As Seen In Manufacturing News Magazine.
Ready to load directly into dovetail workholding fixtures on 4 and 5-Axis CNC machining centers.
New Dovetail Machine-Ready Blanks from TCI Precision Metals are the perfect complement to any 4- or 5-axis machining center fitted with a dovetail workholding fixture. TCI Dovetail Machine-Ready Blanks eliminate all material prep allowing machine operators to simply load, lock and go. When purchasing material to be used in dovetail fixtures, why not have it ready to machine when it arrives at your door?
4- and 5-axis machining centers are one of the most sought after machine tool formats by shops today, especially for aerospace applications. The reason is clear - one set up and you are ready to machine 4 or 5 sides. The challenge with this promise of efficiency has always been the need for low profile, precise and secure workholding from a single surface. Variations of a dovetail feature have evolved into the designs of several workholding fixtures, like those offered by Raptor Workholding Products™, which mount directly to any machine and allow for fast changeover of parts. A locating pin ensures each part is placed accurately and clamping is accomplished with a simple T-handle Allen wrench.
Dovetail workholding fixtures have solved the problem of how to hold the part, but the challenge of material handling and preparation still remains. In preparation for finish machining each part must be rough cut and precision machined on one surface to add a dovetail feature. This added material prep reduces efficiency and takes away from overall throughput capabilities of 4-and 5-axis CNC machining centers. TCI Dovetail Machine-Ready Blanks eliminate this material prep, allowing shops to get right to the high value of finish machining.
TCI Dovetail Machine-Ready Blanks are custom produced to the customer’s specifications and are Machine-Ready – order from one to thousands with quick turnaround. Each TCI Dovetail Machine-Ready Blank includes a Dovetail feature to match the customer’s specified fixture model and arrives ready to go from receiving directly into 4- or 5-axis CNC machining centers.
There are many time saving, cost reduction and quality benefits from using TCI Dovetail Machine-Ready Blanks with dovetail workholding fixtures, including:
- Perfect complement for 4- and 5-axis work
- Reducing setup time, including the number of setups
- Eliminating material prep – one less unnecessary operation in your shop
- Making fixturing and clamping faster and easier
- Reducing waste
- Reducing cycle time, chip-to-chip
- Improving part quality
- Better inventory management
- Reducing bottlenecks
TCI Precision Metals has been providing customers with Precision Machine-Ready Blanks for nearly 60 years. TCI Dovetail Machine-Ready Blanks were developed in response to innovations in workholding and provide a perfect complement to TCI’s Machine-Ready Blanks that come ground and milled on 6 sides, ready for final machining. Combining the two will dramatically increase throughput and reduce overall cost of production jobs.
Founded in 1956, TCI Precision Metals is a value-add wholesale plate and sheet distributor producing precision Machine-Ready Blanks from aluminum, stainless steel and other alloys. TCI Precision Metals also offers custom Feature-Added Blanks, Sawing, Grinding, Milling and Finishing operations.
- TCI Precision Metals
- Phone 800-234-5613
- Email sales@tciprecision.com
- tciprecision.com/machine-ready-blanks/dovetail-machine-ready-blanks/
- Editorial Contact: Robert Mooers – 949-631-6840 – robert@wholeproduct.com