More than 150 machine tool builders are licensed to use and make BIG-PLUS on original equipment, so there’s a good chance a new 5-axis machine is built to achieve its peak performance with BIG-PLUS tooling. If you aren’t sure about your machine’s interface, the easiest way to figure it out is to place a standard tool into the spindle and see how much of a gap there is between the tool holder flange face and spindle face. Without BIG-PLUS, the standard gap should be visible, or about .12 " . If it is BIG-PLUS, the gap is half of this amount, or only .06 " . These values change depending on 30 taper, 40 taper or 50 taper sizes, but the gap is visibly less than usual. For those who don’t know, dual contact refers to the shank contacting the spindle taper and the spindle face simultaneously. The torque (or moment) exerted by the cutting forces is maximized at the point where the holder and spindle meet. When the holder contacts the spindle face via BIG-PLUS, the effective diameter would be the larger diameter of the v-flange, since this is the new anchoring point of the holder and spindle. You are essentially beefing up the diameter at the point where the reactionary force is greatest. The truth about dual-contact tooling
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