Inside the Shop: A Look at Our Latest Custom Workholding Solutions

We've had a lot of custom work come through our shop lately. From simple fixture plates to more involved hydraulic and pneumatic systems, our team designs and builds workholding solutions around the parts our customers need to make.

Two recent projects show what that looks like, and how different the right solution can be from one application to the next.

Twelve Custom Workholding Plates for a Pallet Pool

One recent project involved designing and manufacturing twelve custom workholding plates that will eventually be mounted to a variety of tombstones within a pallet pool.

If you're unfamiliar with a pallet pool, think of it as a system that lets a machine move between prepared workholding setups, keeping production moving without building every setup from scratch.

Each plate is part of a larger workholding system designed around the customer's machining process.

And that's an important part of custom fixturing. We're not just looking at how to hold a part. We're also thinking about how that fixture fits into the equipment and production process the customer already has.

The goal is to make setups more repeatable, reduce unnecessary handling, and help the machine spend more time doing what it's supposed to do: making parts.

Custom HMC Tombstone for Forging Applications

Another recent project took a different approach.

This customer needed a way to machine forgings consistently, with the goal of completing each part in a single handling.

Forgings can be particularly challenging to hold. Their shapes aren't always uniform, and finding a reliable way to position and clamp them can take some creativity.

For this application, our team designed and manufactured a custom horizontal machining center (HMC) tombstone, complete with fixture blocks and clamps.

The fixture was designed to give the customer a repeatable way to locate and hold their forgings, while providing the access needed to complete the machining process without repeatedly removing and repositioning the part.

Engineered, Manufactured, and Tested in Northern Kentucky

One thing both projects have in common is where they come together.

Our team handles the engineering and manufacturing right here at our facility in Northern Kentucky. That means the people designing the fixtures are working alongside the people machining and assembling them.

Ideas can move from CAD to the shop floor, where the team works through the details and brings the finished solution together.

This process lets us take on a wide variety of projects, from straightforward manual fixtures to more complex workholding systems. And as we've continued expanding our custom fixturing capabilities, we've had the opportunity to work on some pretty interesting applications.

Why Custom Workholding?

A standard vise, chuck, or fixture works well for many applications.

But not every part fits neatly into a standard solution.

Some parts have unusual shapes. Others require access to multiple sides. Some need frequent loading and unloading, while others are part of larger automated production systems.

That's where custom workholding comes in.

Instead of asking the customer to adapt their process to an existing product, we can design the fixture around what they're actually trying to accomplish.

That might mean a relatively simple fixture plate with strategically placed clamps.

It might mean a custom tombstone with multiple mounting locations.

Or it could mean a more involved hydraulic or pneumatic system that reduces the operator's manual work.

The solution changes depending on the application, but the questions we start with are usually pretty similar.

How can we make this part easier to hold? Can we eliminate a setup? Can we make the process more consistent? Can we reduce the amount of time an operator spends handling the part?

Sometimes a relatively small change in workholding can make a meaningful difference in how a job runs.

Built Around the Part. Designed Around the Process.

At the end of the day, custom workholding is never about making something complicated. It's about simplifying the customer's machining process.

For one customer, that might mean 12 custom plates designed to fit into a pallet pool. For another, it's a custom HMC tombstone that allows forgings to be machined in one handling.

Different parts. Different machines. Different challenges.

But the goal is always the same: reduce setups, minimize operator involvement, and keep those spindles turning.

Have a part that's been difficult to fixture or a process you'd like to improve?

Send us the application. We'd love to take a look!