Machining 28 pieces at a time

This video shows the use of a production fixture that holds and machines 28 parts at once. Each piece gets rough cut to length, finish cut to length, chamfered, center drilled, drilled and tapped in under 39 seconds per part. Take a look.

[@nicknam8478]

I am now in my 70s, and did some machining when I was much younger. I'll admit, I wasn't very good at it. I wish that I worked in a shop were someone like this was an owner, supervisor, lead or just the guy one machine over. Pie man would have taught me so much because I would have wanted to learn and become a better machine operator Great videos thank you very much.

[@ChrisB257]

Inspired jig Joe! :) Oh, the beauty of CNC. Great video. :)

[@ALWAYSPDG]

Nice work Joe. Excellent job as usual. 1st class job! Keep your videos coming...

[@slartybartfarst9737]

Ive been running a machine shop for 35 years and always making money. This is the genius, to know before starting a job, how much to fixture and how to fixture so that the job pays the most. Experience counts, years of making that decision here for all on this channel, thanks joe it is appreciated, keep the small machine shops around the world making money, staying in business.

[@joepie221]

Thanks. This video went along with this job. kzbin.info/www/bejne/q4mtZqVpncyqp5I

[@BasementShopGuy]

Love this type of video. The real world, production stuff.

[@joepie221]

Hi Brad, thanks for stopping by.

[@horseshoe_nc]

I think you mentioned using a spiral flute tap. I would suggest trying a form tap. I use them for blind holes in aluminum, brass, copper, mild steels, as well as 303 stainless. They work like a charm. The 2 major advantages are. 1) The tap doesn't make a chip. It is about like rolling a thread on a screw. 2) Form taps last a very long time, for only a dollar or two more per tap. I have a 1/4-20 that probably has tapped hundreds of holes. If you are not familiar with them. One thing to note, you drill a larger hole for form taps compared to regular cut taps. You can find a form tap drill chart in almost any tool catalog. Example, for 1/4-20 form tap, you use 0.221 drill instead of a 0.201.

[@jaypierson5955]

Love the fixture! You nailed it. And having 2 identical ones is so often overlooked when trying to run production. Same concept with our Pierson Speed Change Pallet Systems! Thanks for sharing your wisdom.

[@vernonkarm8016]

Excellent job Joe. You are correct about the "Next time" situation. I've been caught up in that situation several times. Was told it is a one time job. Only to find out later the customer wanted more.

[@AmateurRedneckWorkshop]

Great video, that cnc machine really puts out the work.

[@joepie221]

It does. 28 at a time seems small now. I'm thinking about sticking 2" blocks between fixtures and running 56 at a time.

[@crumplezone1]

When I worked in the machine shop at Goodrich making car distributor rotors we had a dedicated Hoz CNC miller with a similar fixture`s that would machine 30 at a time on a canned cycle, I swear if we had tried to do another part on that miller it would scream in pain lol, and your right while that 20 min cycle was running I could go set and run another couple of other CNC lathes, great days :)

[@jshafer51]

Nice finish on those parts and thanks for posting the video!

[@joepie221]

Thanks. 300 parts with one drill, one tap and no sharpening of the flycutter. It went well.

[@McFingal]

Looks good Joe, thanks for pointing out how important it is to consider production times and setups in pricing out a job.

[@joepie221]

Hourly rate is simple to calculate. If you want the job back, you may elect to eat the setup time for the repeat work.

[@McFingal]

Smaller profits now, for bigger profits later. Seems like a smart trade off to me.

[@joepie221]

You have to weigh the options, but I'll take a little now for a huge payday later.

[@buildmotion1426]

I like how the tool stays down doing the deburr tool op. Saves time.

[@joepie221]

Rapids between parts too.

[@RalfyCustoms]

Hahaha Joe I actually said out loud "Your shitting me" when that program started running

[@joepie221]

This video goes hand in hand with the 'Cutting mulitple Round bars" video I did. Same customer. 5 round bars cutoff in a horizontal bandsaw at one time. Check it out.

[@kyleblakely2090]

Great fixture idea. Thanks for sharing!

[@joepie221]

Having 2 made all the difference.

[@kyleblakely2090]

Im going to try something similar with motorcycle foot pegs. This will make holding a bunch easier..

