Productive Times: From dovetails to dimples

END USER: Manes Machine & Engineering Co., (970) 224-3311, www.manesmachine.com

SOLUTION PROVIDER: Lang Technovation Co., (262) 446-9850, www.lang-technovation.com

CHALLENGE: Eliminate the time spent machining dovetail cutouts and holes in a workpiece so it could be held in a dovetail-type vise for machining.

SOLUTION: A stamping unit that creates dimples in a workpiece for holding it in a self-centering vise, referred to as form-closure technology.

A dovetail-style vise can be an effective method for holding a workpiece for machining. “A fairly minimal amount of material is required to hold onto the part,” said Kevin Kostecki, manufacturing engineer for Manes Machine & Engineering Co., about that type of fixture. “It’s a proven process and gives you a good hold.”

The Fort Collins, Colo., aerospace parts manufacturer has had ample experience with dovetail vises. It had been producing vises for in-house use but then switched to a commercially available offering.

When producing about 240 titanium 6Al4V parts per month, Manes initially cut the raw workpiece material into two parts with a waterjet. Before the company could start machining the actual part features, however, it had to perform three operations for a workpiece to be held in a dovetail vise: Mill the opposite side of the waterjet-cut side flat, machine eight dovetail cutouts and drill three holes. Kostecki said those operations took 45 minutes and consumed $15 in tool costs per part. Additionally, the workpiece material had to be large enough to include the roughly 1/8″ (3.175mm) needed for the machined features.