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Whats the most impressive non-CNC fixture or operation you've seen?

laggeddag

Aluminum
Joined
May 21, 2016
I'm talking things like:

a) drill press fixtures that go above and beyond (i.e. making multiple holes at different angles quickly using a fixture that precisely locates at certain positions)
b) fixtures that use a bench grinder to do something impressive
c) basically anything that uses a fixture to do a difficult high quality operation that might otherwise take say a 4/5 axis operation etc..

Maybe more production/practical here than toolroom? Or I dont know maybe both!
 
four slide machines
screw machines
cam lathes

cnc is good for variety, mechanical machines are for obscene production.
 
I'd post this Q in the antiques forum, there's lots of interesting multi-spindle drilling arrangements in that area.

There's some interesting pics at this link, from a thread by member 'flyingtpot' - CTD Vintage Pics


133_1.jpg

Sent via CNC 88HS
 
Wooden wagon-wheel making scene, Calvin Coolidge farm & museum.

Line-shaft driven machine drove a reciprocating wood chisel to generate a tapered rectangular socket, on an angle, indexed around the wooden hub, for each spoke's tapered end to fit into the hub so the wheel had a spring action.

Passenger carriages had that flex. Not the same as brute-force straight-in "artillery" wooden wheels as also used on early motorcars.

Same place, the contouring of the flexible wooden spokes and rims.

The impressive part is how fast and effectively it did all the spokes and the hubs with so little staff (one, minimum), needed to operate it for the age in which it was developed.
 
W&S shows in their catalogs, a semi standard tooling set-up
run on the automatics for 6" wheels.
2 turret stations have 6 drill multi heads, first one drills the holes, second one tapped them.

All while the part never stopped rotating.
 
W&S shows in their catalogs, a semi standard tooling set-up
run on the automatics for 6" wheels.
2 turret stations have 6 drill multi heads, first one drills the holes, second one tapped them.

All while the part never stopped rotating.
Taps, you say?

42_1.jpg


Thanks to the FlyingTPot for loading and hosting these images.
 
I can't even remember where it was or what they were machining, but heard about a fixture one time where the part was fairly small and in a shape that was almost impossible to clamp, but seems like they only had to do one operation on the top.

They would load all the parts into a fixture pan. The parts were located for position from another part feature. Then they would hit a valve and low melting alloy would flow into the pan, surrounding the parts. Then they would let the alloy cool. Then they would machine that batch of parts. After machining, they would turn on the heating elements built into the fixture to melt the alloy again, and allow it to flow out of the pan. Retrieved the finished parts and start again.
 
Taps, you say?

42_1.jpg


Thanks to the FlyingTPot for loading and hosting these images.

Yes, look for Zagar gearless heads, they show one with a very large number of drills & taps.

You'll notice they are tapping simple hex nuts.

Nowadays I see this done with a feeder bowl & a bent shank tapper.
 
I can't even remember where it was or what they were machining, but heard about a fixture one time where the part was fairly small and in a shape that was almost impossible to clamp, but seems like they only had to do one operation on the top.

They would load all the parts into a fixture pan. The parts were located for position from another part feature. Then they would hit a valve and low melting alloy would flow into the pan, surrounding the parts. Then they would let the alloy cool. Then they would machine that batch of parts. After machining, they would turn on the heating elements built into the fixture to melt the alloy again, and allow it to flow out of the pan. Retrieved the finished parts and start again.

this wins so far I'd say...I am going to remember this and I bet one day I use that idea

for drill press stuff I didnt mean so much many holes simultaneously (although those are impressive), I meant like some sort of multi-axis fixture that would let an unskilled operator clamp the part, then quickly rotate it to several positions to drill off-angle holes ... I cant think of another way to do that besides a 4/5 axis machine but in theory if you make a good enough fixture a drill press setup would probably work fine right?

nobody using drill presses in modern day production for anything beyond not-so-critical holes normal to the bottom surface of a part?
 
I think John Oder has posted pics before of ATW headstocks being drilled and bored in large fixtures. Anything that gets too big will just be done in-situ., I'd imagine.
 
this wins so far I'd say...I am going to remember this and I bet one day I use that idea

for drill press stuff I didnt mean so much many holes simultaneously (although those are impressive), I meant like some sort of multi-axis fixture that would let an unskilled operator clamp the part, then quickly rotate it to several positions to drill off-angle holes ... I cant think of another way to do that besides a 4/5 axis machine but in theory if you make a good enough fixture a drill press setup would probably work fine right?

nobody using drill presses in modern day production for anything beyond not-so-critical holes normal to the bottom surface of a part?

Simple tumble fixture, millions have been made over the years.
 
this wins so far I'd say...I am going to remember this and I bet one day I use that idea
Lighter parts, lower stress, manual ops, we often used ignorant plaster of Paris. Heat-shock it, then it cleans up with mild vinegar.

Need a re-usable fixture? Steel plate. Edge fence for a pour-cavity. Plaster molded to fit the complex part. Coupla coats of bakelite varnish.

Grip it by the steel. Good for hundreds of parts.

Drill press is "agnostic". Surely can be every bit as good as the fixture, quite often faster than a mill.

If better value-for-money that whatever the other options are?

JFDI

ELSE NOT.

"One size fits all" ceased showing up for work over fifty years ago.

Rumour has it the poor bugger was kidnapped on his way to work and turned into ladie's panty-hose.

That does seem to have its fringe benefits?

I've turn "INTO" a few meself and was seldom disappointed!

:D
 
I think progressive tools can be pretty amazing.

High speed fine blanking is a real mind blower too.

Cold heading.

Even centerless grinding is crazy stuff.

I can't think of anything super fantastic you can do with a drill press or a bench grinder. Find a member in Pakistan or Zimbabwe and ask them.
 
I have a small part I make from 3/8" 304ss (about 2" x 3/4" overall that needed a 3/8-24 tapped after the exterior shape was done.
(tried before shape was created but the threded hole always distorted)

Had the part laser cut with the hole for the threads left with enough to run a reamer thru for the tap size.
(saved me a lot of time and aggravation)

While that part was quoted and being done I asked the same vendor to give me a piece of 3/8" HRS 6" x 6" with the features outline in the ctr with 0.010" clearance.

added a wood base as the drop thru stop and a destaco to hold during reaming, cs and tapping

Not bark off the hands
 
Never seen one, some were classified, how about the pre CNC machines that mill a boat propeller fro ma forged blank. i mean big ones like for a battleship or submarine. I understand subs have different propeller depending on mission, speed, quiet, etc. tjhat ha sto be a job to change over one of those.
Bil lD
 








 
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