What is the Advantage and Disadvantage of Angle Plate With Locator Grid

Let us dive straight into the topic. A machining fixture can be of many types, depending on the part, machine, and machinist. The following sections on types of CNC fixtures will aim to cover the main types found in a machinist's workholding toolbox.

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CNC Vise Fixture

CNC vises are the go-to machining fixture for most machining setups because of their versatility and ease of use. Deriving from the traditional mechanical vise popular in woodworking and manual fabrication, they are the more precise version of it.

CNC vises offer incredible clamping power through a hydraulic/pneumatic screw mechanism. Their internal mechanism features two inclined surfaces (like a wedge) pushed against each other to increase rigidity and tackle jaw lift.

Furthermore, they also have flat, precision ground edges on their outer periphery. These faces are perpendicular to each other, allowing accurate positioning of the vise on the worktable or custom fixtures.

Another feature is their jaw design. Although seemingly flat, their surface texture and clamping power create high clamping pressures that tightly grip the part during machining.

Angle Fixture

Angle fixtures are another common tool among CNC workholding fixtures. Their primary purpose is to hold the workpiece firmly at specific angles. Its common applications include chamfering, beveling, and drilling at angles.

Like the CNC vise, angle fixtures are reliable and rigid. The angle plate often comes with a hole grid for convenient part placement and mounting. Moreover, many products also feature an adjustable angle with a locking mechanism, allowing machinists to customize it according to their needs.

Angle fixtures offer great utility to machinists working with parts beyond their machine's capability. For example, a prismatic part with a couple of angled surfaces can be easily machined on a 3-axis machine with an angled fixture. At the same time, it can also be machined on a 4-axis machine, but with additional cost.

Clamp Fixture

Clamps come in a variety of types and shapes, but the basic purpose remains the same. They hold the workpiece firmly through the application of mechanical force. This force often comes from screws or springs. Some popular clamp types are step clamps, edge clamps, hold-down clamps, and toe clamps.

Although clamps are not necessarily a CNC fixture, per se, they certainly fall within the broad category. Thus, they are worth a mention here.

Jig Fixture

Jigs are important machining fixtures that are used to guide the motion of the cutting tool and locate them precisely over the workpiece. A common application of jigs is drilling. If a part has multiple holes at different locations, using a jib with pre-drilled holes (like a stencil) is very time-efficient.

There are several types of jigs:

• Plate jig
• Template jig
• Angle jig
• Leaf jig
• Diameter jig

It is important to mention that many engineers make a distinction between jigs and fixtures owing to the special function of jigs, which guide the tool's motion. Fixtures, on the other hand, are strictly defined as devices that hold and locate the workpiece. Regardless of this distinction, jigs, and fixtures, both fall under the broad category of work holding and often work side by side.

Indexing Fixture

Indexing fixtures are highly useful in manufacturing parts with evenly-spaced geometric patterns. For example, a circular part with a hole every 30 degrees. Some of its common applications include cutting slots, gear teeth, and cutter flutes, all of which are evenly-spaced geometric features.

CNC indexing fixtures are robust and can be conveniently attached to the worktable. Moreover, modern CNC indexing heads can be automated with servo-control and actuated directly from the machine's controller or a standalone control unit.

Modular Fixture

Modular fixtures are among the most innovative types of CNC fixtures in this list. They are not part of any standard fixture system and geometry, like vises and clamps. Instead, they consist of a wide range of interchangeable components that can be assembled to form a customized fixture setup unique to the specific job at hand.

These reconfigurable components include plates, clamps, supports, and locators of various sizes. Furthermore, assembling them is quick and easy, and is done with locators or fasteners.

Modular fixtures offer numerous advantages. Since they are adaptable to different applications, they save costs by reducing investments in specialized fixtures. Moreover, they are accurate locators and expandable to larger setups.

CNC fixture design can be quite a complex process. Depending upon the part design and machine capabilities, the process difficulty can vary. We will share some expert tips to make the process of designing CNC workholding fixtures more manageable and systematic.

1. Clearly Define the Design Requirements of Your CNC Fixture

As with any engineering project, CNC fixture design starts with defining the problem. In this context, the designers should clarify their goals regarding production accuracy, cost, timing, etc. to get a clear picture of what they are aiming for.

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2. Collect Relevant Information From the Shop

The next step is to gather information about your resources. This includes the types of CNC machines you have, the materials your fixture will work with, the number of machining operations and their sequence, and, of course, the workpiece specifications.

