Indexing means rotating a part to a precise angular position between operations — for example turning a part 90° to machine its next face, or stepping around a bolt circle. It is done with an indexer or a 4th-axis rotary table, either positioning (index-and-clamp) or full simultaneous rotation.
Indexing lets one setup reach multiple faces of a part, cutting handling and improving accuracy between features. A full 4th or 5th axis extends indexing into continuous multi-axis machining.
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