Weld Fixture Specialists Offers New Products to Manufacturers.


Rentapen Inc. Listens to Customers, Makes Alterations To Product Line And Creates Four New RAPid Blocks™

On June 21, 2013 Rentapen Inc. added four New RAPid Blocks™ to their collection of six RAPid Blocks™.  Rentapen Inc., located in Waukesha, WI, first developed RAPid Tooling Components™ in the year 2002.

The RAPid Tooling Component™ product line was inspired by Rentapen’s customers’ need for dramatic reductions in the overall design, set-up, and operation costs of welding and other tooling fixtures. Rapid Tooling Components™ (RTC) reduce the design cost of the fixture by eliminating the need to design, detail and check similar parts over and over again.

 “We found that it was costing our customer $100 to design, check, cut, and create a block.  We realized we could do it cheaper.  With RAPid Tooling Components™, it now costs that customer about $37 for the same block and they don’t have to design and check it each time,” said Susan Straley, President and Owner of Rentapen.  “Our product line saves time in the design and build of product part holding fixtures.”

The new RAPid Blocks™ are RB11, RB12, RB16, & RB19 and can be downloaded for free on Rentapen’s website.  RAPid Blocks™ are standard yet versatile parts that are used with locating pins, rest pads, jig feet, and other parts in a weld fixture.

The new blocks are improvements to a now discontinued blocks; which was limited to only a 3/8 screw size.  These improvements allow the customer to use any screw size (1/2, 3/8, ¼, & 5/16) needed to complete the design of the weld fixture.

The RB11 & RB16 is designed with two drill and counter-bored holes used to screw the block to the plate and one press fit hole to hold a dowel.  In the front of the RB11 there is one round screw hole used for front and back shim adjustability.  The RB16 is designed the exact same way but with one large difference.  Instead of a round hole, it is designed with a slot for optimum side to side adjustability of up to ¼”.

The RB12 & RB19 is designed with three drill and counter-bored holes used to screw the block to the plate and two press fit holes to hold a dowels.

The RB12 and RB19 are designed to be longer, in order to locate other parts and to keep them square on the weld fixture.  Similar, to the design of the RB11, the RB12 has round screw holes used for shim adjustability in 3 directions of up to 1/8”.

RB12 has two oversized holes; located at each end of the block. To solidly hole the subassembly against the RB12 but still is able to allow adjustments in the side to side and up and down directions.  Rentapen created a weld fixture design lesson with slide show to explain better with images.

The RB19 is designed similar to the RB12 but it is designed with a two slots for additional side to side adjustability.

To provide their customers with the best price, Rentapen makes each RAPid Block™ when it is ordered. Keeping finished goods inventory costs low and passing on the savings to Rentapen’s customers.

Rentapen Inc., Weld Fixture Specialists is home of RAPid Tooling Components™ used in weld fixture design and build. Rentapen Inc, located in Waukesha, WI, has been providing machine tool design services to manufactures since 1976.  Rentapen is a Certified Woman Owned Business and home of RAPid Tooling Components™.

Images of Weld Fixtures — Weld Fixture Design 101

Here are some images of weld fixtures we have designed recently. Also, at the end, is a new kind of bike to ride the Rails before they become trails. Enjoy.


 

 

 

 

 

 

Three parts are welded together in this small weld jig.

 

Top view, same fixture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The CNC leaves an interesting pattern on this weldment.  It looks wavy, but is very smooth.

 

 

 

Small Weld Fixture using Goal Posts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robotic Weld Cell Fixture that rotates.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can see all the  RAPid Tooling Components(TM) in this fixture.

 

Sign Up in April for DOWEL HOLE GUIDE.

Sign up for “Education and Updates” on Rentapen’s website in April, 2012, and you will receive a free Dowel Hole Reference Guide for your desk top.  Signing up means you will receive an email when a new blog or press release is posted.

Now, I would like to share this, a fun and inspiring post sent from one of our  followers:

The unstoppable passion

http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=1757772&tn=0&mr=0

3D Solid model
http://www.supertopo.com/inc/photo_zoom.php?dpid=Mzs-Pjk8KCAq

Fwd View 3D Concept model
http://www.supertopo.com/inc/photo_zoom.php?dpid=Mzs-Pjk4JScr

Fork Assembly in Weld Jig
http://www.supertopo.com/inc/photo_zoom.php?dpid=Mzs-PjY-IyMi

‘Til next time…

The Queen of Lean Machine Design

What Where and How of Metal Shims

What, Where, and How of Shims and Shim Packs

I am excited about our new Free 3D CAD Models ordering service on Rentapen’s web site.  I know I promised to talk more about the simple weld fixture (weld jig), this week,  however I am delaying that because this is (I think) so COOL!!

Our line of tooling components are now even easier to use.   I invite you to play with this new 3d model downloading service.  These files are Free!  Since we are still discovering kinks, be sure to let us know if you find any problems.

The videos I have for you today are about how to use this service.  But there is so much more to learn. These videos aren’t polished, but you will get the idea.

First, I talk about shims and show how they are placed in a real fixture. You might want to turn the volume down a bit, I start in the shop…

I know I go on and on about shims at times. I am a big advocate for shimming in weld fixtures.

With so many variables involved in how much heat will be created during welding and therefore, how much distorting will occur on the product being welded, shims and shim packs are essential. They help the production group set up the fixture before full production begins. So that when the weld jig or fixture goes into full production it is putting out a product that works.

In this next video I  show you how to download a file for a RAPid Block(TM) and a RAPid Riser(TM).

And in THIS video, our team member, Kory, tells you how to get your Pro/E parameters into your STEP file.

 

I hope you have fun trying out the new 3d models and seeing how you can use them. I’d love to see what you come up with! Didn’t you like playing with legos??

Send images of your designs using RAPid Tooling Components to news@rentapen.com

The Queen of Lean Machine Design