3. Develop More Than One Draft for CNC Fixture Design

The good thing about CNC workholding fixtures is that there is never only one solution. You can be creative with fixture design and come up with multiple workholding solutions. As a designer, it is best practice to collect all ideas and prepare a basic draft design for each for comparison.

4. Pick the Best CNC Fixture Idea

Once you have multiple ideas on the table, the next step is to weigh their pros and cons in light of your project's specific requirements. Finally, after some deliberation, you will settle on the best option for your application. Make sure to consider everything including manufacturing costs, tooling costs, maintenance, and product life.

5. Optimize and Implement the Chosen CNC Fixture

In the last step, fine-tune the design you choose and finalize its production plans. The goal is to maximize fixture accuracy and cost-effectiveness. Expert advice is to try your best to stick to standard components like clamps, studs, plates, etc. to benefit from their quality and low cost.

Moreover, another recommendation is to not focus too much on the finishing as it is just a fixture. Only apply expensive surface finish methods where necessary.

Furthermore, the final tip is a bit counterintuitive but useful. Extra-tight part tolerances should also be avoided. They do not necessarily improve positioning accuracy but add cost. Usually, machinists can easily eliminate small fixture inaccuracies during setup and part positioning.

Also referred to as tooling plates, aluminum fixture plates are essential for implementing metrology operations. Containing numerous threaded apertures to mount parts, fixture plates improve reproducibility and inspection accuracy.

Keep reading to learn more about steel and aluminum fixture plates and their many applications.

What Are Fixture Plates?

An aluminum, or steel fixture plate can be designed to fit a specific machine with a custom feel and to conform to specific applications. Customization of plates is an essential aspect of delivering a superior product that will satisfy clients. Additionally, fixture plates typically have letters and/or numbers printed on the plate that correspond to certain parts to expedite setups and repeatability.

Both aluminum and stainless steel fixture plates have their own set of benefits. Read on to learn about each type.

Aluminum Fixture Plates

The aluminum alloy used to make aluminum fixture plates works to reduce movement, improve stability, and minimize stress on the machine. With excellent resistance to corrosion and rust, aluminum plates also offer the following benefits:

• Maximum Resistance to Corrosion
• Better Strength & Versatility
• Customer-Preferred
• Can Be Combined With Powder Coating & Anodizing

When technicians want to protect the granite surface of the CMM an aluminum fixture plate used during high-volume projects will solve this problem immediately. Providing the protection necessary for extending the life of the CMM granite surface.

Steel Fixture Plates

A steel fixture plate is sometimes preferred over an aluminum fixture plate for one or more of the following reasons:

• They're More Resistant to Nicks & Thread Degradation
• Steel Has High Tensile Strength
• Black Oxide Finish
• RC Finish

Both aluminum and steel fixture plates have their advantages and disadvantages. When deciding between the two, you must consider the application.

Applications

Fixture plates are predominantly used by CMM technicians to save time through repeatability and protect a machine's table from damage. Aluminum or steel fixture plates are mounted on top of granite surfaces to create a flatter surface to measure parts and reduce movement of the plate. In contrast to counterbore holes are placed in proper location to the CMM's threaded holes and bolts are provided to match the thread. This means fixture plates always remain at a specific location at all times.

Aluminum and steel fixture plates can adapt to both older and new CMM machines.

Which One Is Better?

Aluminum fixture plates are slightly less expensive than steel. Additionally, aluminum works better for tasks that are repeated or where the plate would need to be removed (depending on the size of the plate).where a heavier part could cause problems nicks on the surface but with a anodize finish this helps protect the surface as well. Steel plates are also be treated with black oxide to prevent corrosion, strengthen the plate and reduce wear from use. Alternatively, anodizing aluminum plates is necessary to prevent the same kind of corrosion and reduce wear.

The question of whether one is better than the other really depends on the type of parts being measured, the weight of the part, and other factors involved in the CMM process to specific customer needs.

Contact Rayco Fixture Today!

Still have questions? Contact our experts at Rayco Fixture. Rayco Fixture has provided superior aluminum and steel plate fixtures for over four decades. Our stellar reputation stems from our ability to proactively resolve issues regarding custom fixture styles and measurements. CMM machine tables equipped with our fixture plates are more likely to protect the granite surface.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of 90 Degree Angle Plate. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.