An overseas customer needed 48 conical rings in 304 stainless with a thin wall. Clamped the usual way, a ring like this bends before the cut even starts. We turned a holding fixture for the part and split the work into two operations.
Instead of gripping the thin wall at three points, we turned a dedicated fixture on the lathe for this ring. It holds the part evenly, so the wall is not pushed out of shape while it is cut.
Because the fixture is turned on the same machine, it runs true to the spindle, and every one of the 48 rings sits the same way.
First operation: the ring is turned on one side with stock left on the wall, while the part is still stiff.
Second operation: the ring is held in the fixture and the wall is finished to size with light cuts, so cutting pressure and heat stay low.
The clip shows the second operation on the fixture.
Raymond Liang, our co-founder, set up the program and offsets for this job himself. The same person who reads the drawing at quote stage decides how the part is held and cut.
All 48 rings were turned on the same fixture and program, checked against the drawing, and packed for export. The fixture and program are kept, so a repeat order starts without a new setup.
Three things that make a thin-wall ring easier to make and cheaper to quote.
Tell us which diameter or face the part locates on. We hold the fixture to that feature, so the critical size is cut in the same setup.
Put the tight tolerance on the feature that matters. A loose outside with a tight bore is much easier than everything tight.
A dedicated fixture pays for itself from about 20 pieces, and unit cost drops sharply from there.
Send the drawing. We'll tell you how we would hold it and quote it with DFM notes. Email reply within 24 hours.
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