Abstract: The invention relates to a multi-spindle machine tool, in particular a multi-spindle automatic lathe with several workpiece spindle units. These are arranged around a central axis, can be driven rotationally and can be advanced from one machining position to the next. In order to provide the greatest possible flexibility in the machining of workpieces in a machine of this type, the invention envisages that the workpiece spindle units can be moved independently of one another along a movement path running around the central axis. The machining positions are designed in the form of machining segments within whose limits the respective workpiece spindles or workpiece spindle units can move along the movement path during a machining process.

Abstract: An electronic control device for individual drives of machining machines, particularly of machine tools with a plurality of drive apparatuses, in which, according to the counting state of a pulse counter (35), path information elements associated with the latter are extracted simultaneously by a computer unit (37) from memories (41, 42, 43) associated with many drive apparatuses (18, 19, 20) and are converted into control values necessary for machining, which control values are then fed as set values to control circuits (30, 31, 32) for the drive apparatuses (18, 19, 20). The electronic control device (37) is supplied with a low counting pulse frequency (f.sub.z) and can therefore process path and speed information values from a memory unit (36) for very many drives (18, 19, 20) simultaneously.