Challenging the workholding norm – MACH 2022

With 159 years’ experience manufacturing 128 million parts per year using over 160 milling machines, workholding expert Norgren, part of IMI plc, will be using MACH 2022 to illustrate how it challenges traditional thinking about workholding solutions for CNC machining and how it has developed new ways to reduce set up and changeover times, eliminate costs and time spent designing, creating and storing vice/soft jaws.

The Adaptix soft jaw being displayed at the show was developed over two years, with contributions from a variety of Norgren global teams. Not just R&D, but manufacturing, sales, marketing, digital, and many other roles were all involved in making the product a reality.

The success of the process is due to the diverse set of people that have contributed to creative problem solving, listening to customer feedback, and tested and validated the development cycle of each new product.

The Adaptix soft jaw is an innovative product that reinvents the soft jaw process and even the need to have soft jaws at all. Adaptix has been designed to have similar robustness to a normal aluminium soft jaw with regards to high clamping forces, repeatability and toughness. The fingers adapt to the shape of each part, offering greater flexibility and helping to save time and money by simplifying processes.

The ‘fingertip’ design further builds on the product’s flexibility and opens up a world of customisation. Adaptix can be customised to specific needs with different tip materials, step profiles, lengths and tip edges. Not only are the tips replaceable, but the whole system was designed to be field repairable in case a single finger gets damaged.

The jaw adapts to any part geometry, provides the necessary forces to hold a workpiece without marring and will radically reduce the time and cost involved in the design and development of a soft jaws or fixturing. Adaptix will work on various brands of vice and the housings ensure a tightly coupled system.

Norgren
www.norgrenworkholding.com
Hall 17, Stand 221.