Toolholding & Workholding

Your shop just bought its first 5-axis machining center. Now what? Not only are there new and more complex programming techniques to learn—never mind the mind-boggling variety of part processing options to contend with—there's also the pesky problem of how to grip workpieces.

The array of configurations is vast, but angle heads typically serve a common function: eliminate having to perform a separate operation to access a part feature when thenworkpiece can't be indexed.

Speedgrip Chuck Inc., an Elkhart, Ind.-based designer and manufacturer of highly engineered workholding mechanisms, has been sold to an affiliate of Stratford-Cambridge Group, a private investment firm headquartered in Plymouth, Mich. Speedgrip announced the transaction in a news release issued Dec. 16.

Cutting tool maker SGS Tool Co., Munroe Falls, Ohio, recently signed a licensing agreement with Haimer GmbH, Igenhausen, Germany, for the tool holding company's HAIMER Safe-Lock System, according to a recent news release. SGS Tool, a market leader for solid carbide end mills in North America, has begun offering their high quality cutting tools with the HAIMER Safe-Lock System.

Koma Precision Inc. provides a series of angle head demonstrations for aerospace applications in this brief report posted as a video sidebar to the "What's your angle?" feature article in the January 2016 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine.

BIG Kaiser Precision Toolng Inc. provides a series of angle head demonstrations in this 3-minute report posted as a video sidebar to the "What's your angle?" feature article in the January 2016 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine.

Manufacturing Marvels, which airs on The FOX Business Network, recently featured Allied Machine & Engineering Corp., Dover, Ohio. Manufacturing Marvels, which is produced by the Marvel Production Group LLC, Dallas, Texas, are 2-minute video reports spotlighting American manufacturers, their products, processes and customers.

Italian workholding manufacturer Gerardi SPA offers its new line of self-centering CompactGRIP vises for 5-axis machining. The line offers higher clamping power than existing vises, because the clamping screw design is positioned very close to the workpiece and the integral design of slides and jaws, according to the company.

Productive Times challenge: Ensure there are no machining issues with a flexible manufacturing system. The solution: Machine simulation and optimization software.

Turbine blades are typically mounted on compressor disks and milled from a single piece of material rather than constructed blade by blade. These are known as blade-integrated disks, or blisks, and their main function is to compress air in the turbine.

Productive Times Challenge: Find a suitable toolholder to handle precision machining. The Solution: Shrink-fit chucks.

Productive Times Challenge: Reduce post-machining polishing time. The Solution: Tooling toolholder assemblies with high-torque retention knobs.