If you're new to our Pierson Workholding Fixer Friday series,
this is the perfect episode to watch because I'm going to highlight
the best parts of the previous 19 episodes
and give some bonus workholding tips
that I didn't mention the first time around.
Let's get started.
I was named for this
this OK.
A quick overview.
We have three main product lines that we feature.
Our pallet systems allow you to harness the power of high density work.
Holding an about 22nd pallet changes so you can plow through production.
Our vacuum systems use the seemingly magical approach
to hold flat work pieces with extremely high vacuum levels.
And finally, our Rotovise Pro takes high density work holding to the next level
by harnessing the often unused Z volume of your machines travel and allows
you access to multiple phases of your part which greatly reduces setups.
Now, they all have unique approaches to maximize efficiency and profits.
We'll add a link in the video description below for each one of them.
Fixture Friday.
One is important because it establishes the approach
to high density work holding using our products
now in episode one, we went from two parts in a vise
to 24 on one pallet.
Now, keep in mind that you always want to have two identical pallets
so that when one is in the machine,
the other pallet is outside where parts are changed.
This radically reduces idle spindle time
and is a massive production boost on its own fixture.
Friday number two showed how pallets hold up over time
when running steel parts in high quantities.
Two big takeaways here.
First, yes, you can hold steel parts in an aluminum fixture.
I get a lot of customers asking if we can make pallets out of steel
to make them more durable.
Well, in theory, yes, but in reality,
you do not want to be lifting a 40 to 70 pound
steel pallet in and out of the machine.
Just go with aluminum and follow my tips in this video
to design for durable now a quick side note.
I've lost a sale or two because a customer insisted
that we must make steel pallets so that they wouldn't wear out.
But the approach I use in general is I don't solve a problem
before it's actually a problem.
Now, will the clamping features of an aluminum pallet wear out quicker yeah.
But to date we made about 22,000 parts
with over 2700 pallet changes
using the fixture before finally retiring it.
So fixture Friday number three is packed with lots of great info
and honestly, I'd recommend just watching that one on its own.
But if there's one thing that I would highlight, it's my opening comments.
Don't pressure yourself to make a multi operation pallet.
Just keep it simple and tackle the first operation alone.
Typically the first off has the majority of the machining.
So by pallets in this op you'll still be
where the game in terms of efficiency.
OK, fixture Friday four.
It's not that exciting I talk about origins
and where to place them, but I don't want you to miss the main point.
Standardized origins
now using a standard origin means
you only probe a surface one time ever, and you use this permanent
standardized origin for all of your fixtures.
Again, it's boring stuff, but man, standardized origins is a big deal.
It's under 3 minutes, so definitely check it out.
Now, in contrast to fixture Friday, number three, fixture Friday number five
showed the second operation of a part where we pallets
highest 48 parts
per cycle on a single pallet.
Can someone give me a ka ching
I mean
compared to a traditional approach of holding a few parts in a vise.
Yeah it's not even a fair fight
fixture Friday number six was our first Smart Back episode
where we leveraged the use of 400 grit sandpaper
sandwiched between our part and the chuck and this technique increases the traction
between the two elements to the point where we quadrupled our feed rates.
Remember, the holding power of vacuum is determined by the surface area.
Exposed to the vacuum on the plane of the gasket.
Now, the smaller the part, the lower the holding force.
Now it's not likely you're going to lift a part off a vacuum.
Chuck, what actually happens is the side forces from
the cutter can shift the part sideways.
And that is a typical point of failure.
Now, sandpaper helps keep the part in place.
How about a bonus tip?
Don't use anything other than Gorilla Glue
because Gorilla Glue is water activated
and typically impervious to coolant.
Now, I'd also recommend scuffing the surface of your top plate
to give the glue a good surface to adhere to.
Fixture Friday eight and number 15 go hand in hand.
In these episodes we hold parts from the bottom
using fasteners in what I call the knife makers method.
Now we're a production shop that embraces lean manufacturing.
So in these two videos you'll see the results of continuous improvement
by increasing the number of parts per cycle,
as well as making the pallet a lot more user friendly.
Speaking of continuous improvement, fixture Friday Number Ten shows
our improvements to the pallet scene in fixture Friday number two.
And in that episode I demonstrate some advanced design approaches
by using the same pocket for two plants
we also increase the part density from 16 parts
on the old pallet to 24 parts
while maintaining a very similar pallet weight Fixture Friday.
11 is another Smart Back video where we use a customizable top plate
to both hold the workpiece and the remnant material.
It's also a great video to watch as a practical overview
on how to harness the power of vacuum for your production parts.
So Fixture Friday and 12 is a gold
mine of bite sized information on fixture building
and is one of my most shared fixture Fridays to date.
Now the approach I took is to highlight what not to do when designing a fixture.
I'll leave it at that, so make sure and watch fixture Friday 12
link in the description below fixture Friday number 14.
OK, so this was the first episode in which we featured our pallets
for the Rotovise Pro and not to spoil it, but I got a little excited.
I'm just excited for our own production you
anyway, by applying high density
work holding to our Rotovise Pro, we absolutely crushed it.
When it comes to multipart multi face machining, it's another must watch video
and I'll put a link in the description below, but check out this footage
fixture Friday.
16 hold parts with no clamps.
It sounds like clickbait, but it's not now because we design our own products.
We're able to design in certain features that aid in manufacturing.
And in this Fixture Friday we run the second operation on some five axis parts.
And yes, we don't use any clamps.
What we did was we turned some custom screws
that have a nonstandard seven eighths 20 thread
to use the bolt through approach, again known as the knife maker's method
to bolt through the bottom of the pallet and into the parts.
And we added a couple of balls for pins that locate the part
and add lateral stability.
Now, what I didn't show the first time around
is that we also added snap rings to hold those custom screws in place
in fixture Friday number 17 we machine some cast iron
and if you've never machine cast iron, it's kind of like machining dirt clods.
Sometimes you get chips, sometimes you get dirt
check out this awesome slo mo footage
OK, so beauty
shots aside, the big takeaway in this video is the channels under the part
so that coolant and chips don't accumulate in the two boards.
Now re machining chips is a major cause of chipped teeth
and getting them out of a blind pocket is always tricky.
Channels under the part help take care of this.
So we covered another cool vacuum application in fixture Friday 18
main takeaway small parts again are held with lower
holding force due to the lack of surface area.
So we always want to nest small parts
together out of one larger work piece
this way you borrowed the surface area
from neighboring parts to get higher overall holding force.
Now the trick is to separate them in the second operation,
using one of our customizable top plates that uses pins
to locate each part individually once they're separated from each other.
And last but not least, fixture Friday 19 is another vacuum application.
Actually, it's a rule breaking application.
Now, the rule of thumb is if you can hold a part in a vise, go for it.
Vacuum is best for large work pieces with plenty of surface area.
But in this episode, holding on to material in a vise
wouldn't allow us to take a full perimeter cut.
So again, vacuum rescue us with the use of a custom
top plate to locate the part on using pins.
By the way, the product we're making is our smart plate, which allows you
to mount a rotary unit outside of your machining envelope
so it's not taking up any valuable table space.
I'll add a link to the product in the description as well.
Well, the next three fixture Fridays are right around the corner,
so consider subscribing so you don't miss them.
And as usual, go innovate your production.