For the production of parts with a very large number of holes in small to medium series, multi-spindle drilling machines (articulated spindle drilling machines) are used with advantage. This drilling machine can be changed over relatively quickly to different drilling patterns and avoids the high manufacturing costs of fixed multi-spindle drilling heads, whose use is only worthwhile for very large series. In their design, articulated spindle drilling machines have the essential construction elements of a pillar drilling machine.