2 sided 500mm pallet options. Aluminum or Iron?

Only have 4 sided Iron pallets now and need 2 sided for some work and realize the fixturing will be tricky enough that we probably want to just dedicate stones to the work, thus have more stones around.

It starts to add up quick! I am not yet sure what dimensions we need just yet, but looking more like rectangle type stones where 2 faces are wider, but the two narrower faces are still wide enough to add "something".

Most parts will be Aluminum with minor hog outs with a 3/4 cutter. Will need to go all the way to the top of the tombstone it appears.


We have lots of Aluminum around that would basically be free, but I don't want to go through the hassle if we will have chatter or finish issues? Aluminum gunna work or do we need Iron?

Also have some steel and Ti work, but not very much, and parts are not very big.


Any commercial modular type options would be great! I think we are getting pretty wound up in knots trying to find a solution for "every" part! Some need vises, some need dedicated fixtures, some need doves, some mitees, etc, etc. I think I am going mad with all the options.....

The other idea was a sub/fixture plate to mount to the stone? This might eliminate some of the concerns of swapping stones on pallets.

We are trying to avoid the costs of buying more pallets and permanently mounting stones to them.

I would vote for sub fixture plates. Plenty of folks make the locating units and you can roll your own with the top tooling. This will require you change the tooling, but if you have a couple extra pallets, you can change those while the current job is running.

Thank you. Would you have any thoughts about the Aluminum vs iron stones? I can think of pros/cons to each really. I like the fact that Aluminum can be done cheaper if we roll our own, and reduce the weight that the Z screw has to move around. Probably little doubt that iron would absorb the most vibration. Not sure if that will really show up in the part finish?

We considered just peppering the bottom of the stone plank with bolts and securing that way, making it somewhat modular as we could move it on the platter if needed.

We mount all of our fixtures to the 'stone, just bolted and doweled, but if you need to change them out quickly, go with a ball lock or similar.

Or just add a pallet stocker, that's what we have...24 pallets and just schedule as needed with all jobs ready to run.

Steve

I think the aluminum vs steel is really related to the height of the pallet. If you are going to be putting parts at the top and the pallet is just a centered vertical plate, you probably want steel. If the pallet has some depth to the rise to counteract the machining forces, then I don't think it will matter much.

Rule of thumb I have always used is to keep it similar to what you are cutting. If you are cutting TI, Steel, or Cast Iron keep on eye on the weight and go with a fabricated steel, or cast iron stone if you still can. If weight is a concern and you aren't pounding on things too hard, a cast aluminum two-sider will likely be more than rigid enough. If you need it to be thin, say less than 6" , and you are working say 25" plus up from the table, as Tony said, use a stiffer material, and consider side gussets.