[@howder1951]

Hi Joe, excellent demonstration of the power of CNC on batch runs. I will be looking forward to more "money" jobs in the future, cheers!

[@joepie221]

Me too!

[@lorenlieder9789]

Great video LJoe and nice set up with the two fixtures.

[@joepie221]

Two was the right choice.

[@edhartgrove7552]

Yep. If you only had to make 28, making a jig might not have been a time saver. But, as you said, if there's a chance of having a "re-order" of the same parts (or, as this seemed to be, an order for hundreds), definitely worth the time. Thanks for posting this!

[@joepie221]

The expectation is for very high quantity. Next time around, this job will smoke through this shop.

[@mchiodox69]

What I like was the quality aspect....yes cycle time is important but all for naught if you have to scrap them or the customer isn't pleased. Thanks for sharing.

[@ianjoubert7505]

Looking Sharp Joe!

[@TheTnicoletti]

Hey Joe, I I wish you were my uncle who lived in the guest house, and the guest house is that shop. As someone in school for machining, and looking to start a new career in machining, it's always so motivating to look at what you do and how you do it. Maybe you could do a video on your recommendations for people starting out in this field. The different sections to pursue, best way to get in a company, and maybe even the best TYPES of companies to look for. Just a thought Keep up the good work my man

[@Chubbza5]

Great idea! I'd like that too!

[@pierresgarage2687]

I'm so happy to be retired, I've always hated production work, Yeah, I know it has to be done and someone has to make a living from it... ;) It's amazing to see how high production co. cut everything off from the original timing to achieve real optimized runs...

[@joepie221]

If I push this, I could probably get down to 15 minutes or less per rack. I'm never satisfied !!

[@moonryder203]

Very nice! We actually have the same Fadal at my job. Got to have that creative mind in order to compete in todays nickel and dime market. Thanks for posting. :-)

[@joepie221]

Now I have to hope the customer repeats as he stated.

[@ophirb25]

You almost made music when you cleared the chips before tapping, a little longer peices and different depth holes and you have a wind flut 😀👍

[@joepie221]

Almost.. I'll drill different depths and try harder next time.

[@DUCKS2525]

Looks great! Thanks for sharing!

[@intjonmiller]

As a Theory of Constraints based Continuous Process Improvement guy who is also a hobby machinist this video checked off a lot of boxes for me. :) Incidentally I'm starting to get requests for work from my little shop. Well within my skill set, but I never planned on making money with it, just having fun. I have no idea how to price this kind of work (having only charged for intellectual service type work before, not hard products). I suspect you have a lot of wisdom on that subject and there are surely many who could use it even more than me. Obviously not hard numbers, as that will vary for everyone, but the general process and best practices kind of considerations.

[@robbardin1423]

I don't wanna step on Joe's vid, but the main answer to your question is 'what is your time worth'? Besides that, your fixed and variable costs have to be considered. Does the job 'eat' tooling? Joe's example looks like 360 brass, so those tools will still perform as new after thousands of cycles. If it were D2 or 440 stainless, it'd be a whole 'nother story. If you're working out of your basement, your cost structure will be way different than Joe's, who appears to be in an industrial park. Also consider that the word 'commercial' is much like the word 'boat'. If you go the commercial route, things like phone/internet, electricity and rent will cost about three times what you're used to. All that said, it's an animating contest, and one I hope you join.

[@pjotter0]

Very nice! I just made two fixtures also, holding 48 parts each. I used mitee bites uniforce. Was an investment, but previously we made 3 parts per setup, had a cycle time of 55 seconds per part. Now with the new fixture, cycle time is down to a little less than 15 seconds and while one is running, the other is being machined. I had to make 6000 pieces, you do the math. Those 77 euro per 6 mitee bites where well spend and will be used for many other parts. But I really really like your fixture, the beauty of the clamps through the base and all. I'll sure remember this one! Thanks for posting this video, I'm subscribed!

[@joepie221]

Mitee Bite clamps are well designed and pricey, but small enough to jump between fixtures, so well worth the money. The clamp setup I designed into my fixture also doesn't influence the location of the part since its a squeeze instead of a push. Anytime you can get pressure from both sides, its a good thing. Thanks for subscribing and leaving your comment.

