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Vices, chucks, towers, pillars, cubes, tombstones - prismatic work
News Release from: Craftsman Tools | Subject: Cube-type workholding units
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 02 October 2002
Improved cube access makes the most of
M-C use
In an expanded range of cube-type workholding units, a cruciform, gives access to all four sides of a cube, enabling customers to use the full machining capacity of a machining centre.
Craftsman Tools, the leading UK manufacturer of work and tool holding equipment, is launching an expanded range of cube-type workholding, designed to provide the maximum productivity from a machining centre or cell The expanded range includes standard cubes to suit a wider range of machining centres, the new extended T-bracket and the new cruciform cubes
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 2 Oct 2002 at 8.00am (UK)
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The latest development is the cruciform, which gives access to all four sides of the cube, enabling customers to use the full machining capacity of a machining centre.
The cruciform allows clearance for the machine tool spindle to access three sides of a component, reducing the number of set ups required and increasing the up time of a machine.
It also allows the user to keep tool length to a minimum.
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The extended T-bracket cube permits use of the full swing of the machine.
It overhangs the machine table so increasing the available machining area.
The new extended T-bracket has so impressed machine tool manufacturers that they have a 500-pallet version in their Egham showroom.
Barry Ford, senior product engineer at Hitachi Seiki said "the new Tee Bracket is mounted on our HS500 horizontal machining centre which allows our customers to bring a new range of large components to our high speed machining centre, parts which can now fully utilize both X and Y axes".
One of the first installations, at Hyde Aerospace, has delighted the customer because the cubes were finished to a high tolerance, allowing immediate use without any further machining.
Fitted to an 800mm pallet, the cube has 1000mm face x 1.1m height and 320mm width.
Craftsman Tools is renowned for supplying an extensive range of high quality cubes both as standard or as specials.
Design work is undertaken in house, and a close relationship with the foundry producing the castings has been developed so customers receives the most appropriate workholding system for their production requirements within the shortest possible lead times.
Standard cubes are normally supplied ex-stock.
The Craftsman Cube fits directly onto the machine pallet so there is no need for further machining.
Six standard types of hollow cube are offered; in addition to the new cruciform and extended T bracket, the three sided,, the angle bracket and the two sided T-bracket are available.
Construction is from close grained cast iron, stress relieved prior to and during machining to give a dimensionally stable finished product.
Flatness, perpendicularity, parallelism and surface finish are assured.
Standard size range is from 200-1000mm, and is available to suit JIS and DIN pallets.
Other standards can be met on request.
Specials are designed in-house by the company's large CAD department, and are normally based on the same modular design as the standard range, ensuring the greatest possible versatility in use.
Craftsman Tools' engineers will work closely with the customers' engineers and/or as part of an engineering project team .
(This was Manufacturingtalk's Top Story on 1 October 2002).
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