An angle head is a spindle attachment that turns the cutting tool through an angle — usually 90° — so a vertical or horizontal machining centre can drill, tap, mill and bore on faces that point sideways, without re-clamping the part or moving it to another machine. It goes into the spindle like any other tool holder and comes out of the magazine like one too.
Right-angle head, 90-degree head, angle attachment, angular head, milling head attachment. In German it is a Winkelkopf, in Italian a testa angolare, in Spanish a cabezal angular, in Japanese an アングルヘッド and in Chinese 角度頭 / 角度头. They all mean the same device. A speeder or speed increaser is a different attachment: it raises the rpm but keeps the tool on the spindle axis.
| Input | A taper shank — BT, CAT, SK or HSK — that clamps in the machine spindle exactly like a normal tool holder, with the same pull stud. |
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| Gearing | Inside the housing a bevel gear pair transfers the spindle rotation through the angle. Most heads run 1:1; speed-increasing and speed-reducing ratios exist for small drills or for torque. |
| Stop block | The housing must not turn with the spindle. A torque arm on the head locates against a stop block or stop pin on the spindle nose, so only the internal shaft rotates. This is the part that is specific to each machine. |
| Output | The output spindle carries the cutter: an ER collet, a DC chuck, a face-mill arbor, or a second tool-holder taper on heavier heads. |
| Fixed 90° | The standard head and the stiffest. Covers most cross drilling, side tapping and side milling. |
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| Fixed other angles | 30°, 45° or 55° heads for features that are inclined but always at the same angle — a fixed head is stiffer than an adjustable one set to that angle. |
| Adjustable (0–90°) | One head for several angles, set by a graduated scale. More flexible, less rigid, and the angle must be checked after every change. |
| Multi-output | Two or four outputs on one body, so one head reaches opposite faces or runs two tools without a tool change. |
| Slim or extended nose | A narrow, long body for deep cavities and bores where a standard head body would hit the part or the fixture. |
| Face-mill output | A heavy head with an arbor output (FMB) for side face milling. This is where torque, not speed, decides the size. |
| Angle head | Best when the side features sit at fixed angles, the batch is small to medium, and the machine is already a capable 3-axis or horizontal. One attachment, no new machine, no second fixture. |
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| Second setup | Cheap in equipment, expensive in time: another fixture, another handling step, and a datum transfer that costs accuracy between the two sides. |
| 5-axis machine | Right when the part needs continuously changing tool angles or five faces in one setup every day. A large investment to make for a handful of cross holes. |
Mongtec publishes 137 angle head models on BT30, BT40 and BT50 shanks, up to 12,000 rpm and 200 Nm, with ER11 to ER40 collet, DC5 to DC16 chuck, FMB22 and FMB27 arbor and BT40 tool-holder outputs. HSK-A63, HSK-A100, NT, SK and CAT shanks are available on selected models, and any model can be built to order with a different reach, angle, output or stop arrangement. Browse the angle head range →
Mongtec confirms fit and quotes from four details. Email them to info@mongtec.com or use the quote form — we reply within one working day.