For the MarSurf CNC Series 1200 contour and surface measuring station, Mahr Engineered Solutions (MES) has created a clamping tool for one-handed operation. A German client asked for this unique approach so that workers with physical limitations may operate the equipment.
The client produces high-precision workpieces for hydrogen technology among other things. The workpieces have to be fastened firmly and consistently on a five-axis positioner of the MarSurf CNC Series 1200 measuring station in order to be fully autonomously measured. The company was looking for a technique to clamp three extremely small components, one of which was about the diameter of a one-cent coin. It takes two hands to clamp such filigree components normally; the operator must insert the test part into the workpiece fixture with one hand and hold it there until he closes the clamping device with the other. This is awkward and ultimately impossible for someone who is missing a hand.
Clever solution devised
The MES engineers, however, came up with a workaround: on a fixture made specifically for this component, the operator can first release two clamping levers by twisting a readily available metal ring. The operator may now securely put the workpiece without feeling rushed since an integrated detent position ensures that these remain open despite the required spring preload. The metal ring is then rotated as far as it will go in the other direction. Eric Artmann, a design engineer, adds that this “causes the clamping levers to close, engage, and secure the component.” This indicates that it is possible to reach every necessary measurement point and precisely measure the features that need to be monitored. The client is delighted: “All employees in the measuring room there, whether physically challenged or not, are able to operate our measuring station thanks to this clamping method alone. They believe that doing so greatly simplifies their work, according to MES project manager Dr. Tobias Liese.
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