Any company that is involved with workpiece milling has access to Lang Technik’s Makro-Grip technology, which provides a workholding solution to almost any clamping requirement from raw material to the finished workpiece.
The company has been responsible for numerous workholding innovations that reduce costly changeover time, reduce operator workload and maximise productivity. One of the many benefits of using Lang Technik products is their patented Quick Point zero-point clamping system. This allows for a one-time installation – once the base plate is mounted and aligned to the machine tool table and the zero point is defined, workpieces and fixtures can be built quickly and accurately.
“The zero-point system provides a huge boost to productivity, reducing changeover time from 1-2 hours to around five minutes,” says Paul Fowler, Managing Director of Dimac Tooling, Lang Technik’s agents for Australia and New Zealand.
Two recent additions to Lang Technik’s respected Makro-Grip range of vices are the Makro-4 Grip and Makro-Grip Ultra. The Makro-4Grip allows Lang’s stamping technology to now be utilised for round parts. The stamping is a patented form-closure technology, which provides the highest holding power for five-face machining worldwide. Often referred to as pre-stamping, it involves the workpiece being stamped outside of the machine tool with up to 20 tons of hydraulic pressure.
Clamping scenarios that require high holding power, no work stop in the machining area, or where the danger of workpiece deformation exists, can be mastered with the stamping process. Makro-Grip stamping technology provides tremendous material savings due to minimal clamping edge requirements.
“Makro-Grip stamping technology provides tremendous material savings due to minimal clamping edge requirements,” Fowler explains. “The new Makro- 4Grip means that any company that is involved with workpiece milling of round parts can now benefit from this technology easily and cost-efficiently. Lang’s stamping technology is still the benchmark when it comes to processing raw parts in five-axis machining.”
The Makro-4Grip system consists of universal stamping jaws including stamping inserts for individual positioning as well as matching clamping jaws suitable for all sizes of Makro-Grip vices. The jaws grip the pre-stamped part in four indentations at a clamping height of just 3mm and cover a clamping range from 36mm to 300mm.
The other recent workholding innovation Lang Technik has added to its portfolio is the Makro-Grip Ultra, an innovative clamping system that allows clamping of large parts.
Thanks to the expandability of its modules, Makro-Grip Ultra is capable of safely clamping single or multiple parts of 810mm length and beyond. This capability pushes workholding to new heights and is particularly suitable for mould making and clamping applications of flat and large parts including deformation-sensitive parts. Different system heights, individually expandable clamping ranges, interchangeable clamping jaw types and a range of useful accessories add to the versatility of the vice.
“Makro-Grip Ultra is extremely flexible and equally capable of clamping, cubic, round or asymmetrical workpieces.,” says Fowler. “Manufacturers are now able to clamp large, flat workpieces concentrically and combined with the zero-point clamping system allows for changeover within seconds, making it possible to process numerous parts in next to no time.
“Another key advantage of Makro-Grip Ultra is its ability to machine all five faces of a workpiece without changeover. Depending on the requirements of the workpiece the operator can choose between different approaches and configurations for the first and second operation.”
Centre jaws can be used for clamping multiple parts simultaneously – both with serration or plain clamping steps. A special type of centring plate at the inner ends of the base bodies ensures that the spindle has a clearance of 4mm to compensate for workpieces that are not identically long. Each clamping jaw is individually secured by a threaded cap and thus can be moved independently from other clamping jaws allowing asymmetrical and shaped parts to be clamped.
“Makro-Grip Ultra now allows manufacturers to clamp a variety of large parts for which no workholding solution previously existed. Through its wide range of possible configurations the modular system covers practically any imaginable clamping application. It’s yet another example of Lang’s relentless pursuit to design and manufacture workholding products that reduce operator workload and maximise productivity.”
The Makro-Grip vice range also includes the Dual-Clamping vice, the Makro-Grip Automation and the Profilo Clamping vice – a clamping system for all shaped parts allowing for the use of different types of profile jaws on one vice body. The Universal Avanti vice offers great handling characteristics and enormous set-up time savings thanks to a quick jaw exchange system. Another unique product in the Lang Technik range is the Cleaning Fan. The fan automatically cleans the machine table, pallet and/or workpieces after the machining process is complete.
Kitagawa BR Series: Unprecedented gripping accuracy
Along with Lang Technik, Dimac is also the agent for Kitagawa, which has been supplying power chucks and CNC rotary tables to the global machine tool industry since its founding in 1918. The Kitagawa standard power chuck is acknowledged worldwide for its quality and longevity and the company has developed a well-earned reputation for designing workholding products that maximise productivity and minimise downtime.
Power chucks are installed on machine tools such as CNC lathes and machining centres to fix a workpiece. The power chuck is equipped with top jaws to fix the workpiece and they are opened and closed by means of a rotary cylinder.
The new BR Series power chucks are the latest offering from Kitagawa providing outstanding gripping accuracy of 0.01mm or less TIR immediately after jaw forming (Total Indicator Reading/Runout is a measurement of how far the work runs out of true). Due to its precise accuracy, the BR Series also reduces jaw-lift, providing stable machining quality.
Use of the new Kitagawa optional “Tnut-Plus” provides even greater gripping accuracy, even after detaching and re-attaching your formed jaws. Soft jaws formed using the Tnut-Plus can maintain the gripping accuracy equivalent to just-formed soft jaws even after they are removed from the chuck because they can be reinstalled in the same positions.
“Because no jaw reforming is required, it shortens set-up and changeover time substantially, saving you valuable time and increasing productivity,” says Fowler.
As an example, a machine shop that spends 30 minutes on jaw reforming and undertakes three jaw reforms per day will achieve significant time savings per year. Based on 300 annual working days this could equate up to 450-man hours, which translates to large monetary savings and productivity gains.
Four models/sizes are available, and for maximum convenience and cost-efficiency the new BR Series chucks are completely interchangeable with the existing Kitagawa B-200 and BB-200 series.
“The incredibly high-gripping TIR accuracy of the new Kitagawa BR Series power chucks transforms conventional machining methods and will improve any machine shop’s productivity,” adds Fowler.
Due to the high accuracy of jaw mounting, expensive special jaws are not needed; Dimac’s own locally manufactured soft jaws can be used. Manufactured at Dimac’s manufacturing facility at Dandenong, Victoria for more than 30 years, Dimac soft jaws are precision-engineered and made from 1040 or K1144 carbon steel. Accurate control of slot width ensures minimum runout when refitting soft jaws that have been previously machined.