Category: Fixturing - NEXT GENERATION TOOLING

The Anti Lift Jaw System for a 5th Axis Vise & a Comparison between 5th Axis and Lang Workholding

2/18/2020

The anti-lift jaw system from 5th Axis is available for those customers requiring higher precision and accuracy during secondary operation machining.

The system uses a cleat and angled soft jaw to pull the jaw in and down when torque is applied to the lead screw.

Step 1
Loosen shoulder bolts and remove the standard master jaws from the vise base.

5th Axis AL75A anti jaw lift installation

5th axis AL75A remove master jaw

Step 2
Take the shoulder bolts and utilize them to bolt the cleats onto the vise base. Torque shoulder bolts to 20 ft lbs. (27.11 Nm)

5th Axis anti jaw lift shoulder bolts AL75A

5th Axis AL75A torque shoulder bolt

Step 3
Take anti-lift soft jaw and insert the soft jaw into the cleat. It helps if you insert the soft jaw at a 45 degree angle. Ensure that soft jaw seats properly into cleat.

5th Axis anti jaw lift installation AL75A

5th Axis AL75A soft jaw seating

Step 4
Take soft jaw covers and place them on the backside of the jaw. Tighten bolts to secure covers to the soft jaw. These covers ensure that no chips on debris enter the anti-lift soft jaw.

5th Axis Anti lift AL75A

Comparison of Jaw Lift on
5th Axis & Lang Workholding

Use Clamp Confirmation to Safely Load and Unload Your Unilock System

11/15/2017

Guest Blog: John Zaya
Product Manager
#Workholding
john.zaya@us.bigkaiser.com
Tel; 224.770.2930

Clamp confirmation for any system, UNILOCK or otherwise, is a sound design criterion when building any workholding system.

It is very common to see clamp/un-clamp confirmation in many automated loading systems as safety interlocking of the CNC machine, robot, robot EOA (end-of-arm) tooling, and workholding can all be integrated to a single master control.

Un-clamp confirmation does have a place in manual situations as well, mostly in large part processing, where cranes are used to lift parts off.

When a clamping system is not directly visible underneath a large part, then this requires an external indicator confirming that the system has successfully un-clamped and that it is safe to lift.

The indicators and sensors can be pneumatic switches which are offered by BIG KAISER or electrical proximity switches as offered by many other companies.

Unilock zero-point automation systems can be implemented at various points of any automation cell.

Unilock zero-point automation systems can be implemented at various points of any automation cell.

Next Generation Tooling Now Offers Technical Training!

6/14/2017

We are very excited to announce that we are now able to offer on-site technical training to YOUR machinists at YOUR location! This is offered at no charge to customers who use any of the manufacturer's whom we represent in California and Nevada.

However, just because you don't purchase things from us, don't feel left out! We also offer on-site topic specter training on any of the following topics for $150/hour.

Each presentation lasts about 2 hours. The presentations last approximately 45-60 minutes with the remaining time for Q&A and discussion about unique applications in your facility.

Training Classes Available:
Machining 101

Basic Boring
Basic Chamfering
Basic Drill Training
Basic End Mill
Basic Indexable
Basic Tap Training
Basic Tool Holders
Basic Work Holding / Fixturing

Advanced Part Manufacturing:

Programming Tool Path – Climb versus Conventional
Material Machinability – Cubic Inches of Stock Removal
Part Set Up / Work Holding / Fixture
Tool Holder Selection, Collet, Solid, Hydraulic, Shrink Fit
Cutting Tool Selection – Substrate, Geometry, Coating, Speed and Feeds
Estimating Part Cycle Time

Blue Photon Labor Saving Chart

2/15/2017

Complex part shapes have time consuming part loads to assure the part is properly nested before machining. Blue Photon makes a hard to load part easy and reduces the number of loads.

Traditional workholding does not usually utilize a machine’s full capabilities because of limited machining access therefore multiple workholding fixtures and process steps are required.

*Labor cost per part was calculated @ $50.00 per hour, based on 21 hours run time per (3) 8 hour shifts/5 day work weeks. 6,240 total hrs. per year

Blue Photon Workholding Labor savings chart

Blue Photon Workholding Labor savings chart

How the blue photon system realized reduce labor cost

With Blue Photon workholding technology, once the part is bonded to the transfer tool it can be loaded into all machines using the same machine mounted workholding fixture system such as Erowa, System 3R etc. The workpiece loads in seconds.

The ability of Blue Photon workholding technology to hold the workpiece on one side providing 5 and in some cases 6 side machining access is unheard of when machining castings and other near-net shape parts.

There is also reduced foot print for this cell and reduced capital investment to create the cell because multiple operations can be done in one workholding.

Use Guide Pins to Assist in Loading of Fixtures to Protect Your Investment

12/14/2016

john zaya Big Kaiser unilock workholding

Guest Blog
John Zaya
Product Manager
#Workholding
john.zaya@us.bigkaiser.com
Tel; 224.770.2930

The concept of using guide pins to load large fixtures has been around for a long time, and it even applies when incorporating Unilock zero-point clamping systems in your fixturing.

The main Unilock clamping knob is very robust, i.e.: very hard, and as such it can cause damage to a Unilock chuck if a fixture is very heavy or large.

