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Best System For Multiple Mill Setups

Terry Z

Cast Iron
Joined
Aug 10, 2012
Location
Gurnee ILL. USA
We are looking at a new mill to do a few returning jobs on fixture plates. What is the best system out there to locate these on the table? Would like to put a vice on two plates and 3 or 4 other jobs we get returning orders for on their own plates. Would like real good repeatability so we can go from one job to another fast. If it matters it will be a Mazak Vertical Center 500A. The two machining tables are mounted on a larger table that rotates 180 so you can un-load & load while the machine is cutting the other plate of parts behind a door. Thanks
 
We are looking at a new mill to do a few returning jobs on fixture plates. What is the best system out there to locate these on the table? Would like to put a vice on two plates and 3 or 4 other jobs we get returning orders for on their own plates. Would like real good repeatability so we can go from one job to another fast. If it matters it will be a Mazak Vertical Center 500A. The two machining tables are mounted on a larger table that rotates 180 so you can un-load & load while the machine is cutting the other plate of parts behind a door. Thanks

some would call that a pallet system..............
 
Terry Z --

The "usual suspect" makers of jig and fixture components -- Carr-Lane, Jergens, United Drill Bushing, and so on -- sell "sine fixture keys" that will go a long way toward doing what you want to do. I like Jergens' expansion-shank retention system, but the others work also. Sine fixture keys are generally used in pairs, and as long as they go into the correct slot in the machine table, they'll repeat well . . . except for along-the-T-slot location. A slot-stop is pretty easy to improvise, but it wants to stay locked in place in the table pretty-much forever.

Jergens and Carr-Lane also make locate-and-attach devices that allow highly-repeatable installation of workpiece-specific fixture plates to a permanently-attached-to-machine subplate. Jergens' trade name escapes me at the moment, but Carr-Lane calls their's Carr-Lock if I'm recalling correctly. These systems enable very quick fixture changes, but are significantly more expensive than the sine fixture keys (sine fixture keys position fixtures on the machine table, but don't clamp it to the table.)

John
 
Not sure I am reading this right but for fixture plates I picked up a used Chick Workholding system. 12mm holes on a 100mm square grid. You can relocate any fixture on the plate in any orientation with guaranteed .0006" over 20" repeatability. Vises in a row, sideways, whatever. If you use the two little locating dowels you can drop it in and it's in the same place every time. Or machine the locating holes in the bottom of your own fixtures and again, put them anywhere and they repeat to spec.

Picture of what I am talking about. Table is way too small for my machine but can't justify the $4220 for the correct one with what I am doing at this time.

20170802_133604.jpg
 
Personally I drilled/bored a grid of 3/8" dowel holes right in my VMC table, then made a series of plates with matching dowels. Some people might balk at modifying their machine tables, but for me it gets the job done in an efficient fashion, repeats well and doesn't take up any Z axis! I've been running production fixtures for about a year now and have zero complaints!
 
Perhaps the best is to to something along the lines of what an aquaintance of some years back did: He leased a large building in a low cost area, and, back when most outfits were dumping their old stuff for cnc, bought up a fair number of ac chuckers, setting each up for one job. When the order came in, he'd fire up the chucker, run off the order, and shut it down and leave it.
Your situation might be best done with a subplate fitted with a few drill bushings and sine key slots. If the fixture is built with a button and sine key hole, and the part is programmed from the button location, pick up the bushing,drop on the vise or fixture, and you're off to the races.
 
The best system IMO is the Schunk Vero S. But it's very expensive.

https://schunk.com/us_en/homepage/vero-s/

A cheaper alternative would be a ball lock system from Jergens or Carr Lane.

http://www.jergensinc.com/Ball-Lock-Mounting-System

The VeroS will be more accurate and much faster, but the ball locks will get the job done.

I have both systems but went with ball lock for the larger 40 x 20 mills because the cost of the Vero S was just silly for two 40 x 20 machines.
 








 
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