drilled into the plate at the most common angles.
For further information www.1mta.com