Need Custom Workholding? Ever Considered Renting?

A new idea in workholding can bring the benefits of hydraulic fixturing to short-run jobs or multiple workpieces, with no capital investment required.

C.D. Miller and Associates, a developer of custom workholding solutions in Spring Grove, IL, says customers can rent its Power3 hydraulic tooling cubes for as little as $250 per month. The cubes are designed to fit all standard machining center pallets, and trunnion styles also are available. Users can select the cube size that fits their job from three available sizes: 400 mm (rents for $250/month), 500 mm ($275/month), and 630 mm ($325/month).

Then, users purchase custom face plates from Miller and Associates. Costs for one face are $10,500 for the 400-mm cube, $11,500 for the 500-mm, and $13,500 for the 630-mm model. Users get price breaks for purchasing two or more faces for their rented cube.

Shops can then run their jobs, interchanging face plates to suit their application requirements. They can also return their Power3 units to Miller and Associates at any time and pay only a $500 reconditioning fee. The advantage, according to Miller, is that customers get the productivity benefits of hydraulic workholding with no capital investment.

C.D. Miller and Associates, 2503 Spring Ridge Drive, Spring Grove, IL 60081. Phone: (815) 675-6348.