Pragma

The range of PRAGMA slot mortisers with horizontal spindles and PRAGMA-TOP with vertical and horizontal spindles is able to produce single cycle multiple slots of different lengths, in chair, table and other furniture parts. Different versions are available with various numbers of spindles and oscillating carriages and multiple tilting ranges.

Simple Adjustments
Spindle centre-distance adjustments are made very simple, as each spindle may be locked at a fixed "zero" point which corresponds exactly to its oscillating centre. Any further adjustments made to the length or inclination of the slots will not affect the distance between the centres (Balestrini patent), therefore making any oscillation rod length adjustment unnecessary.
Each oscillating unit is completely independent from the others as it is mounted separately on its own cast iron box frame; height and angle adjustments do not cause unwanted movements to the other settings.

Working Accuracy
Optimized mass distribution and mechanical strength allow the production of perfectly shaped slots at very high speed.
All oscillating units slide on hardened guides with pre-loaded axial bearings which completely eliminate wear and play. The tilting mechanism, which utilizes crown gears, is constructed in such a way that the slide guides always remain fixed and do not require adjustment when the slide is tilted.
This provides a twofold advantage: the guides and the support of each oscillating unit function as a single structure; extra unnecessary operations to unlock and re-lock the guides are eliminated. Work tables are designed for maximum strength.
Slot thickness accuracy is ensured by specially designed spindles which hold the bits and are mounted directly onto the Balestrini designed HF motors.
An oscillation speed control ensures that the most suitable cutting speed is always available for the required slot length and type of wood to be worked, an essential requirement for producing accurate slots at the highest possible speeds.
Machine output is further increased by the fast table advance feature, which rapidly moves the workpiece up to within millimetres of the mortising bits and then slows down to the correct feed for the machining operation.