Sheffield-based Tecomet — a manufacturer of complex high-precision products for the medical device, aerospace and defence sectors — has invested in a 65mm Manok stationary clamping system — supplied by Hainbuch UK Ltd (www.hainbuch.com/en) — for its DMG DMU 50 machining centre.

Product engineer Stephen Jackson said: “We used to hold a particular job in a two-jaw chuck, but there were a lot of issues with vibration and positional accuracy.

“The positional accuracy of the Manok 65 is ‘spot on’, and there are no more scratches or issues with surface finish; it has saved a lot of re-working and secondary finishing.

“The rigidity of the Manok has also improved our tool life dramatically and reduced our tooling costs, allowing us to push the tools harder and run the machines faster than before.

“This has improved our cycle times, while reducing tool consumption. On one particular femoral knee job, we have maintained a precision level of ±10µm.

"One key point is that we have numerous five-axis machine tools on site, and we can easily place the Manok 65 on another machine if necessary. It’s simple, quick and easy to use.”

The Manok offers the potential for lateral set-ups on base plates, and it is available with a wide variety of adaptable elements that offer complete modularity for end users demanding a flexible approach to their work-holding.

Following the success of the Manok 65, Tecomet purchased a pneumatic fixture plate with six Hydrok 42mm collet chucks from Hainbuch.

This is being used to clamp six parts in a single set-up, pulling them down “with impressive clamping forces and precision”.