[@MacJunior696]

Enjoyed the video and really liked they why's of every operation you did and the explaining. Thanks for sharing it.

[@joepie221]

Thanks for watching. Its always helpful to know the 'why' behind the 'how'.

[@andrewpopoff3453]

A technique that I like, is doing multiple setups with the same fixture. I.E having first set up in the front, second set up in the back and running them both at the same time. So you're always taking off finished parts, flipping parts for second setup and adding raw to the fixture. I've always found it easier and more rewarding to deal with a stack of finished parts rather than a stack of half finished parts waiting for second setup.

[@joepie221]

I have 4 Kurt vises on my CNC and try to use that logic as often as possible. Its a sound technique. Good call. I refer to that as flip flop milling and machine my dive light handles that way. I did a video that very concept.

[@MrTomkaeding]

That was sooooooooo cool. I have been strongly considering a CNC mill for a VERY SIMILAR product I manufacturer. I like that pallet set up. 👍👍

[@mortenrock6873]

Great job I am as a treanie to be af machinist very impresed . Thanks for the in sight . Best Regards from Denmark / Morten

[@joepie221]

Thanks for watching.

[@HolzMichel]

thanks for that demo Joe. it looks like a fixture like that would work on a manual mill as well. i had a similar job to do and only have manual machines at my disposal. since the hole in the part was centered i opted to do it on the lathe, but the problem i ran into was that the drill bit would start running off center once it penetrated the work more than the depth of one piece. after about 3 pieces the hole was pretty far off center and i essentially had to start with a fresh face on the brass rod. cheers mike

[@joepie221]

I have had that happen as well. drilling multiple parts is a good dies, but risky for that very reason. This fixture would work on a manual mill. You better have a DRO to help out though.

[@richardjimenez7394]

Thanks Joe that was very interesting to me how a Cnc works I what to learn more about it

[@joepie221]

It is a great tool to have in your arsenal when looking for a job. Go for it.

[@niltonpolydoro1]

Very nice fixture and video. Congratulations.

[@joepie221]

The job went very well. Thanks

[@thisstuffido9141]

~1:00 - The software industry has forgotten so much that they learned from the manufacturing industry early on.

[@christurley391]

That flycut finish would be tough to get on the lathe. Nice work Joe.

[@ronsites2694]

Very nice seeing actual production, especially since videoing it had to slow you down.Thanks!

[@joepie221]

It did, but I thought it would be interesting to post. Thanks for watching.

[@MichaelLloyd]

Pretty cool. I've been been around CNC equipment. It's interesting to see it work

[@joepie221]

Ever seen a hexapod run?

[@MichaelLloyd]

I haven't seen a hexapod run. I'm just now starting to learn about machining in general (almost 59 so it's never too late right). I have a LMS 7x16 lathe. I bought it thinking that it's better to break, I mean learn on, something small than large and expensive (and outside of my skill sets). I'll eventually get a mill (sooner than later I hope), I restore vintage electronics(ham and audio) and sometimes there are "can't find" parts that a lathe and mill will make short work of in the right hands.

[@Chubbza5]

I love the lathe, great machine to learn on. I like practicing with plastics such as delrin, easy on the tools and easier to clean up when you're done! Just make sure clean the machine afterwards, hot steel chips on top of the acetyl produces some pretty toxic gas when it melts.

[@StormbringerMM]

Man this was sweet to watch

[@joepie221]

I enjoyed it too. Love it when a job runs better than expected.

[@skakamj0lk]

Servo spindle it seems? Liked the programming on the chamfering operation, no lifts or fuzzing about, straight from one arc end to the next. Nice work!

[@ian9toes]

There are some pretty cool CNC vids available but they don't show any coolant for video aesthetics. This vid is cool because it shows real world machining, I didn't realise two coolant hoses were used, and they were moving a lot of coolant.

[@joepie221]

I added a third to flush out the holes. Keep the doors closed for those op's!!

[@ian9toes]

Joe Pieczynski You can't have too much coolant.

[@joepie221]

It really helped to flush the holes and keep the tap clean and slippery.

[@TomZelickman]

Nice work, Joe. I'm in the same boat right now trying to get the most out of my little machine and balance cycle times. Can't babysit parts one at a time for 700 pieces.

[@joepie221]

Thanks. This one worked out well. The dual fixtures really sped thing up.

