Avinger Review of Microconic TF25 Collet System

Avinger Inc., based in Redwood City, California,  designs, develops and manufactures precision medial device technology with the goal of helping patients keep their legs. Recently they began testing the Micoconic system on their Citizen L20 (7M8) Swiss Screw Machine using a Utilis 3000 series cutoff holder and an 1/5mm X 10mm insert.  The bar stock was .225" OD round.

They where kind enough to share their test results with us. 

Set-up
Installing the new collet system was a breeze following the instructions provided by Masa Tool. Virtually no runout to speak of once cartridge was installed.
Collet open and close functions normally without having to reverse command codes in the program. Simple plug and play operation. Ready to run straight out of the box. 

Collet Installed
.0472 (1.20mm) Over Grip w/ .05 of pad length

Collet Adjustment
Collet adjustment was a snap using the Microconic Collet wrench supplied with the system. Using a gauge pin I was able set the preferred gripping pressure from the front of the sub- spindle the first time without having to make any extra dial in adjustments. This is a major improvement over standard collets. (i.e. KEB, Hardinge, or Southwick & Meister)

Normally, it would have taken me at least 5 to 10 parts minimum to set the collet pressure using the standard method adjusting the sub-spindle. With cycle times upwards of 7 to 9 minutes per part, this is a huge time savings for us at Avinger.
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Picking off my first part using this system, I had zero slippage or spinning of parts in the collet. Parts pick off clean leaving no marks or blemishes on the parts.
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Due to such a wide over grip opening I have eliminated the need to remove parts manually from the collet. Parts now eject into the part collecting bin without incident. (no knockout pin needed) 

Cut Off Tool Interference 
When looking into this system I hand concerns over running into the front of the cartridge when performing a pick off. Using the Utilis 3000 series holder and 10mm long cut off insert. I have zero issues regarding clearance using the new tooling.

The only adjustment I had to make to my programs was leaving the cutoff tool .03 inches above the stock (.225 inch od) while the collet was moving into pick off position (Collet in open position). Once the collet closed around the part there was plenty of room to perform the cutoff operation.
(I did not have to modify the tool holder to get the needed clearance.) 

Order Delivery
​Delivery time of the system with 2 custom over grip collets was 1 week after placing the PO. Even at 1 week delivery time, this is nearly three to four times times faster than ordering standard collets from KEB, Hardinge, or Southwick & Meister. 

Recommended to Others
I would definitely recommend this system to others. This system is a huge step forward when it comes to setting up and picking off micro parts on my screw machine. I give this product an A+ rating after the first week of use.