Modular Fixturing System Features Highly Accurate Baseplates

Bluco’s 5016 modular fixturing system combines a special baseplate design and more than 250 of the company’s tooling components to deliver a flexible tooling system enabling companies to quickly and accurately hold low-volume pieces for machining.

The baseplates come with a pattern of alternating 16-mm hardened bushings (±0.0004" between centers) and M16 tapped holes along with alphanumeric engraving to help identify hole location. These tight tolerances ensure that fixtures built on the system are right the first time and can be rebuilt a week, month or year later with the same accuracy, the company says. A typical modular fixture can be designed, built and ready to run the first piece in under an hour, compared to dedicated fixtures than can take days or weeks to be completed.

The system can be used in both vertical and horizontal machining centers, and the baseplates are customized to fit the dimensions of each specific CNC machine. For horizontal applications, larger blocks and knees are available, or baseplates can be mounted to new or existing tombstones.

To achieve even more efficiency from the system, quick-release mounts can be added for rapid change-over between jobs. The machine operator can work on setting up the next job on an optional secondary baseplate while the current job is running.