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Masa Tool

breaking news

Production Machining: Collet System Replaces Extended-Nose Collets on Swiss-Type Lathes

11/9/2022

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Matt Saccomanno at Masa Tool describes how the Microconic workholding system functions without the need for an extended nose. He says the accuracy and rigidity greatly improve with the diameter clearance already built into the system.
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Modern Workholding Strategies for Swiss-type Machining

6/20/2018

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Thursday. September 13| 1:15 PM - 2:10 PM | McCormick Place Room W193-B
Matt Saccomanno, the Co-Founder of Masa Tool and inventor of the Microconic Workholding sytem will talking about process innovations in the metalcutting manufacturing industry during the International Manufacturing Technology Show, IMTS, in September at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL. 
Modern Workholding Strategies for Swiss-type Machining
Swiss-type CNC machines have gained in capability and demand as the machined components they produce are trending toward higher precision and micro-sized features. As the machines have become more sophisticated, the underlying basics of workholding remained unchanged until recently.

​This presentation is an overview of new developments as well as traditional approaches with relevance to today’s highly capable sliding headstock “Swiss-type” CNC turning centers. The goal is to summarize best-practices for optimizing use of both main and sub-spindle to maximize productivity and overall equipment effectiveness. The material presented is useful for machinists, CNC programmers, tool crib personnel, manufacturing engineers, estimators, and hands-on managers.

If you would like to reserve your spot in this technical presentation and discussion please click the below button.
Add To IMTS Show Planner

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How to use the Micrograd Face Dial Wrench

3/14/2018

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Set ups are quicker and more repeatable with Microconic™. You can document the micrometer-adjust collet closure in your set up plan so it's done the same every time, regardless of operator skill and without relying on "feel". ​
Our Micrograd™ Face Dial Wrench is included with the purchase of any Microconic Cartridges.

The Micrograd™ Face dial Wrench provides a method of precisely setting clamping pressure on both the Microconic collets and an Microconic overgrip collets .  

​It can be adjusted in metric increments of 0,02mm and imperial increments of .001"
Micrograd Face Dial Wrench Microconic
Top View of the 5C Cartridge with alignment arrow for use with the Micrograd collet wrench. The locking set screw to fix the position is located behind the arrow line.

How to use the Micrograd™ Face Dial Wrench

Microconic Micrograd Face Dial adjustment wrench
Side view of the F25 Cartridge with alignment line show for use with the Micrgrad collet wrench
  1. Insert a gage pin of the appropriate diameter.
  2. Tighten collet with Micrograd Collet wrench by 2 – 4 graduations to set initial clamping force. 
  3. For a firm grip on solid workpieces typically a closure of about .08mm (0.003”) is a good starting point. 
  4. Use the screwdriver allen wrench to lock the set screw on the cartridge in place.

Experience will soon teach the best settings, and they may vary significantly for different applications based on the force required, rigidity of workpiece, and machining operation being performed. 
For a complete set of instructions please see our installation procedures for more details on how to set up and replicate your clamping pressure on every machine in your shop.
micrograd wrench Microconic um10 collets
Micrograd wrench surrounded by Microconic UM-10 collets
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How to use the Microguide™ Sleeve

1/17/2018

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Due to the extreme opening capability of our overgrip collets , workpiece ejection must be very reliable to prevent a part from becoming stuck in the slots of the collet. ​Therefore we have developed  the Microguide™ ejection guide sleeve to prevent parts from falling inside the collet instead of ejecting into the part catcher.  ​
 Microconic over-grip collet and Microguide ejection guide sleeve blank
Microconic™over-grip collet and Microguide™ ejection guide sleeve blank
The Microconic™ over-grip collet is extremely rigid and precise. If it closes onto a part wrapped with chips the collet may be over-stressed and break.  It is critical that the workpiece be free of wrapped chips. High pressure coolant is recommended to blast away chips.

​There are many other techniques that can be applied to keep the part clear of chips, such as chipbreaker inserts, speed/feed optimization, chipbreaker G-code cycles and cutter path retracing, amongst others.

