QUICK CHANGE HOLDER
Many of our company’s jobs are short runs, with setups that needed to be changed sometimes every two to four hours. Work holding setup time was something that became necessary to improve as our volume of work increased. By investing in a quick-change jaw system we were able to decrease work holding change-over time by 90 percent while lowering machining costs. We had a substantial investment in work holding vises, so we wanted to preserve that as much as possible. Investigating numerous new products for maximizing work holding efficiency, the Kurt Doveock quick-change jaw system stood out as a great way to improve setup time with our existing vises while adding versatility for handling frequently changing jobs. Consisting of a master jaw with built-in, specially designed dovetail quick clamps, the quick clamps are designed to precisely hold and lock into position in the quick-change machinable jaws. In the initial setup, each master jaw has two bolts that fasten to the stationary movable jaw of their standard 6-inch vise. Once the master jaws are in place, the machinable jaws locate precisely with the master jaw and quickly lock up using the machinable jaw’s three hex head bolts. An additional advantage is that it enables us to mill into the changeable jaw plates using the full volume of jaw material. This is something we couldn’t do with its old jaw setups. – A quick-change jaw system provides a perfect grip, precise repeatability for very accurate and consistent machining and can handle a full range of part sizes, Our system enables us to utilize our machines to their full capabilities while maintaining consistent part quality.

Jim Kovach
Kovach & Assoc. Performance Engine Building
Parma, Oh
June, 2015