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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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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.  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. 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".
How to use the Micrograd™ Face Dial Wrench
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 surrounded by Microconic UM-10 collets 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.
 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! 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".
    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  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.
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.
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.
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.”
“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.”
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.
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!
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. 
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 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!
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