In 1975 Heckler & Koch, a long-established German manufactures of millers, extended their product line to include others such as jig borers, grinders and special one-off machine tools to a customer's particular requirements - and an especially fine example of a Deckel type "universal milling machine" the Model AM4412.
During the next few years, production of  CNC machines began and, in 1981, this business was split off and named Heckler & Koch Maschinen- und Anlagenbau GmbH, with another name change in 1995 to Schwäbische Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH  - today the company is known as SW EMAG.
The 1978-built HF2/56 milling machine shown below - one of the Company's smaller models, but a proper industrial-class machine with a dovetail overarm and of a particularly compact and very rigid design - was carried on a heavy cast-iron plinth. The 150 x 500 mm hand-feed-only table was machined with 10 mm T-slots and had longitudinal travel of 300 mm, in traverse of 100 mm and vertically 250 mm. All three feed screws had especially clear, satin-chrome-finished and zeroing micrometer dials - but there was also a production version with the table's longitudinal and vertical feeds by quick-action levers.
Despite the relatively small size of the miller, a swivelling vertical head was available, with a Morse 3 socket, a M12 external thread and a quill with 40 mm of travel - though this was under the control of just a lever, there being no handwheel-controlled fine-feed fitted.
Power came from a 0.55/1 kW two-speed 750/1500 r.p.m. 3-phase motor mounted on a hinged plate at the rear of the main column. Drive was transmitted first by a two-diameter pulley on the motor that used a single V-belt to turn the input pulley of a countershaft. The latter, with twin-side-by-side V-belts for improved grip - had a three-step pulley that drove the spindle The result was a range of 12 useful speeds that spanned 112 to 2240 r.p.m.  As with many similar machines, the base was occupied by a coolant tank (in this case of generous capacity) and an electric delivery pump.
One odd aspect of the design was the saddle, this being unusually deep and heavily offset to the left. The reason for this? The HF2/56 was the "toolroom" version of the miller, the lever-feed production model used the large cavity inside the saddle to mount the lever-feed cross shaft.
With just belt drive, no slow-speed "backgear" and the need to open the rear cover to change speeds, this would have been one of the Heckler & Kock's less expensive models. It was probably intended for use in training workshops, light industrial use or for employment in a small repair workshop or garage..