[@slausonm]

Awesome, love your videos.

[@joepie221]

Thanks.

[@slausonm]

Joe Pieczynski I teach a manufacturing class in high school. I have students that may some day become Engineers. They are not likely to become machinist, however I try to expose them to machining. Every "kid" that had returned to school with their engineering degree has said that learning to make something in my class has helped them immensely. Watching videos like yours makes my job better and easier. Thank you.

[@joepie221]

I taught a "Design for manufacturability" class to 3rd year mechanical engineering students at UT Austin as part of their coop experience. I loved it. I enjoyed helping them to grow and expand on what I showed them. thanks for what you do as well.

[@ShawnDickens]

I'm amazed there isn't a blower function in these machines to reduce if not eliminate door open time, but the need to run multiple parts is a fairly new deal I guess. I'm sure more like that will be added soon. Sort of like these tiny homes are bleeding into normal furniture stores with multiple function pieces.

[@joepie221]

This job ran door closed and was cut to 18 minutes by the time I was done. Additional coolant lines cleared the holes just fine. It would be great to have an air sweep option.

[@ShawnDickens]

It just makes sense to me, but common sense isn't the way of the whole world.

[@dougankrum3328]

...Yeah, I'm surprised there isn't an 'air blast' option....or is so, it wasn't ordered with this machine....in the 1970's, I worked for Burgmaster....'air blast' was standard issue, cleared chips on tool retract........and most all machines were ordered with flood and mist coolant options...

[@joepie221]

If I was really in need, I'd start my drilling operation in the right front of the machine and work towards the left rear. This way, the coolant would not flush chips across already drilled holes.

[@robertkerr3059]

always refreshing to see a bright face that is carpe dieming,

[@joepie221]

Time is precious and limited. Work smart, play hard.

[@Robonthemoor]

Your one smart guy brother" up there with tom Lipton & Robin I think👍Adams ok too.

[@joepie221]

Thanks my friend. I too have great respect for the other channel hosts. There is a lot of experience being shared.

[@taurusdragon5479]

Joe - another fascinating video... even for a home-gamer like me who doesn't have a CNC mill. May I respectfully make a suggestion regarding your ever increasing video quality. Your videos have become much more watchable and enjoyable since you've made a great effort in regards to the camera stability. Even when you move the camera, the image is now more stable. The suggestion/request that I'd like to make is for a tad bit better lighting. When I watch your vids on my 50" TV, the colour, contrast and white balance is mostly passable. At 2:05, where you've returned to an image of you from a shot of the fixture in the mill, you're in a slight silhouette because of the "back-lighting" from your shop lights. On the TV it's OK but when viewing on my iPad and my smart phone (as many viewers do), you're much too dark. A small point, I know. But an easy, inexpensive improvement is the use of a foreground light. A couple of cheap, workplace lights would do magic... such as Chinesium halogen (very hot) or LED work lights (better) on tripods (setup to the left and right of the subject). A piece of translucent paper taped to the light source will diffuse the light, prevent glare and not blind you. It will greatly enhance the visual experience though, for less than a $100 or so (Hollywood spends as much on lighting personnel and equipment as they do on the cameras!) I know that your shop earns your living but the lighting improvement that I'm suggesting won't cost much time, effort or dollars. Sorry for the long-ish post. I really enjoy your work and your sharing with us un-washed noobs! (Lol) Thanks... Michael from Winnipeg (Canada)

[@johnfry9010]

Amazing !

[@scottlundy257]

Nice work

[@joepie221]

Thanks. It ran very smooth.

[@patpalermo7629]

I swear by roll form taps. no chips, no issues with blind holes, and it's a stronger thread. I'll run a 10-32 at 1000 rpm

[@joepie221]

The only reason I don't tap at a faster speed is the abrupt direction reversal of my spindle because its a rigid setup. I just have to believe its tough on all the components the faster you go. On my mill, with a tapping head, I always tap at 1200 rpm or better.

[@patpalermo7629]

depends on the machine I guess. I've never had a problem rigid tapping at that speed, and I've done upwards of 1200 holes in a single setup with one roll form tap.

[@horseshoe_nc]

Pat Palermo, I also swear by form taps. They are the best way I have found to tap a blind hole in mild metals, aluminum, brass, copper, mild steels, and 303 stainless steel. I will say, they don't work well for plastics or cast steel.

