Toolholding & Workholding

Premier Industries' pressure regulators are subjected to tough duty in the oil & gas, aerospace and welding industries, but their precision performance is also critical, as regulator outlet pressure determines downstream pressure. A HORN modular toolholding system allow the company to reduce cycle times by 65 percent and cost per part by 79 percent—with better finish, flatness and tool life.

For many machinists, the conversation begins, "If I could have this size tool with this attachment on it, we'd be able to …" With the variety of machine taper types, sizes, differences in the flanges, draw-in thread sizes, and pull studs, finding the ideal toolholder for the job can be a difficult task.

Kitagawa NorthTech Inc. introduces its new AS series of grinding steady rests. The AS series expands and completes the company's portfolio of steady rests specifically designed and engineered for grinding applications. The new AS steady rests feature narrow retractable arms for easy automated part loading, as well as many other capabilities for grinding applications.

The Speed Change pallet system from Pierson Workholding is a manual pallet changer designed to increase production by moving parts in and out of a machine tool faster than traditional workholding. The system's base provides 3,000 lbs. of locking power.

When CNC milling machines were conceived some in the metalworking industry asked why a computer couldn't also manage tool changes. That question was the impetus behind the development of the automatic toolchanger.

Seco Tools looks at passive and dynamic vibration control in a recent technical article on the company's web site. In metalcutting, vibration is generated by the changing forces that occur when making chips. The intermittent forces are apparent in the interrupted cutting process of milling and also appear in turning operations when the toolholder bar is periodically loaded and unloaded as chips form and break. A passive/dynamic approach to vibration control for tools involves application of a tuned mass damper concept.

In the August 2017 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering, Shop Operations Columnist Tom Lipton challenges readers to take a good look at the venerable 4-jaw independent lathe chuck. "Many machinists may have never used one. Hopefully, my call to arms will change that, and a whole new world of workholding will open up to them."

The Kurt MiniLock is a small, low-profile screw down clamp that provides a cost-effective, easy-to-use option for rigidly clamping components on machine tables, fixture plates, tombstones and trunnion fixtures.

Kitagawa NorthTech Inc. announces its Digital Grip Force Analyzer Software and Kit for Windows help machine shops and metalworking operations to harvest, measure and analyze grip force data from their workholding equipment for Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT or IoT), MTConnect and Industry 4.0 applications.

Master Magnetics Inc. says magnetic countersunk neodymium round-base assemblies provide amazing strength in a small size. These new countersunk magnets broaden the company's product line (The Magnetic Source) and provide users with another option for workholding and mounting.

END USER: Hansen Engineering Co., (310) 534-3870, www.hansenengineering.com. SOLUTION PROVIDER: JM Performance Products Inc., (800) 322-7750, www.jmperformanceproducts.com. CHALLENGE: Increase productivity and decrease machine downtime. SOLUTION: Install high-torque retention knobs in toolholders.

When it comes to selecting toolholders for drills, taps, endmills, shell mills and other round cutting tools, there is virtually an unlimited number of options. So how do you determine when a custom toolholder is a better option than 'stacking' standard ones?