Get the most out of your coordinate measuring machine, or CMM, with the latest CMM clamping kits by Rayco Fixture. These kits offer highly versatile, precise holding and positioning options for your manufacturing process. Explore the basic components, uses, and benefits of a kit today.
CMM Clamping Kits
The primary features of a CMM clamping kit are versatility and precision. Kits come with a wide range of components that are interchangeable, adjustable, and capable of holding multiple materials in set designs. The base of the kit allows you to accurately position the workpiece and program your CMM to measure your prototype or custom run project.
Versatile Clamping Performance
The base of any fixture kit is a fixture plate. These plates come in various sizes and materials but are all designed with a grid of precise threaded holes. The X-axis and Y-axis are lettered and numbered to help you accurately measure a component to create a repeatable design with your CMM. Be sure to work with a leading fixture plate manufacturer to receive a custom plate to fit your specific make, model, and size of CMM.
A fixture kit uses a stunning array of clamps and components that all thread into the uniform holes on a fixture plate. Here are some examples of clamping components to secure your workpiece during the machining process:
- Strap clamps
- Vacuum clamps
- Flanged nuts
- Clamping studs
- Tension springs
- Jackstands
- Standoffs
There are many more components available. You can pick up a set of many different clamping components to handle unexpected workpieces, or you can tailor your kit to your industry and typical machining applications.
Materials Used
The material of your workpiece and your machine both affect the ideal material for your fixture plate and CMM clamping kit. Most plates are aluminum, steel or acrylic, though you can work with Rayco Fixture to receive a custom plate to match your product goals. Be sure you can receive any fixture plate material in the recommended size, thickness and installation style your CMM requires. A sturdy base is essential, but balance durable materials with affordable options to invest in a cost-effective clamping kit.
Discreet Designs
Your CMM needs to operate three-dimensionally according to Cartesian coordinates programmed into every run. Any dislocation of your workpiece can negatively affect the quality of your final product, so it’s critical to use a plate and clamps that are secure and discreet.
Large, obtrusive clamps can get in the way and prevent you from properly probing a workpiece. Inaccurate measurements can come from a clamp in the way or a clamp that doesn’t securely hold the component. A discreet design is particularly important if creating a product with very low tolerances.
CMM Clamping Applications
Clamping kits are used to ensure the accuracy of your CMM. The most common use of a CMM is to provide detailed information to a CNC machine. A fixture plate with clamps ensures accurate measurements of the component for repeatable machining. Here are common industries that can benefit from a CMM and fixture kit:
- Electronic
- Aerospace
- Automotive
- Military and defense
- Tooling
Advantages of an Industry-Leading Clamping Kit
Workpieces secured by a clamping kit experience less movement and improved accuracy in measuring. By choosing a custom kit, you can create the ideal setup that safely holds a piece during the measuring process.
Not only are custom clamps and fixture plates customizable, they’re also repeatable. The numbered and lettered axes allow you to remove a piece, measure another component and then restore the first setup with less time and risk of error. You can also repeat the same clamping design between multiple plates to hold components for more than one CMM at a time.