Malvern subcontractor, Insight Precision, has cut floor-to-floor times and increased production output using two clamping systems from 1st Machine Tool Accessories, a One-Lok and a Qwik-Lok, both manufactured by Chick Workholding in the USA. Insight Precision was established in the 1980s as a general contract machine shop. Currently, work is carried out mainly for the […]

The full range of Iemca Bar Feeders are available from 1st MTA.  When people think of automation in manufacturing, high-end solutions like 6-axis robotic workpiece loading or multi-pallet flexible manufacturing systems often spring to mind first. Yet the most prevalent items of automation equipment, in the metalcutting sector at least, are bar magazines that feed […]

Availability of Kitagawa’s latest evolution of front-mounting, air-operated, 3-jaw chucks is announced by UK agent, 1st Machine Tool Accessories. Designated UPR range, the chucks feature fast gripping times and added stability. Offering an increase of up to 50 per cent in the size of the through-hole compared with earlier UBR models, as well as better […]

‘Unbelievably quick’ is how 1st MTA describes the new Kitagawa RK200 rotary table. The NC unit indexes through 90 degrees in 0.31 sec and achieves a maximum speed of 100 rpm. A maintenance-free roller gear cam reducer, rather than traditional gear sets, decreases the motor rpm to the table’s rotational speed. This improves positioning accuracy, […]

Modern CNC lathes and tooling permit high cutting speeds and feeds, leading to increased machine efficiency and productivity. To ensure operator safety, however, European Norm EN 1550 states that the gripping force of chucks should be checked regularly. To this end, Kitagawa has introduced the KGFM series of wireless grip force meters, designed to measure […]

At just 99 mm deep, the body of the new Kitagawa CK160 rotary table has a smaller footprint than any other model on the market. The ultra-compact 4th axis is suited to mounting on the table of a BT30-taper machining centre and provides manufacturers with a larger machining envelope on any size of machine. The […]

A large amount of machining is required to produce the pneumatic cylinders, valve assembles and other automation equipment manufactured by Univer at its Bradford factory. Many components are awkwardly shaped and difficult to secure for metalcutting, so the company relies on Chick Workholding equipment from 1st Machine Tool Accessories to ensure rigid clamping as well […]

There are a number of purpose-built 5-axis / 5-sided machining centres on the market, including types with a 4th axis rotary table and either a trunnion support or a swivelling B-axis head to provide the fifth CNC axis. Various companies supply such machines, but none of the configurations suited Brunswick Tooling, Brighouse, a manufacturer and […]

Pragmatism and attention to detail when devising methods for workpiece clamping has boosted production efficiency at International Safety Components (ISC) to the point where manufacturing costs at the Bangor factory are comparable with those in the Far East. Applications engineer, Regan Irwin, is responsible for driving forward innovative workholding arrangements on the company’s lathes and […]

Secure, accurate clamping with 40 kN of torque is offered by a new vice from Kitagawa, Japan, designed to suit a variety of uses where compactness is important, such as on 5-axis machining centres. However, the VAX 125 unit is equally suited to multiple fixturing applications on 3-axis machines. The vice is available in the […]