I really want to start using fixture plates as I make mostly small parts (1-2 inches square) in aluminium. Softjaws work ok, but as I don’t have a tool changer it means almost constant 1 on 1 at the machine. I;d like longer op times and fixture plates seems a good idea for this.
The mitie bite pitbull seems a good option for low height workholding of both raw stock for OP1 and OP2 workholding (if I can’t get a bolt hole).
But I am lost when it comes to connecting a base plate to the different fixture plates - I want to use a few locating pins (diamond or round) and liners, to get it repeatable and then some bolts (with nuts pressed in) so the aluminium plate can be help down too.
I’m on a budget, so can;t afford to buy the wrong thing, but the websites I have found are so complex with so many options I am a bit lost.
Can any link me a bushing and pin setup which you would use on a 6-10 inch small base/fixture plate setup?
Thanks Stephen, sounds like a fantastic series I look forward to working through.
As it’s not yet in place though, just to ask again, I am specifically after links to pins/liners - it would be handy if they happen to be the same as the tutorial, but I’d be happy to consider other good value options?
The fixtures in the tutorial use the Mitee-Bite P/N 31750 (1/2 Press Fit Expansion-Pin) in the sub-plate. Here is the drawing showing a sub-plate that will hold 4 different fixtures/pallets. The FIX-403 drawing is not available yet. FIX-404.PDF (1.2 MB) FIX-402.PDF (1.9 MB) FIX-401.PDF (1.6 MB) SUB-400.PDF (1.5 MB)
@Billy-Boyce - the FIX-403 links on the academy site keeps redirecting me back to the Series page and not to the Fusion model or the pdf drawing. It may be an errant link. I suspect you already have the model and drawing available.
Yes thank you… This has been fixed and is now viewable. FYI Mitee-Bite is putting a kit together for this series like Kennametal did with the Building blocks and the Rocket tools.
Andrew - making your individual plates will be fairly easy, it’ll involve a little bit of time to get your workholding down for the individual parts - and as you mentioned you will most likely be using some combination of MiteeBite products to do it.
As you are feeling - you will definitely increase your productivity because of all the time spent changing tools. No question there. Even just doubling your density will make it feel like the sky opened up for you.
For locating pins and bushings, keep looking at the MiteeBite product line. They have a diamond taper pin setup with bushings that is not expensive and will serve as your locating foundation - we have used it on a couple of fixture plates. Then they have some other products that will physically attach the pallets to the base plate easily. I son’t remember what they call it, and don’t have experience with them.
If you don’t have the budget right now and/or can’t see the complete picture coming together just yet - how it’s going to look and function when done, the hardware and material involved, capabilities and limitations etc. Then you can still get started with something simpler than a fully thought out system, for now.
For instance - your parts are small enough that you can make a simple pallet that can be held in place with your vice. The Pallet should be able to hold 4 parts without too much effort and most likely 6 parts. This will not exactly be a quick change system - but it will get you closer to your goal and get you some of the productivity and setup gains you are looking for without having to have everything figured out right now. It will give you some first step experience - how to hold down your parts, how to program multiple positions using subroutines, how to pick up one point on your pallet and use g52 shifts to machine each part location from there. Baby steps, but if you’ve never done them - invaluable for you journey - without being overwhelmed to start. Baby steps, which will soon turn into full strides.
If you’ve been there, done that allready and you are ready to run like a gazelle - then it’s time to step into the wonderful world of quick change pallets - and the Titans Tutorial the guys are putting together looks like it is going to be awesome! I wish I had this information 10 years ago. You can easily pick up what they are doing looking at the pictures posted above, and it should be easy to extrapolate from there how this could be used on your machine and to make your parts. The MiteeBite product line will most likely be your cheapest(and best) entry point too.
I like the Mitee Bite products mentioned above. Especially the “Talon Grip” and “PitBull” combination of clamping. They work great and can really allow for minimal clamping of material. For bushings and pins, as well as Threaded Key Inserts I almost always use products from Carr Lane. https://www.carrlane.com/en-us/
They have a great product line along with model downloads of their products so you can import them into a fixture assembly…
This is what you need to start.
you can locate off pins. or place the part and pick up the origin.
If you want dedicated work holding for a larger cnc then the options above are great.
If I’m understanding you correctly this is what you want. No need for soft jaws. and can be held in Kurt style vice on top of parralles.
Id Just make the pallet.
.750 6061 plate
drill pattern for 1/4-20 and few for dowel pins to locate/repeat if needed.
just make sure the plate is flat and square in form and all hole on true location to each other and the bottom/top face.
good to go!
@AndrewGiles Sorry, late to the party on this topic, but just wanted to let you know that making pallets to run in vises as @DavidGauthier suggested, works really well, as you can see in the pics. After I was finished with the initial setup of these, I drilled a hole in the center stops to use a co-axial indicator to quickly dial these in next time they are ran for a quicker setup.
Thanks! I don’t remember how much time savings it was, but it was significant! I believe that it was around 2.5 as many parts per hour compared to how they were doing it before.
This kind of thinking is what earns you a raise!
Keep it up!
Remember there’s no one single way to do things.
Just keep your set-ups tight, rigid, and on point.
!
