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Cyber Week Sale On DATRON Tools! Use Code CYBER25 for 15% Off
Complimentary DATRON gift with orders of $1000
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Cyber Week Sale On DATRON Tools! Use Code CYBER25 for 15% Off
Complimentary DATRON gift with orders of $1000
For US Customers Only
North America | Global
One of the most critical factors in successfully machining a part is selecting the proper work holding. The correct work holding for a production run will impact the throughput, quality, tolerances, and safety. Many 3rd party suppliers provide work holdings that will fit on a DATRON machine. DATRON has developed a line of work holdings to meet your high-speed application needs, which will capitalize on the system and improve your overall efficiency.
DATRON offers four basic types of workholding: vacuum tables, pneumatic clamping systems, vertical clamping systems, and mechanical vices with soft jaws.
DATRON has developed a revolutionary vacuum table system to securely hold flat sheet material, dramatically decreasing setup and cycle times. Lay down your sheet material and cut your parts out within seconds of placing the stock. At the end of a production run, harvest the nested parts and lay down a fresh sheet for the next batch. The sacrificial, permeable card stock lets you cut through the material completely without damaging the vacuum table surface. Various designs, sizes, and configurations can easily mount onto the DATRON machines for a wide range of applications and materials.
The construction consists of a combination of small holes drilled within meandering grooves in an aluminum plate. A vacuum is connected to the underside of the plate from a high-volume vacuum pump and is distributed over the entire table surface. You can open and shut various zones, to easily accommodate your part size.
DATRON’s Vacuum Cards are placed on top of the aluminum platen, which distributes the vacuum pressure evenly across the underside of the material surface. It also allows you to machine completely through your parts, into the disposable substrate layer, without machining into your vacuum table. With this ingenious design, you can secure flat parts, as small as the size of a coin, without the part lifting or letting go. The DATRON machining systems also have built vacuum sensors, so that if for some unforeseen reason the vacuum is compromised, the machine will stop.
There is a wide range of tables available to accommodate your specific needs or machine type. Built into the bottom of the tables is a grid of conical-shaped location pins that allow you to easily position the table back onto the machine, within tenths, eliminating any extra time to tram in the system.
The tables are modular so that multiple tables can be mounted side by side. There is also the ability to mount vertical stops along the side of the platen, if you require exact positioning of material, such as a pre-printed sheet.
DATRON’s Vacuum Cards are placed on top of the aluminum platen, which distributes the vacuum pressure evenly across the underside of the material surface. It also allows you to machine completely through your parts, into the disposable substrate layer, without machining into your vacuum table.
With this ingenious design, you can secure flat parts, as small as the size of a coin, without the part lifting or letting go. The DATRON machining systems also have built vacuum sensors, so that if for some unforeseen reason the vacuum is compromised, the machine will stop.
When machining multi-sided or cylindrical parts, a rotary axis is an efficient solution. Like a lathe, the part can be mounted in a chuck and rotated for access to different sides of the part set-up. The part can be rotated in a positional or continuous manner during machining. For longer parts, a tail stock can be added for more stability to the part, reducing vibrations and improving surface finishes and tolerances.
The 4th Axis model will fit on all Datron machining systems. The center of the 4th axis to the machine table is 75mm (2.95”). There are two clamping options available, a 3-jaw chuck similar to a lathe and the Centric clamping system that is like a vice jaw. With the 3-jaw chuck you can clamp up to a 3.125” diameter part and the Centric clamp up to 2.5” wide part. A tailstock is available for the 4th axis to accommodate longer parts.
DATRON offers two variations of a rotary axis:
The 4th and 5th Axis model mounts within the open space located at the front of the Cube series machine with the cutout table option. The trunnion style or ‘U’ axis style can support 5-axis simultaneous machining. The mounting plate for your work holding measures 135mm in diameter and can rotate a full 360 degrees. The trunnion can rotate (tilt) a maximum of 120 degrees.
If you are machining a part larger than a standard vice will hold, or have a short cycle time requiring a quick way to load and unload parts, the DATRON pneumatic clamping system is a perfect fit. The clamp and fixed stop can be adjusted to accommodate large parts and panels at the touch of a button, reducing your setup times. Clamp and unclamp your part in seconds with no unwinding or turning of a vice handle. Plus, you can automate the clamps with additional accessories for automatic release and clamping with a robotic arm.
The M8Cube, MLCube and MxCube models offer an optional open area at the front of the machine for mounting larger or vertical parts. If your part is taller than the clearance of the gantry design, you can mount it vertically at the front of the machine. DATRON has developed a pneumatic clamping system that secures these parts to accommodate this functionality. With this setup, you can efficiently perform a machining operation on the end of a 36” long tube. The vertical mounting system installs in minutes at the front of the machine and can be quickly adjusted to accommodate a wide range of material sizes.
DATRON offers a unique vice that works well with the machining system. The vice is low profile, allowing ample room to secure your part and still have clearance under the gantry design. Additionally, they come with soft or aluminum jaws that are easily machinable and replaceable. You can then customize a profile in the face of the jaws to hold a non-rectangular shape, like a coin. This also helps with part location and often gives more clamping power for aggressive machining operations. There are several vice designs and sizes available.
Mount any work holding quickly and precisely using the DATRON conical system. Remove and add jobs in seconds without having to realign your work holding each time. Simply mount the stainless-steel conical-shaped inserts into the underside of your work holding plate, placing them on 100mm centers. The conical design allows for quick and accurate positioning in X, Y, and Z axes, and the work holding can be secured using either M6 screws or vacuum. Conical inserts are available for purchased on our e-commerce site at https://shop.datron.com/product/conical-insert/.
You can also purchase pre-made pallets called Module Plates.
Currently, we’re making some special lightbulb parts on the DATRON neo that we were making on our Haas Super Mini Mills − and by using the vacuum chuck to hold sheet material on the neo, we’re able to batch machine these parts which has reduced cycle time by nearly 50%.
Paul Strippelhoff, Vice President
Carbide Products
Datron’s vacuum table almost eliminates set-up time and lets us run batches of parts unattended so we can do other things. We finished what used to be a year’s worth of parts in a couple of months.
Steve Brenneisen, Owner
Ross Custom Switches
The vacuum table combined with the machines integrated probe makes it so easy to setup a job – it’s faster and takes out the element of human error. All of this equates to more efficiency, higher quality, less waste and ultimately cost reductions.
Bill Rogers
Ellis & Ellis Signs
Our team of DATRON experts is here to help you find the ideal high-speed CNC machine and precision workholding accessories for your unique application. Whether you're bringing production in-house or optimizing existing workflows, we’ll guide you to the solution that enhances your efficiency, precision, and throughput.