​It bears repeating that we suggest using programmed cycle stops while validating the production setup so the operator can confirm the part is clear. Once chip control is proven reliable that won't be necessary.
Each Microconic™ Over-grip collet is supplied with a brass Microguide™ ejection guide sleeve blank.  The Microguide™ sleeve  can be bored, drilled or machined to match the part profile and support the part and guide it for reliable ejection into the part catcher. 

You will need to machine the Microguide™  to fit your particular part setup.  We suggest using programmed cycle stops while validating the production setup to make sure part ejection is reliable.
Micrograd ejection guide sleeve blank Microconic over-grip collet
The Microguide™ ejection guide sleeve blank threads into the Microconic™over-grip collet after being machined to the part profile.

Microconic W style over grip collet cross section
A cross section drawing of a workpiece being held in a Microconic W style over grip collet.
Microconic W Style OverGrip Collets
Microconic W Style over grip Collets

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Microconic Celebrates Oktoberfest  September 26 - 28!

9/1/2017

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Productivity Open House 2017 Microconic Masa Tool
Productivity's 2017 Oktoberfest Tool Show website is live! Check out this year's Oktoberfest Tool Show, being held from September 26-28 at Productivity Inc, Plymouth, MN. 

Masa Tool is very excited to again participate in Productivity Inc's 19th Oktoberfest Tool Show. We're looking forward to showcasing our Microconic Workholding sytems for swiss style CNC lathes at their marvelous facility.  

Matt Saccomanno, CEO of Masa Tool, and the inventer of the Microconic system will be on hand with our regional managers for the area, High Tech Industrial, to answer all of your technical & applicaiton questions. Let's get productive! 

Productivity's Oktoberfest Tool Show gives you more tools to help grow your business with over 40 machine tools and technologies on display as well as over 80 tooling lines on display! See the newest machine and tooling technologies, witness live machine demos and attend one of 12 informative seminars.

Show hours are 8:30 am to 6:00 pm daily. Go to http://www.productivity.com/oktoberfest-tool-show/  for more details and to register.

Let us know you're going by clicking the JOIN button HERE!
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Rapid Traverse: Machining Technology in Brief

6/30/2017

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We got a very unexpected present in the mail this past week! We where very excited to learn that our Microconic workholding system for small diameter part machining was featured in the Rapid Traverse section of the June 2017 issue of Modern Machine Shop!!!

We've got pictures of the article below in case you don't currently subscribe to Modern Machine Shop.  You can also download a PDF copy of the entire June issue below in the link. It starts on Page 25 of the PDF download.  If you have the print edition it's on Page 22, or you can just read thought the screen shots below.  

We want to really extend a very big THANK YOU to Matt Danforth at Modern Machine Shop who wrote this article.  Matt really did an awful lot of work learning about the various features of our system. We know there where many many hours that he spent to develop this story just from the sheer number of follow up questions and conversations.  We really have an awful lot of respect for the entire MMS team and the effort they put into getting their story's "just right".

Download MMS June 2017 Issue HERE >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

mms_june_2017_microconic_article_page_25.pdf
File Size: 35701 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Modern Machine Shop Cover June 2017 Masa Tool Microconic page 22

Micro-Part Collets Make Subspindles Sing Page 22
Micro-Part Collets Make Subspindles Sing Page 24
Micro-Part Collets Make Subspindles Sing Page 25
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Micro-Part Collets Make Subspindles Sing

3/8/2017

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A proprietary grinding process and the application of clamping force exactly where it’s needed ensure secure, concentric gripping with a collet system that can potentially fit every turning machine in a shop. 

