Flexible Fixturing Furnishes Faster Setups
Replacing dedicated fixtures with a system incorporating custom jaws from Kurt Manufacturing has reduced setup time and freed capacity at this manufacturer of hydraulic snowplow equipment.
Mr. Thoreson reports that he and his team initially were skeptical that a standard workholding setup would provide the required locating accuracy and rigidity. However, clamping pressure ranging from 3,000 to 3,100 psi has proven more than sufficient to keep parts stable and to damp cutter-induced vibration. In fact, he reports that the shop can achieve part-to-part repeatability of 0.0005 inch, even at a top spindle speed of 15,000 rpm and feed rates ranging to 350 ipm. According to Kurt, machining the ClusterTowers from 80,000-psi ductile iron contributes to the system’s rigidity. “We run as aggressively as possible with the highest feed rates because the Kurt ClusterTowers can take it,” Mr. Thoreson says.
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