[@BrianGood]

Awesome !

[@foomanchewthis]

Nice job! And Howdy from Dripping Springs. Do you ever give shop tours?

[@donpollard9460]

Very creative!

[@cpcoark]

Looked good Joe. I'm a hobbyist so I rarely see production work. One thing that caught my eye was your fly cutter. I can't seem to get the correct grind/feed/speed to get e decent finish let alone a great looking one yours was.

[@joepie221]

You are not the first guy to comment like that. Maybe a short video on the details may be helpful. Stay tuned.

[@horseshoe_nc]

ww_big_al, one thing to keep in mind. Chip load is a huge factor with a fly cutter. My go to fly cutter bit is a high speed steel blank that I ground. I got my grind info from Tom Lipton here on KZbin, Tom's Techniques. I do have a small nose radius on the cutter, probably about 0.020" or so. You also want to hone the edges. Use a grinder to get the angles. But hone to get them sharp, including the radius. I hope this helps. Joe, I don't mean to step on your toes. You have a great channel here. I loved to reverse threading. I will be putting that to use, thanks. I just thought I would post what I know. Just in case he needs the info before you get a chance to do a video.

[@ronwilken5219]

Thanks Joe. I'm assuming that the operations you showed are in fact the second run through the fixture the first being to face off the bottom end in preparation for machining to length unless, of course, the finish of the bottom is relatively in important.

[@joepie221]

Both ends got finished.

[@outsidescrewball]

Enjoyed...interesting

[@joepie221]

Thanks Chuck.

[@BensWorkshop]

That is a lot of parts. Out of interest, if I had many bits of flat stock, needed to trim either end to length and mill a feature in the middle, could I hold multiple parts in a purpose made vice at the same time?

[@joepie221]

Absloutely.

[@BensWorkshop]

@@joepie221 Many thanks.

[@Shop-Tech]

Nice job.

[@Chubbza5]

Why'd you choose such a hefty tool for the chamfer on the outer edge? Ease of Z adjustment to account for tool dulling? That rigid tapping sure is fancy!

[@joepie221]

Hey Chubbza5, always good to hear from you. I chose that tool for several reasons. First, it had to fit between the parts as it worked, and second, I wanted as much surface footage as I could get to give me a nice finish. The bigger diameter cutter technically travels farther per revolution than a small one. Then there is also the amount of brass standing proud above the fixture to be considered, so my depth was also limited. My options were limited, but well defined. And yes....I love that rigid tapping. What a time saver! Thanks for checking in.

[@Chubbza5]

Thanks for the reply! I'm sure it's better for the machine with the bigger tool than running a small tool at 2-3x the rpm.

[@gilbertodiazcastro8871]

Great work on the fixture and a great share for us. I think you can cut that time to even less if you reduce your retract plane while drilling. Around 6:20+ I can see your retract us about .75", that is way too far for that small tap. You could reduce that to .1 or .2 and save precious time. Over a year's time this could mean a hundred hours of machine operations. And as we all know time is money.

[@joepie221]

Max retract distance.160, min .08. I always give a rigid tap time to get up to RPM before it hits the hole. your comment is good, but .75...not on this one.

[@joepie221]

The coolant jet coming in from the right is set lower and obscures the bottom of the drill.

[@gilbertodiazcastro8871]

Joe Pieczynski ok, that makes sense.

[@justtim9767]

Nice.

[@dougankrum3328]

..Your comment about fixture location....."the center hole is the 'only' thing needed"....? Isn't that assuming the fixture itself is located in the exact same X/Y location every time...?

[@joepie221]

Yes and No. The center tooling hole is the home position for the program and the fixture. Identified as E1. I can put this fixture anywhere on the table, pickup that hole and call it E1 and the machine will start there. Naturally, if you are using multiple fixtures, your setup must allow for repeated replacement of each fixture to the same position. I believe I showed the left side hard stop for this purpose. You do not have to indicate the hole everytime. Does this answer your question?

[@dougankrum3328]

Left side hard stop....I missed that.....thanks!

[@joepie221]

All good. your comment was accurate.

[@dougankrum3328]

OK....!

