THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE CHOOSING WORKHOLDING John Zaya Workholding should be more than an afterthought; however, there are steps to follow and understand before selecting new devices. When it comes to securely and accurately situating material on a machine table, there’s often more than one way to get the job done. Are they all as precise or productive? Probably not, but they’ll get the part to the next step of the process. Everything will seem to be running as planned, but over time a scrap part here, or slow down there, and the cost of taking the easier or cheaper route adds up. That said, if you get into a situation where you know the part can’t be made with any of the fixtures around the shop, or production rates just aren’t keeping up, there are fundamental factors to understand before setting out to find a new device. These will vary in importance from shop to shop and some will be easier than others to assess. Understand these points, and we promise you’ll find the best workholding device for any project.
Part Size Two of the most important factors of a good workholding setup are stability and access. Both have a direct connection to right-size workholding and finding a balance between the two is needed. The fixture may be large and provide rigid holding but increases the chances of access to the workpiece being limited — and vice versa. If a part is too small for your fixture, consider palletizing multiple parts. If a part is too big for your fixture, consider upgrades if what you have is modular, or add custom pieces, if possible.
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