Back Issues

Mar/Apr 2012  

Part-Handling/ Workholding

Top Features

Vacuum Assist

Here’s a riddle: Without touching them, how do you pick up small, delicate parts, such as those with ultrafine finishes or tiny, electronic components sensitive to electrostatic discharge? Answer: With vacuum tweezers.

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Hold the Perimeter!

Stable workholding is key to grinding microparts

Many have the false impression that grinding is a “black art,” and that achieving accurate dimensional results requires a level of expertise that is hard to come by. Advances in technology have opened the door to greater precision and allowed finer features when cylindrical grinding micro parts and cutting tools.

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All Systems Go

Shop takes ‘systems’ approach to holding microparts

Accurately machining and measuring a part requires it to be located and clamped with precision that matches or exceeds specified final tolerances. Generally, a shop can combine good machine tools, vises and tooling to get a good result. But when working with micron-level tolerances, good is not good enough. Beyond assembling high-accuracy workholding components, it is crucial to control how they relate to each other as an integrated system, and assure they are applied in a repeatable, systematic manner.

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Get a Grip

New part-handling tools, techniques power microassembly

For the task of assembling small products, manufacturers must find a suitable tool for handling components measured in millimeters and, sometimes, microns. In many cases, the choice is a diminutive gripper that grasps parts with little fingers. A number of different grippers are available for microassembly processes.

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Miniature Movers

When handling small parts, robots can provide flexibility, repeatability, speed. The job shop sign says: “You want quick, cheap and top quality? Pick two.” Said less bluntly, every manufacturing operation involves compromises.

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Hands off: Alternatives to leaving ‘fingerprints’ on microparts

The most common method for handling microparts is to pick them up with tongue-moistened fingers. But that’s not the best way to do the job.

Fingers lack the dexterity needed to quickly pick up, orient and place small parts in position for processing. Once parts get smaller than about ¼", fingers prove too clumsy. Besides, saliva leaves germs on parts and the practice can lead to operators ingesting poisons from metal parts. (The beryllium in beryllium-copper, for example, can cause a deadly, protracted disease.)

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Top Videos

Micromanufacturing lab tour at Northwestern Univ.

During the 7th International Conference on MicroManufacturing in March, conference co-chairs Jian Cao and Kornel Ehmann, along with a few of their students, provided an overview of their research and work stations at the university's micromanufacturing lab.

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Aerotech displays micro positioning stages

Stephen Malone, applications engineer at Aerotech Inc., provided a brief overview of the company's micro positioning stages during the ICOMM 2012 gathering held in March at Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill.

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Sprue separator demo from ALBA

Dec. 10, 2010—In this 3-minute video, ALBA Enterprises Inc., Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., addresses a common problem among micro-injection molders—separating the runners from the good parts—as it demonstrates its sprue separator in action with a Babyplast Micro-Injection Molding Machine.

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Aerotech offers look at advanced control techniques

Oct. 12, 2010—Dr. Joseph A. Profeta III, director of product marketing for automation control systems at Aerotech Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa., discussed "Advanced Control Techniques for Minimizing Motion Errors and Nanomotion Technology" as part of the Fast Track Seminars presented at the Cutting Tool Engineering and MICROmanufacturing booth during IMTS 2010.

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Tweezers grasp 100µm parts

June 18, 2010—Virtual Industries Inc.offers vacuum tweezers that can pick up parts from 100µm to a few millimeters.

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Top Products

Expanded collet inventory for Swiss-type machines

A high-quality collet is key to precision machining of small parts using Swiss-type (sliding headstock) machines. Swiss-style collets from Hardinge Inc., Elmira, N.Y., are said to be burr-free, are finish ground to provide a smooth and concentric gripping area for bar stock or workpieces and have runout of 0.000015” TIR.

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Tools for thin grooving and microturning

Multidec 1600 series thin grooving and micro turning tools can be used on parts less than 0.125" in diameter utilizing insert widths ranging from the thickness of a human hair (0.0019") up to 0.108", according to developer Genevieve Swiss Industries, Westfield, Mass.

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Cylindrical micromachining system from NUTEC

Nutec Components Inc.

Intended for cylindrical laser machining of medical devices and MEMS components, the LaserLathe motion platform from NUTEC Components Inc., Long Island, N.Y., is said to be capable of small diameter work down to 0.2mm with accuracies to within 100nm, according to the company.

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ESI offers new micromachining platform

Electro Scientific Industries Inc., provider of photonic and laser systems for microengineering applications, has introduced its ML 5900 laser machining platform for manufacturing microelectronics, automotive and consumer products.

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Small-part tip handles parts as small as 100µm

Virtual Industries Inc., a supplier of manual vacuum handling solutions based in Colorado Springs, Colo., introduced the VSPT0803 micromanufacturing small-part tip that is said to allow handling of parts as small as 100µm.

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