[@daveticehurst4191]

Joe, why the tiped cutter first ? Why not flycut straight away ? 1 operation less will save even more time.

[@joepie221]

I knew someone would ask this. This video was actually shot on the first real run of this fixture and my confidence needed to be instilled before I pushed it. I initially did have a much wider flycutter setup that did both rows at once, but I was seeing harmony (minimal ripples) present from the dual interrupted surfaces. The finish was good, but not what I was shooting for. For the extra 10 seconds, I went with dual cutters and common tool paths on this one. I did increase the drilling ops and roughing op to 100 IPM and cut almost 4 minutes off the program.

[@barrygerbracht5077]

Why am I not surprised your door glass is crystal clean and clear. Nice. How was the other end treated?

[@joepie221]

I processed 2 different lots of parts. One required the opposite end to just be faced and chamfered (18 sec), and the other got a 1/4-20 hole to center (39 sec). That machine is my baby. I try to keep it presentable. thanks for the comment.

[@lwilton]

Since they were saw cut both ends and I assume needed to be pretty all over, how did you clean up the back end? Flip them over in the same fixture and deck them off with the fly cutter?

[@joepie221]

Yes. There were 4 lots of parts that varied in length and end requirements. Some just decked, and others got more threaded holes. Same fixture.

[@georgelewisray]

Same ? as Dan Stepka :: Manual steps such as blowing chips from hole after drill before tap. . . you implied it was necessary and you showed a manual OP . . . can the machine do this or do you have a stop and alert operator function ??? Great Job, very interesting/helpful/educational.

[@joepie221]

I added another coolant hose and let the fluid flush the holes......Hands off. Good question

[@eclecticneophyte2581]

What RPM did you need, in order for the fly cutter to give the nice finish? Thanks again for the great video.

[@joepie221]

It was a cobalt HSS tool bit with about 10 degrees of face a rake with a .02 radius running at 3200 RPM. I believe it was 20 IPM feed rate.

[@charleskelley1672]

Joe Interesting video. I noticed that you used a high spiral tap. I have found that using these type taps the pitch diameter of the thread varies. It seems to me that being brass a thread roll tap would be ideal and the thread size is consistant. Charles

[@joepie221]

Hello Charles, My experience with roll taps is limited at best. I am not sure I would trust a roll tap with water based coolant anyway. There is a lot of friction. These high spiral taps I am using are giving favorable results and clearing the holes nicely. I'll give the roll taps a go someday when I have time to experiment. Thanks for the suggestion, not having chips would be very nice.

[@renee46]

Hi Joe Enjoy your videos is it possible to do video on the fixture itself that holds the brass thanks

[@blackstonshingaling]

Vetty nice

[@jasonaraiza4686]

Hey Joe, could you do a video on how you quote a job? I would really appreciate that

[@joepie221]

Basics...Material cost, hourly rate, setup time, tooling and engineering. If you have a feel for how long the part will take, plugging in numbers should be easy. There are online calculators to help if you need them too.

[@jasonaraiza4686]

Thank you Joe

[@bcbloc02]

I need to listen better, I thought you said the holes were non concentric.

[@Chubbza5]

"In some of the parts..." I suppose it wasn't this run, but we couldn't tell that by watching it. It wouldn't make much of a difference in cycle time.

[@joepie221]

Correct. This is a family of parts, and some of the others have side by side holes in each end. It wasn't shown here.

[@ryann8329]

Why spend the time to tool change to a fly cutter? Finishes between face mill and fly cutter didn't seem that different and that seems as though it would add a lot of time especially when doing multiple cycles.

[@JBFromOZ]

For a cosmetic part, what happens with the back face and sides?

[@joepie221]

Basically the same op on the back, some didn't get holes. The entire part gets finished out in a proprietary process for their product.

[@kinetiqj]

Why can't your insert face mill give you a good enough surface finish?

[@joepie221]

It can deliver a great surface finish. But I am old school and believe few tools can compete with a flycutter for a great finish.

[@BrandonStellmach]

It's a nice set up, just seems like your running that very slow on brass. In my shop we mill brass at about 300 ipm and drill at about 75 ipm. and tap at about 3500 RPM.

[@joepie221]

That was actually the very first pass on unproven fixtures. I cut the time by the end of the run. I have to try some of your speeds. sounds very productive.

