Dimac Tooling – Comprehensive workholding

Dimac Tooling – Comprehensive workholding, available nationwide With a range of workholding solutions to meet all its customers’ requirements, Dimac Tooling continues to unveil new products and services while its distributor network continues to grow.

Dimac is the sole distributor of leading workholding and CNC accessory brands including Kitagawa power chucks, Lang Technik five-axis vises, Freddy coolant recyclers, Reven air cleaners, Hydrafeed barfeeders and Royal’s Rota-Rack. Dimac also manufactures its own soft jaws at its manufacturing facility at Dandenong, Victoria. Dimac soft jaws are precisionengineered and made from 1040 (or K1144) carbon steel and available in a large selection of sizes covering all brands of chucks. The company also offers custom sizes to suit any application, including complete custom workholding. Mitee-Bite extends TalonGrip range Due to popular demand, Mitee-Bite has launched an additional product to the TalonGrip workholding range. Mitee-Bite’s products are an innovative product that increases the functionality of standard 100mm, 150mm and 200mm vises. TalonGrip is a simple bolt-on system that allows operators to perform aggressive machining operations while clamping on as little as 1.5mm. It is ideal for small lot sizes, difficult applications or proto-type work when building a fixture would not be beneficial. “The new TalonGrip long length serrated grips are designed for applications where specific grip location is not necessary or higher and full length penetration is desired,” says Dimac’s Managing Director Paul Fowler. The new grips are designed as a “drop fit” into the original TalonGrip jaw sets or for use on a fixture, with a gripping height range of 1.27mm to 4.06mm. The grips are made from S7 steel, heat-treated and finished with a black oxide coating. The grips are laser engraved with a useful 10mm scale for reference on repeatable part placement. TalonGrips are also available individually for fixturing with Pitbull and Dyna-Force clamps or for soft jaw applications. For more versatility, all jaw sets are tapped with two additional holes, providing an effective solution when down force or additional holding force is necessary. Jaws are not heat-treated to allow for custom modifications. The revolutionary Pitbull clamp remains the lowest profile, highest-holding force clamp in the industry today. High vertical and horizontal clamping forces are generated – considering the size of the Pitbull clamps. With Dyna-Force the majority of the clamp is below the surface of the fixture which provides excellent clamp support and makes for a very low profile. The clamp jaw’s low profile design slides on an angle for positive down force providing incredible clamping and hold-down power. “There is no need for pre-machining or dovetailing workpieces, which allows for very secure holding at lower clamping forces to avoid deforming the workpiece,” Fowler adds. “This results in both a higher cutting rate and less material waste than traditional clamping systems.” Mitee-Bite Products LLC began in 1986 with the original Mitee-Bite hex clamp created to save time on a re-occurring production job. It has since grown to become the innovator of compact, lowprofile edge clamps for CNC machining. Fast forward more than 30 years and the company continues to develop new products that provide customers with a wide assortment of high-density low profile clamping solutions – all designed to keep the spindle running, cutter engagement, reducing idle spindle time, savings on material cost and reduced set-up times. TG GripSerts – Exceptional clamping stability Fairlane, a well-known US manufacturer of workholding grippers, has recently released TG GripSerts, a new range of grippers to complement its existing range. Michiganbased Fairlane design, manufacture and stock a wide range of workholding and positioning components.

Fairlane grippers grip and penetrate the workpiece to provide superior holding power. Used in jigs, fixtures and chuck jaws, these grippers are versatile enough to fit any number of applications and their modular and economical replaceable wear surfaces extend the life of expensive clamping mechanisms. The replaceability of the grippers enhances a fixture system by minimising downtime during setup. Adjustable grippers are available in highspeed tool steel – with either tool steel or carbide serrations – in a number of thread styles and lengths. The fixed, nonadjustable grippers are available in round, square and angular configurations with a host of different serrated tooth patterns. Materials include high-speed tool steel, solid carbide and carbide tipped. The new range of TG GripSerts grippers offer many advantages over traditional clamping systems including exceptional clamping stability and vibration dampening. “There is no need for pre-machining or dovetailing workpieces, which allows for very secure holding at lower clamping forces to avoid deforming the workpiece,” says Fowler. “This results in both a higher cutting rate and less material waste than traditional clamping systems. With only 3.5mm of clamp surface needed to securely hold the workpiece, TG GripSerts workholding grippers are ideal for 5-axis machining operations.” Because of the geometry of the grippers, the TG GripSerts create a pull-down effect that prevents any lifting of the workpiece

while clamping. These durable inserts combine tough-coated cemented carbide with specialised teeth and triangular shapes that penetrate different types of workpiece material. A range of different GripSerts are available to grip specific material including steel, hardened steel, titanium and aluminium. Accessories include protective covers that protect jaws from dirt and debris when the GripSerts are not installed, screws that are used to mount the grippers onto the TG GripSert jaws and a cutting tool; this milling cutting tool is used to prepare jaws to receive TG GripSerts workholding grippers. A retrofit jaw set allows operators to use TG GripSerts and snap-in parallels on six-inch vises. The Fairlane range of grippers includes serrated grippers, low-profile edge grippers, single point and straight serration grippers, as well as the Swivots swivelaction modular component workholding system (incorporating a serrated or smooth contact area that rotates) and pivots for holding and positioning of irregular contour surfaces. “Like all the products we sell, the Fairlane range has the full back-up and support of Dimac’s technical personnel to ensure the product is installed correctly and operates at optimum performance,” Fowler adds. WA expansion for CTM CTM Engineering Supplies is one of Dimac’s largest and most successful distributors, responsible for the sale of Dimac’s extensive range throughout the Western Australian market. CTM has recently expanded its showroom in Malaga, in Perth’s northern suburbs, and added a new training facility to provide customers with an enhanced purchase experience. CTM was founded by industry veteran Uli Stumpf, who started his career in Germany as an apprentice toolmaker before emigrating to Australia in 1989. He initially worked as a machinist before ending up working for the Sandvik Group for 15 years. In 2013 Stumpf opened his own business to distribute and resell an extensive range of engineering equipment that included precision measuring tools and test instruments, precision cutting tools along

with Dimac’s extensive range of CNC machine tool accessories and workholding solutions. “Our suppliers and manufacturers are globally recognised as the most reliable and precise companies throughout the industry,” says Stumpf. CTM’s expansion was completed late last year and is already paying dividends, Stumpf adds: “The expansion has allowed us to stock a much broader range of products, which in turn has enabled our customers to view products first-hand and take delivery of equipment in a much shorter timeframe. “We are one of the few specialists in metalworking and workholding tools in WA and it is our extensive industry knowledge and advice that we give to our customers that sets us apart. Our expansive new training facility will allow us to provide greater technical support to our end users to ensure they get the most out of their new equipment and expand their product knowledge.” Fowler remarks: “We have always had an excellent working relationship with Uli and his team at CTM and this expansion will provide our WA customers with an enhanced service offering and shorter delivery times. “The commitment and investment that CTM have made in additional training facilities will ensure that our WA customers enjoy the very best technical training available. Ultimately this will ensure that customers’ equipment operates at optimum performance and their return on investment is maximised.”

www.dimac.com.au www.ctmes.com.au