Medical device manufacturing

ETP SWISS Toolholders - “a game changer” at Mount Mfg

The medical device manufacturing company Mount MFG reached out to ETP Transmission with the hopes to streamline and improve their workflow within swiss turning. A couple of months later the manufacturing company can say that the result is beyond their expectations.

– ETP Transmission has brought our deep hole drilling capabilities to a completely new level, says Nick Hamel, Computer Numerical Control Programmer at Mount Mfg.

For nearly five years, Mount MFG has provided services to Original Equipment Manufacturer and manufactured components for a range of different systems. The manufacturer provides services within machining, laser marking, secondary finishing, assembly, passivation, as well as swiss turning - which the company was looking to improve this year. After the enquiry ETP Transmission provided several hydraulic solutions, one of which was ETP HYDRO-FIX SWISS. The clamping units are excellent for static front and back drilling operations which are a few of the things that have improved since Mount MFG began using the tools this summer..

– I can bring my machine tool into position, load the drill, and touch it off in 15-20 seconds. The best part about it is that it gives you a more rigid and concentric clamping diameter on your tool and at the same time is easy to use. The hydraulic clamping units are set with a torque wrench which means that from operator to operator - everybody is clamping the tool the same way which creates a high repeatability of setup and therefore better process capability for us, says Nick Hamel.

Smooth and precise

The main benefit of ETP HYDRO-FIX S is the one screw fixturing system which makes the clamping unit quick and easy to handle. The precision of the hydraulic tool centering is achieved and therefore the setup time is improved, which is what Mount MFG has experienced after the usage. The clamping unit allows for smaller as well as deeper drilling, quicker tool changes, absorbs and reduces vibration, improves surface quality which increases the productivity.

– It is very smooth to use. One thing I really like is that you can insert the hydraulic holder into the machine tool bore and lightly tighten the fixture screw until it clamps in the bore, then insert the tool and tighten again until the torque wrench clicks, and you’re finished. It clamps individually, one diameter before the other, and that makes it really easy to move things or to adjust your set-up quickly - if needed. The extremely low T.I.R. of these holders has allowed us to hold tighter tolerances and better surfaces finishes that we were previously unable to achieve, says Nick Hamel.