[@pdoggy10inch]

Joe, are you allowed to tell us what the brass parts are to be used for? Thanks!

[@joepie221]

I'll check on that.

[@678friedbed]

someone disabled the door safety.

[@joepie221]

Someone sure did.

[@nerdyrcdriver]

I used to work at a shop that had a few cnc machines. Our machinist usually wasn't in until at least a half hour after the first person in the shop for production assembly. Eventually the machinist made a sheet that told us how to start everything up and run the warm up program so it would be ready when he got in. One day I missed the step to disable the door safety and it took him like 20 minutes to figure out why the machine kept stopping when he opened the door. At school I operate a Bridgeport ez path cnc lathe and I wish it could tell where the door or at least the chuck guard are.

[@garysmith9772]

With that be the perfect job for a screw machine

[@joepie221]

I actually did my formal apprenticeship in a screw machine shop. Those machines liked much smaller diameter work. These parts could be done in one, but the simplicity of these parts would waste the capability of a screw machine.

[@Marzy5821]

Nice demo Joe. May i ask, when you first purchased that CNC how long in (hours) did it take you get to know the machines 'character' and true capabilities? Approx.

[@joepie221]

I've had this machine for 5 years. I'm still learning the upper level stuff like the engineering software interface, but i was making good parts in 2 months. I did things the hard way at first and most G code entry was at the monitor, but I got the job done. Its very easy now.

[@Marzy5821]

Thanks Joe good answer.

[@landlockedviking]

excellent! would've liked to seen you actually indicate it at start. what's your opinion on fadal vs haas in regards to machine and controller? debating an older vf15 with 4 th, or haas tm or vf 0/1.

[@joepie221]

Since that tooling hole was machined at the same time as the part pockets, and acts as my main fixture offset, I only had to pickup that tooling hole and I was done. 5 minutes max. Haas makes a great machine and has a good reputation. You can't go wrong with one. Fadal has been around for a while and also has a variety of machines to offer. Evaluate your expected work to factor in your choice.

[@danstepka775]

would you add a stop point to blow out chips pre tapping or you can get mill to do this thanks

[@joepie221]

Everything in a CNC environment is controllable. Right down to where the coolant flushes the chips. Sometimes this is good...sometimes it not. But your awareness of your environment is key. I shifted a tool path and added another coolant hose to eliminate the "chips in the hole" possibility, It ultimately became an 18 minute, hands off cycle.

[@kylepotter3105]

is there a video of the fixture being made? very interested in the details of it. great video

[@joepie221]

I didn't film that.

[@phillipwebb7681]

Moving kinda slow. 4 flute chanfervmill 7000-10000 rpm 50-100 ipm. Ridged tap 500-750 rpm

[@johnl5177]

Hey Joe how sturdy was this set up in particular the clamping method I have a job ran every few months using 3 inch H13 I need to drill and threadmill for a 1-1/2 -12 hole into it with a slot and engrave I run about 240 every 2 months Just wondering how this clamping method is done and how strong

[@joepie221]

For tougher materials, I would probably use opposing 'V' notches. the setup held very tight.

[@gregfeneis609]

I didn't see where you made any off center holes like you said the job needed. Also, you repeatedly said you could be off doing something else while the job runs in the machine, but you were regularly blowing and clearing with the air nozzle and even mentioned that it was required. This would mean you need to be by the machine in order to do these things. This was a perfect job for a CNC lathe, as done on the video. The finished parts don't fly around in the lathe if you know how to program/operate it. Nice fixture, though. Usually that's a NRE that's passed on to the client, no?

[@joepie221]

These parts were a small sample of a much larger batch of parts that included many different hole patterns. The common denominator across all 8 styles was the OD of the parts. The customer was extremely clear when they issued the job with the condition that parts with nicked edges would be rejected. I know CNC lathes are good, but I've never seen one drop a soft brass part into a parts bin without leaving a trace impact mark. The customer was not charged for the fixture so it remains in house for the repeat job. As for blowing off the coolant, It wouldn't be much of a you tube video if you couldn't see anything. I remained by the machine for this video, but ran nearly a thousand parts unattended. Thanks for the comment.

[@sharkrivermachine]

What did you do to finish the opposite end of the part?