Guide pins are set up on the base, and their corresponding holes or notches located on the edge of the fixture pre-position the fixture so, that as it is being lowered, the knobs do not impact the critical location faces of the clamping chuck.

This also has the added benefit of keeping operators in a safe location not having to use their hands & fingers to fine-adjust a slightly out-of-place fixture being lowered.

Unilock Guide pins installed on a sub-plate

1. Guide pins installed on a sub-plate

Unilock Corresponding guide holes notches on fixture plate

2. Corresponding guide holes notches on fixture plate

Fixture plate being lowered on to sub-plate

3. Fixture plate being lowered on to sub-plate

Guide pins and guide notches aid to perfectly align the fixture and sub-plate

4. Guide pins and guide notches aid to perfectly align the fixture and sub-plate

Everything you wanted to know about the Microconic #Workholding System

10/12/2016

Matt Saccomanno, the inventor of the Microconic Workholding system discussed how it works at IMTS 2016.

Masa Tool has developed the Microconic™ system specifically for holding workpieces from Ø0.15mm to 10mm (Ø0.006" to 0.390") in any machine that has a collet-type chuck.

The system consists of two major components: The Microconic™ cartridge, which fits into your CNC machine spindle replacing the standard 5C, TF20 or TF25 collets, and the Microconic™ collet, which fits in the Microconic™ cartridge.

The Microconic™ system has unsurpassed concentricity: Our manufacturing tolerance is 3µm (.0001") and we guarantee our cartridges to be within 5µm (0.0002") in production use in your machine.

The Microconic™ system works with either draw-type or push-type standard collet systems that are in any machine.

The Over-grip collet capabilities of Masa Microconic™ System, introduces a whole new world of time saving opportunities awaiting. Our Overgrip Collets open up to 4mm (0.157") diameter larger than the clamping diameter.

How Its Made 5th Axis Workholding Vises

8/24/2016

In case you missed the episode of 5th Axis vises on How Its Made, you can re-watch it right here.

This may be useful in explaining what you do in your job.... even though there's a lot of talk about "carving", "shaping" and "Sculpting"

Howitsmade16 from Mathew Richard on Vimeo.

Workholding: Maximizing your CNC time "in-the-cut"

3/18/2015

Types of Workholding There are many ways to skin a cat. Dedicated fixtures have more or less fallen by the wayside just like dedicated transfer lines. This trend will probably continue for two primary reasons:

Product Life cycles are continually decreasing. You make something for your customer, their competitor knocks it off, they modify the design and generally just enough to make you trash your entire dedicated fixture.
Just-In-Time demands will continue to grow. The JIT theories of the 1980’s have filtered down to the small job shop. Where you may have had a customer that needed 200,000 parts a year and you could make inventory to stock, now, to remain competitive, you can’t pay that kind of inventory overhead. This will continue. Lot sizes AND lead time will continue to decrease. Those shops that can continue to meet these industry demands will grow and prosper.

Modular fixturing is the buzzword. “Modular” takes on numerous forms from a variety of manufacturers. It can be as simple as components and clamps that are assembled into a “dedicated” fixture for a job but then can be disassembled and the components used for another job. The key to modular tooling is that you start with a good “foundation”. The foundation for most modular systems is a tombstone or subplate. Modular fixturing allow you to make “dedicated” fixtures that can be disassembled and reused for other “dedicated” fixtures. Modular fixturing is a very good solution for longer part runs or fixturing very hard to hold part shapes.

ModLoc T- Column with Docking Station

SPEED is the KEY! Modular fixturing is a great idea, but as your customers begin to demand faster turnaround and smaller lot sizes just the fact that you can re-use your tooling components doesn’t always help. What matters, remember, is spindle up-time. Taking apart your components and setting up others takes TIME. So there has been a demand for new innovations from Workholding manufacturers in both modular AND Quick Change fixturing. Have you ever found yourself thinking: “I need fast set-ups, good repeatability, and quick changeover… and I want the tooling to be modular to a point where I don’t have to completely disassemble everything.”

Foundation systems.

Reducing set up times in workholding start with the foundation. You want to have the ability to move your fixturing from Vertical to Horizontal CNC's as lot sizes of parts increase or back to the Vertical CNC as lots sizes reduce.

Foundation level systems are systems that you can build dedicated or modular fixtures on and quickly remove them for another set-up.

They will also allow you to set up you fixtures off-line. That is, they will allow you to set the fixtures up OUT of the machining center. They key benefit to this is that you can still continue to make chips on one job while setting up another outside of the machine

Another major benefit to these types of systems is that they will enable you to make quick changeovers. If your total “in-the-cut” machining time is 5 minutes but it takes you 10 minutes to change out the new parts and put in more raw material these system can save you a great deal of time.

There are two issues to look at when considering a certain type of fixture:

How long will it take to change the set-up to a new job?
How long will it take to change parts during a job?

Obviously the best answer is: “As fast as possible!”

The mPower SpeedLock and ModLoc fixturing system show in the video above is one of the foundation systems that you may want to consider as part of a shop wide set up and changeover reduction process. Consider all of the types and sizes of the parts in your shop and then determine which baseplate size to start with that can provide you with the most versatility. The process of standardizing your workholding will take some time, but once complete you can move jobs around with the same simplicity as when your kids are playing with their lego's.