{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Microloc transforms Scottish engineering operations","description":" Situated near Alva in Central Scotland, Qualtek Engineering serves everything from small customers to large international corporations with CNC machining services. Alongside its main manufacturing activities, Qualtek operates Bespoke Engineering, a specialist automotive division concentrating on restoration, classic cars, performance vehicles, and motorcycles. It is here that Microloc clamping technology is used. The nature of Qualtek\u2019s work demands versatility that traditional workholding solutions struggle to provide. Ewan Montgomery, who oversees operations, explains: \u201cIt\u2019s a very individual workshop with diverse needs. We specialise in restoration, classic cars, performance cars, and motorcycles, which means we\u2019re constantly dealing with different projects needing different tooling approaches.\u201d This diversity extends to tooling manufacture. \u201cA good example is working on a classic car cylinder head with modern machinery,\u201d Montgomery notes. \u201cBuying old-fashioned face cutters commercially is hard to get and hugely expensive for standards that we don\u2019t really need. Manufacturing our tooling became a cost-effective solution.\u201d To accommodate substantial automotive components, Qualtek invested in a HAAS VF4SS machining centre. \u201cThe machine size is really to accommodate the size of materials that we\u2019re working with\u2014engine blocks, cylinder heads, etc. You need a certain size of footprint; otherwise, if they don\u2019t fit, you can\u2019t work,\u201d Montgomery explains. Discovery of the Microloc Solution The introduction of Microloc workholding proved transformational. \u201cMicroloc was completely the solution that we didn\u2019t know we were looking for,\u201d Montgomery admits. \u201cVery soon after I bought the machine, I\u2019m buying a Microloc system, and it\u2019s really one of the best things we\u2019ve ever done.\u201d Technical Advantages The Microloc system achieves exceptional accuracy through its integer location methodology, where components are clamped against fixed jaws, providing precise location in X, Y, and Z axes. The system maintains repeatability accuracy of \u00b125 microns, achieved through case-hardened jaws ground to \u00b110 microns relative to tenon keys. \u201cThe system is designed for machinists, and it\u2019s designed to minimise setup time and provide micron-level accuracy,\u201d Montgomery explains. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing else out there that delivers this kind of modular setup that Microloc provides.\u201d The precision aspect is crucial for automotive restoration work. \u201cThe accuracy, as we understand from manufacturing our own tooling, just a few microns out is enough to scrap a part,\u201d Montgomery emphasises. One significant advantage is eliminating traditional setup procedures. \u201cTraditional clamp vices have to be set up, have to be clocked in if you\u2019ve got multiple operations,\u201d Montgomery notes. \u201cThings can move because it\u2019s friction clamping, not keyed clamping, and you\u2019ve got lots of variables, including temperature, user, and everything else that can go wrong.\u201d Modular Flexibility The modular design allows clamping elements to be rotated through 90 or 180 degrees, enabling four-edge clamping configurations. Individual clamping modules deliver exceptional holding power. \u201cThe clamping force on these is unbelievable. I think we\u2019re approaching a ton of pressure,\u201d Montgomery reports. \u201cYou can place them anywhere on your table within 3mm of movement.\u201d \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter if it\u2019s a metre-long part or if it\u2019s a 100mm long part, you\u2019ll find a clamping place that will accommodate that width or length,\u201d Montgomery explains. \u201cYou can have as many of these Microloc clamps as you wish on the table. You can have nested systems for repetitive work.\u201d System Configuration and Fourth Axis Integration The Microloc baseplate mounts using bore tenon adaptors that locate into precision 16mm bores. The baseplate features precisely spaced, conical zero-point locations that accept tenon keys of various workholding elements. Integration of fourth-axis capability opened up new possibilities for complex automotive components requiring specific angles. \u201cA lot of the machining originally was done off-centre,\u201d Montgomery explains. \u201cThis particular manifold is at 45 degrees and using the fourth axis and the HAAS VF4SS machine accuracy, we can get that exactly to 45 degrees straight away.\u201d Customisation and Service Support Rather than a standardised package, Microloc provided a tailored solution. \u201cIt\u2019s a custom solution to suit a customer\u2019s needs. It\u2019s not a defined package. It can be made larger, smaller, wider, whatever, just depending on customer demand,\u201d Montgomery notes. Service support extended beyond supplying the system. \u201cMicroloc provided tenons to fit our vices to make them quick release as well, so that we don\u2019t really have any setup time now,\u201d Montgomery explains. \u201cWhen we have no clocking-in required, just simply mount them on X or Y-axis, and if that\u2019s what you need, it will be instantaneous. It\u2019s a five-minute job, and you\u2019re ready to go.\u201d Operational Efficiency and Quality Improvements Time savings achieved through the Microloc system have directly impacted operational efficiency. \u201cThe old way of doing it would be to set up a manual table, an indexing table, and you would be there for a very long time trying to get that right. Obviously, time is money,\u201d Montgomery reflects. Perhaps most revealing has been the insight into historical manufacturing standards. \u201cThe conventional machining on older engines from around the world was not accurate, to say the least,\u201d Montgomery observes. \u201cWhen you are doing things like cylinder boring with a machine that can measure so accurately, you understand that the tolerances that things were made to were quite poor. We can make them better now than they were when they came out of the factory.\u201d For Qualtek Engineering, adopting Microloc workholding has represented a fundamental shift in operational capability. The combination of precision, flexibility, and efficiency has enabled the company to tackle increasingly complex projects whilst reducing setup times and improving accuracy. In an industry where precision measured in microns can determine success or failure, the Microloc system has provided the foundation for sustained growth and enhanced capabilities in both general manufacturing and specialist automotive restoration work.   ","author_name":"MTD Audiobook","author_url":"https:\/\/mtdcnc.com\/magazine","html":"