[@joepie221]

I had 2 lots of different parts. Both lots had the 10-24 holes common. One of the parts was simply decked and chamfered and the other part got a 1/4-20 hole. Everything was done in the same fixture.

[@johnpilagonia5238]

what happens with the other side of the part?

[@joepie221]

Similar op's. One doesn't get a hole. 18 second cycle time there.

[@jamicat]

That's all fine and dandy, until your stock supplier hands you material that is .002 one way or another...and lots of things aren't happy about that in the CNC. Good vid though for expressing ideas.

[@joepie221]

That would depend on how smart the fixture designer was, and how the program was written, don't you agree?

[@jamicat]

There are ways to design, and then there's reality. It's always something in a direction that defeats the purpose, and then you have to re-evaluate. Nothing wrong with your fixture as is has been intended.

[@somebodyelse6673]

Round stock fastened in v-blocks would keep the X values for varying stock diameter, and a couple offsets would account for the Y. I'm not coming up with a way for the fixture to do it mechanically though. I'd certainly watch a video on how to build such a thing (hint, hint)!

[@joepie221]

I built such a fixture for an orthopedic company I used to work for. They used it to asemble knee caps of different sizes. 1 fixture did every diameter they had. It was one of my favorite projects I ever did.

[@doughibberd1576]

What about the other end

[@joepie221]

Same on some, different thread, some have just the OAL finished and an edge chamfer

[@bradselph6463]

Great video bud!!! I live in souh Austin. What part of town is your shop in?

[@joepie221]

The shop is physically located in Liberty Hill.

[@Fischer977]

i did not understand why the vises for, can't you mount this (beutifull) jig directly on table?

[@joepie221]

Load time and door open time can kill a high volume job. It was better to have one ready to go at all times. But you could mount this to the table ...no problem.

[@andrewperlik9415]

I do not have a CNC mill. Can you advise on how to machine the half round bump outs on the two rectangular components?

[@joepie221]

Sandwich two pieces and make a full round detail right on the parting line. Easy. 2 parts at once.

[@andrewperlik9415]

Of course, thanks

[@chavjones]

I love seeing the cutter go from chamfer to chamfer, my stomach turns daily in my shop where our programmers give two shits and z home before EVERY pass:( sucks being the bottom guy in a shop full of milkers.

[@chavjones]

P.S. we run production and these programs remain indefinitely! Sad to see an American shop run this way.

[@joepie221]

I would go talk to the boss. If your suggestion translates to improved productivity, he will be more inclined to listen next time you speak.

[@Bigwingrider1800]

Joe , do you have a vid on quoting parts for cnc time? Thanks

[@joepie221]

I would like to find one myself. I am much better at setting up and running than I am at quoting. I can look at a part and just have a very close feel for the end price just because I have been in the shop my entire life. Nothing formal though.

[@russeljacobson2307]

How long did it take to make the fixtures and set up the program?

[@joepie221]

About 3 days for the fixtures, the program was about a half a day.

[@russeljacobson2307]

Thanks

[@jamesbarratt593]

What machine is that Joe?

[@joepie221]

4020A Fadal VMC

[@jamesbarratt593]

@@joepie221 thx.

[@1musicsearcher]

Efficient. Nice fixture.

[@joepie221]

It worked very well. Time well spent.

[@warrenmaker798]

6 days since you posted your last video Joe.... hint hint... I am getting withdrawal symptoms LOL Gonna go make me a tool height guage you did a video on instead... watch this space

[@joepie221]

Me too. I had to finish a couple big jobs. I have one planned I have wanted to post for a while. Hang in there.

[@joeshmoe5935]

Joe, I have had better experience making mirror finish with indexable ( Primitive TPG's at that), than flycutter. Why you convinced the flycutter is the better finish tool. My ears wide open.

[@joepie221]

My insert mill is setup with 'wiper geometry' inserts. Better for other materials I guess. they are prone to drag a chip here and there, so for me, the single lip flycutter is my 'Go To' for cosmetic finishes. If I had different inserts, I'd be inclined to use them.

[@johnspargo5876]

As🤔🤔

[@johnspargo5876]

As Allways Mr 3.142 I learned something worthwhile! What did you do to the other end? regards and thanks from John in Cape Town.

[@joepie221]

Half just got faced and chamfered, the other half got a 1/4-20 hole.