Tooling & Workholding

Workholding

Workholding refers to any device that is used to a secure a workpiece and hold it in place against the forces of machining. The most basic workholding device is a simple clamp that is screwed into place on a machining center’s table, but workholding can also involve complex fixtures that are custom-built for particular parts. Other common workholding devices include vises and chucks, as well as indexers or rotary tables that are able to change the part’s position while it is held, so the machine can reach various features of the part without the setup having to be changed. In most machining applications, workholding also locates the part. In turning, for example, a chuck not only holds the part securely but also holds it precisely on the centerline of the spindle. On a machining center, the vise or fixture that holds the part may also hold it in the precise position and orientation where the machining program expects to find it. For this reason, components such as locating pins and workstops that make it easy to place piece after piece in the same location are also common workholding components.

Featured Zone Content

March 2012

The Case for Custom Fixturing


Photos of custom fixtures illustrate the types of applications that call for non-standard workholding.

January 2012

Small Engine Precision Fuels Fifth-Axis Production Workholding Concept


The challenge holding tight tolerances for its billet RC helicopter engine components drove this company to develop an innovative fifth-axis tombstone device to complete multiple parts on an HMC in one setup.

May 2011

Get That Part off the Table


Vertical machining centers with simultaneous five-axis machining capability have become popular in recent years.

February 2011

Incremental Automation


This machine tool supplier sees shops searching for just a little bit of unattended capacity. Many shops are closer to obtaining this extra capacity than they realize.



April 2013

Video: Fifth-Axis Tombstone Workholding Solution

By: Derek Korn
Watch an HMC perform five-axis machining using a tombstone that has multiple indexers installed.

April 2013
rotary tables

Enabling Small Machines to Produce Big Parts

By: Derek Korn
Well-suited for oilfield work, this compact rotary table has a through-hole diameter of 13.6 inches, which has previously been available only with rotary tables having a much larger face plate.

April 2013

Firm Grip on the Future

By: Chris Koepfer
This Indiana workholding manufacturer has been in business for 97 years. Its recent and ongoing investment in plant and capital equipment ensures its place as a leading supplier of standard and specialty workholding solutions for the turned parts industry.

April 2013
Kurt HD690 vise line

Vise Line Reduces Stress Under Load

By: Modern Machine Shop
Kurt’s pull-type HD690 vise line is available in standard and reverse jaw models, and in manual and hydraulic versions.

April 2013

Cramming for Competitiveness

By: Matt Danford
Low-profile clamps contribute to the high-density fixturing this shop needs to make the most of an equipment configuration that is increasingly renowned for reducing setups and keeping the spindle turning.


There's more on workpiece holding and positioning in the Techspex Resource Center.
Self centering vise is a cost effective and universal workholding method for five sided machining.
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