Kurt Vise tuneup

[MattW]

General non-Mastercam question-

 

I have a MiniMill with 2 Kurt D675 vises on it. I am planning a fixture that will span both vises and rest on the top surfaces of the fixed and moveable jaws. the fixed jaw tops are within .001 of each other, but the moveable jaws are out .005 - .010. I am planning on skimming all the tops to make them the same, unless someone convinces me this is a bad idea. Comments?

 

MattW

Vertex Pharmaceuticals

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

Depending on the size of your minimill, you may have issues with your tools in the carousel colliding with your vises.

 

Just a thought.

[Thad]

How close do you need them? Keep in mind, the moveable jaw is exactly that....moveable.

 

Thad

[Hardmill]

I dont see a problem with it.

But as Thad said it is moveable

 

 

PEACE

[MattW]

I suppose I should specify Haas MiniMill. It was here when I arrived (and couldn't even spell CNC), so I don't know much about how it was configured, but right now, the spindle is about 4" away from the top of the vises at it's bottom travel limit. I was inquiring mainly about the cutting of the vises themselves, not the fixturing method. That is a seperate potentially bad idea.

 

MattW

Vertex Pharmaceuticals

[Guest]

make sure you clamp something in the vices when you cut them. Might be worth checking the tram on your minimill head too first, ours are somewhat "floating"

[Joels]

i tried to do this and it will work the first time but everytime you reload the fixture you have to level it by cutting it or shimming it and it turns into a pain.

[Thad]

How about making up some parallels that set your part just above the top face? Maybe even make some tall jaws for better holding. Standard jaws only stick up about 1/4" from the top of the vise.

 

Thad

[within a thou]

can ya not just block the fixture up over the vises and avoid the time in cutting them?

[cadcam]

when you checked the hight diffrence was this with the vise closed or open have you checked both ways as the moveable jaw , and this maters how you are holding in it can move a few thousands.

 

Why not put soft jaws in them and cut a step in them to hold your part?

[John@WMM]

quote:

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How close do you need them? Keep in mind, the moveable jaw is exactly that....moveable.

 

Thad

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Im with Thad on this one... That said it all...

[MattW]

Lets see if I can better describe where I am going. If someone can put the file up on the FTP site for me, I can save a MCX file (it is currently in Solidworks), and that might help. The idea is to have a 1" x 8"(thereabouts) x 24" bar that will go between the jaws and be clamped by both vises. Attached to the top of the bar is a fixture plate, the bottom of which sits on the top of the vises (the vise jaws would be removed for this). When I need the fixture plate, I just drop it on the vises and clamp up. When I need the vises back- pop, pop- fixture plate is out and vises are ready. That is the fantasy, anyway. As I said, I am still really green at all of this, but I tend to do batches of small parts, and I think I can do better than to stand around and load the machine every couple minutes.

 

The plan would be to load the bar in the vises and then skim the vise tops. I am hoping that doing that in the condition and position they will be for this, that position will be fairly repeatable, i.e., the vise tops will be coplanar when clamping up the fixture plate.

 

MattW

Vertex Pharmaceuticals

[heeler]

I would think that you would be better served with some legs to go set on the machine bed. You could make them so that the bottom of the fixture would clear the vises a little, and then the vices wouldn't matter, you would only be using them to clamp the fixture in place.

 

JM2C

 

Glenn

[MattW]

heeler-

 

I think that will be my backup plan. I was a little concerned with rigidity, but with a bar on the bottom, that may be taken care of.

 

Thinking more about this, I could bump my bar dimension up to whatever the dimension is from the vise bed- vise top, plus a little, and then the fixture would reference off the bottom. Or maybe use legs to set it off the machine bed, and just use the vises to clamp it.

 

Thanks for everyones' suggestions, I think this will end up better than I had planned. A couple of related issues- the vises appear to have been run into a couple of times, although I swear I know nothing about that. Also, one of the vises was somewhat difficult to turn. I took it all apart, cleaned and lubed everything and replaced the thrust bearing. After all that, I think the problem was mainly the adjusting set screw in the back of the moveable vise was too loose. Probably most of you know this already, but if your vise is hard to turn, check that first.

 

MattW

Vertex Pharmaceuticals

[MattW]

quote:

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Or maybe use legs to set it off the machine bed, and just use the vises to clamp it

---

Hmm, wonder where I got that idea.

 

quote:

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You could make them so that the bottom of the fixture would clear the vises a little, and then the vices wouldn't matter, you would only be using them to clamp the fixture in place.

---

Nobody needs to point out that I'm a dope, I am already well aware of that.

 

MattW

Vertex Pharmaceuticals

[Kelly Burns]

Why not just pop some c-bored holes in a fixture plate and bolt it to the table. Skin the long side and pop a dowel hole in it for location. Quick-dirty-reliable. The Mini's already suck because of Z height; I wouldnt want to stack up my table to quick in one of these.

 

Just my thought.

 

[Kelly Burns]

Nobody needs to point out that I'm a dope, I am already well aware of that.

[/quote

 

I just noticed this. Dont be so sensitive, you came here asking for help and you got it. Nobody is implying your an idiot, so please dont take it that way. Everyone has a different opinion and thats all they are, opinions.

 

Good luck to ya'

 

[MattW]

Kelly-

 

The spindle won't even make it to the vise tops as it is, so any small tool needs to be sticking way out to make it to the table. The bulk of the parts I do are fairly small.

 

Nobody hurt my feelings, but I didn't catch everything in heeler's suggestion when I first read it. I then proposed essentially the same thing, as if I came up with the idea all by myself- which I sort of did, but only because my reading comprehension had sagged a bit. I then reread his suggestion, which I had just posted as my own idea. Oops.

 

MattW

Vertex Pharmaceuticals

[Guest]

quote:

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The spindle won't even make it to the vise tops as it is, so any small tool needs to be sticking way out to make it to the table. The bulk of the parts I do are fairly small.

---

That's why our machines have sub-plates.

 

Well, that and few other reasons. But that is one of them

[billystein]

"the vises appear to have been run into a couple of times, although I swear I know nothing about that. "

 

+1

I don't know how that happpened on my vises either

 

b.stein