​Blog: 2/17/2017
by 
MATT DANFORD
Associate Editor, Modern Machine Shop
Shop Blog Header Banner Masa Tool Microconic
There’s good reason why subspindle-equipped turning centers, particularly Swiss-type lathes, are so popular for small, complex parts produced in high volumes. However, there’s also good reason for the prefix “sub.” Automatic part hand-off for backworking operations isn’t viable without secure gripping, and the smaller, already-machined portion of the work presented to the subspindle tends to create more challenges than the raw barstock gripped in the main spindle. As a result, subspindles can be limited when it comes to blind-hole broaching, heavy peck drilling and other processes that risk pushing a part off-kilter or damaging it.
However, the right workholding can break down these barriers, says Matt Saccomanno, CEO of Masa Tool (Oceanside, California). Founded in the wake of Mr. Saccomanno’s own frustration with secondary operations and underutilization of subpsindles, Masa Tool offers the Microconic system, an alternative to traditional, extended-nose collet designs that applies force closer to the part for greater rigidity and concentricity—advantages that extend to main-spindle operations as well. Another benefit is the ability to adjust clamping pressure at the spindle nose to grip securely without damaging small, fragile workpieces. On the efficiency front, a collet in one size can be swapped for another without reaching anywhere beyond the spindle nose, and any collet can fit multiple draw-type or push-type machine collet closers. This saves time and eliminates the need for different collet series for different machines. 
Microconic Collet Bone Screw Workholding
Finally, overgrip models that expand 0.157 inch (4 mm) beyond the clamping diameter enable reaching over and gripping the part behind large-diameter areas. ​
Microconic system components swiss machining

​The Microconic system consists of two primary components: a cartridge that fits in the machine’s standard 
5C, TF20 or TF25 collet closer, and the Microconic collet itself, which fits into the cartridge.

​Collets accommodate workpiece diameters ranging from 0.008 inch (0.2 mm) to 0.394 inch (10 mm).

Total indicator runout (TIR) is guaranteed at 0.0002 inch (5 microns) at the workpiece, absent any runout introduced by the machine structure or other elements of the setup, Mr. Saccomanno says. He adds that the cartridge can be used as a precision gage to calibrate spindle accuracy.

Installation is simple. Users place the machine in a safe state for collet changing; insert the appropriate Microconic cartridge; and thread the Microconic collet into the cartridge. “You put it in your spindle and leave it there,” Mr. Saccomanno says about the three cartridge models, each of which can accept any standard or over-grip collet. This capability enables switching to a different-diameter collet for a different-diameter part and setting the correct chucking force in roughly 2 minutes, compared to the 15 minutes it might take to swap, say, a TF25 collet, he says.
There’s no “feel” involved in tightening the collet, he says. That’s a task accomplished with the company’s Micrograd wrench, which features micrometer graduations of 0.001 inch (0.02 mm) to aid users in dialing in the perfect closure on either a workpiece or a gage pin of the same size. This configuration relegates the machine’s own clamping mechanism to the role of an actuator that triggers the opening or closing of the collet. As such, he advises keeping the machine’s own function at a medium force setting and allowing the Microconic cartridge to control the actual chucking force. Machined from a single piece of hardened steel, the cartridge preserves the dead-length operation of “push-type” collet systems (that is, the collet itself doesn’t move in or out as the machine cartridge actuates the chuck).
Micrograd clamping pressure wrench swiss machining
In addition to better facilitating secure clamping without damaging thin-walled or otherwise delicate workpieces, self-contained, dial-micrometer force adjustment helps ensure setups aren’t affected by temperature fluctuations that might subtly alter the machine structure between collet-closer and collet. As Mr. Saccomanno puts it, “From the first part in the morning to the last part on second shift, it grips the same. You don’t have to play with it throughout the day.”
Microconic Overgrip collet with dental drill
He credits much of that precision to the fact that clamping force is applied directly over the workpiece, a contrast with traditional extended-nose designs that apply force farther back. He also credits the manufacturing process. Tapering collet jaws to interface with the machine is nothing unusual.

​However, Masa Tool employs a proprietary, five-step grinding process that leaves each jaw with a particularly precise conical shape (hence the name “Microconic”) that forms a particularly tight fit.  More specifically, a “slight crown” ensures that the contact point is always centered, he explains, citing the pattern of wear marks on well-used collets as evidence. 
“Traditionally, you’ll see wear closer to the slots rather than in the center, between the slots,” he says. “There’s no uncertainty about whether (a Microconic collet) will touch on the left or the right side first. That’s where you’ll get some variation in traditional designs.”
Gripping wasn’t the company’s only focus when designing the Micronic system. Reliable part ejection is also critical, Mr. Saccomanno says, particularly with overgrip collets that offer such a wide gripping range. That’s why overgrip models ship with a Microject, a brass ejection guide sleeve that can be machined to mirror the outer profile of the workpiece.

​Once threaded into the over-grip collet, the sleeve prevents parts from falling inside the chuck or getting stuck rather than ejecting into the parts catcher. The sleeve also provides a tight seal that improves the ability of through-spindle coolant or shop air to aid in part ejection.

Microconic workholding System overview
Granted, Mr. Saccomanno recommends using programmed cycle stops while validating a production setup to ensure part ejection is reliable. Nonetheless, combined with the precision and gripping security common to all Microconic collets, capability for extreme overgripping can enable “doing things on the subspindle that you never would have dreamed of before,” he says. ​​
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Masa Tool Get's Interviewed at IMTS 2016! 

11/22/2016

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We where honored and privileged to be interviewed by IMTStv during the show in 2016! It enabled us to get the word out about our Microconic workholding solution that solves clamping problems that have never been solved before!

​We discussed that many many people had just given up on trying to find a solution for balancing out production between the main spindle and the sub-spindle years and years ago. We where even more excited than most of the people that stopped by our booth to learn that we had indeed invented something that fixes the problem! 
A big thank you to the folks at AMT and IMTStv who interviewed us at the show for the big screen!!
​
​"If you manufacture small parts, you have to see this microconic system, it's no ordinary collet! Check out what we found in the west hall at Microconic by Masa Tool's booth W-2232!" Watch more videos at IMTS.com/IMTSTV
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Everything you wanted to know about the Microconic #Workholding System

10/11/2016

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Matt Saccomanno, the inventor of the Microconic Workholding system discussed how it works at IMTS 2016.  

Masa Tool has developed the Microconic™ system specifically for holding workpieces from Ø0.15mm to 10mm (Ø0.006" to 0.390") in any machine that has a collet-type chuck.

The system consists of two major components: The Microconic™ cartridge, which fits into your CNC machine spindle replacing the standard 5C, TF20 or TF25 collets, and the Microconic™ collet, which fits in the Microconic™ cartridge. 

The Microconic™ system has unsurpassed concentricity: Our manufacturing tolerance is 3µm (.0001") and we guarantee our cartridges to be within 5µm (0.0002") in production use in your machine.

The Microconic™ system works with either draw-type or push-type standard collet systems that are in any machine.

​The Over-grip collet capabilities of Masa Microconic™ System, introduces a whole new world of time saving opportunities awaiting. Our Overgrip Collets open up to 4mm (0.157") diameter larger than the clamping diameter.
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IMTS 2016 was Incredible!

9/29/2016

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IMTS 2015 Microconic Workholding
Our first IMTS show was a tremendous success!  We got to meet many many new customers and where very pleasantly surprised by all the industry media people who stopped by to visit us at the show.  We had an awful lot of people comment on the "Game Changing Workholding for Small Parts" by asking us "What's so game changing?"  After they learned about the entire Microconic system we often heard them say "Wow! This is REALLY a game changer!!"
On Sunday, we where interviewed on IMTStv and had some time to talk to the great folks from AMT about our Microconic system technology and where heard from people that we where on the big screen throughout the show.  

​We're keeping an eye on YouTube to see it and we'll be sure to share it here when we find it. :-)

We really can't express enough thanks to the folks over at Citizen for using our Microconic system on their new L20 machine with low frequency vibration technology that was on display in their booth.  The application engineers sent quite a few people over to our booth once they saw it in the machine!
Microconic Gamechanging Workholding
On Thursday, Harry Moser from the Reshoring Initiative visited us and we talked about how our products where developed right from our experience on the shop and because of the machining that is done locally in the Oceanside area.  The video was posted live on our Facebook Page and you can find right here down below on the left.
​

Be sure to keep an eye our for some articles in some pretty big name magazines in the next few months.  We're now on the look out for some application stories for them based upon the success you've had with our product.  If you have a story to tell us be sure to leave it in the comments below or contact us so we can get all the details! 

Harry Moser form  the Reshoring Initiative visited us!
Some pictures from our IMTStv interview. It was a busy week meeting lots of new customers!

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