Tag Archives: weld fixtures

RAPid CAPS PROTECT FASTENERS – MAKE WELD FIXTURES EASIER TO CHANGE

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WELD FIXTURE SPECIALISTS ANSWER NEED TO MAKE WORK HOLDING FIXTURES EASIER TO CHANGE

Protective brass caps for fasteners help manufacturers re-use components and make changes to machine tools.

Rapidcaps-fastener-capsTHE RAPid CAP STORY

In 2013, George and I were sitting in the long, grey conference room with our customer. He was complaining, “The problem is, when I want to make changes to the weld fixture, it’s a real pain because the fasteners are all full of weld spatter. We can’t get at the socket to remove the screw.”

This sounded a bit familiar. Sometimes it takes hearing a thing more than once for it to sink through our thick skulls. At that moment, we realized that this was an issue with most of our customers that did welding to produce their end product. George and I looked at each other. “What if we made something to protect the screws from splatter,” I asked. “Would that make it easier for you to use and re-use our RAPid Tooling Components?”

“Sure!” he said. “When I was done with a fixture I could re-use the components if I want to… or even to add an adjustment shim if we need to.”

George is good at coming up with great designs. He and his team were behind the idea of RAPid Tooling Components back in 2000. So I let him stew on it. I told him that once he got a few made we needed to send them into the real world to be tested.

It didn’t take him long to come up with a design for RAPid Caps.

So we sent some out to our customers to try on their fixtures. The feedback was terrific and orders came in before we were set up to market them. RAPid Caps obviously fill a need in the welding and weld fixture world.

Susan Straley
Queen of Lean Machine Design
Rentapen Inc.

WHAT ARE THEY?

RAPid Caps are made of brass. A round stem presses into the socket of a socket head cap screw and covers the top of the screw leaving a slight gap between the head of the screw and the RAPid cap.

Pop-off-screw-capThe tip of a screw driver is wedged into the gap and pops the cap off.

Adjustments and changes can be made. And the cap can be pressed back into the socket to provide spatter protection again.
RAPid Caps come in inch and metric sizes. Check out Rentapen’s RAPid Caps web page for sizes and ordering instructions.

Web App. Makes Design Of Weld Fixtures Efficient For Manufacturers.

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Rentapen Inc., the weld fixture specialist, has a web app. that Manufacturing Engineers are utilizing to save time and money.

On July 1, 2013 Rentapen Inc. introduced four new RAPid Blocks™ to their free web app. which features an exclusive line of weld-tooling components, known as RAPid Tooling Components™ (RTC).

Rentapen Inc. has been helping manufacturers, specifically, CAD Drafters and Machine Design Engineers with their weld fixture designs.  Rentapen Inc. is constantly adding to their RTC line in response to their customers need for weld fixtures fast.

Job50600Fixture01Job50600Fixture02

 

When a machine design engineer, is designing a weld fixture they can go to Rentapen’s website and download 3D models of any RAPid Tooling Components™ they want.  In fact, the designer actually creates the parts according to their specific application right on the site, without having to search in a paper catalog to find the right product number.  The site, Weld Fixture Components asks the right questions and with the answers creates the 3D parts and generates the part number.

The user can choose to download 3D models of blocks, plates, clamp risers and shims.  Rentapen’s RAPid Tooling Components™ are mostly used in weld fixtures, but have also been used in other machine tooling, like assembly fixtures.

We wanted to make it easier for machine tooling designers to find the right component for their needs.  We are excited to have the new blocks on the website and we are looking forward to our official launch of these new products in the next few weeks.

Recently, three new companies have taken advantage of Rentapen’s web app to download 3D models of RAPid Blocks™ and RAPid Shims™ into their fixture designs. First was a manufacturer of Original Equipment Manufacturing (OEM) out of Georgia.  Second, was a mechanical design company and the last company is a manufacturer of welding and cutting systems, which includes robotic arc welding and cutting.

Machine Design Engineers and CAD Drafters from the U.S., Mexico, and Canada are able to go to Rentapen’s website and perform six quick steps to order the 3D models to place in their weld fixtures.

We encourage Tooling Engineers to save the 3D models to their libraries so that they can use them again and again. Before we created this line, companies were spending close to $100 on a similar block.  Now they buy it from us for under $40.  These components save an Machine Design Engineer’s time and their company’s money.

Rentapen Inc., is the Weld Fixture Specialist and, and is home of RAPid Tooling Components™ used in weld fixture design and build projects. Rentapen LLC, located in Butler, WI, has been providing machine tool design services to manufactures since 1976. 

Weld Fixture Tooling Company Filled A CAD Drafter Internship

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Rentapen Inc., Located In Waukesha, WI Is Dedicated To Hiring CAD Drafters, Weld Fixture Machinist and Employees of All Ages.

On January 29, 2013 Rentapen Inc. filled a CAD Drafter Internship position with a young and experienced  student from Waukesha County Technical College. He is joining a CAD Drafting team made up of men and women of all ages.  Christopher Doll, has been a part of Rentapen Inc.’s, team since 2005 and is the Engineering Lead Designer and has a Masters of Science in Engineering from University-Wisconsin Milwaukee.

Design Fixtures and Jigs using Pro/E and Solidworks

According to The Social Liberian “There are eight different age generation categories.”  Rentapen Inc. the Weld Fixture Specialist, is currently employing four different age generations.

This local Waukesha, WI, company is employing generations as young as Generation Y (Born: 1977-1994) and as experienced as the Baby Boomer I Generation (Born: 1946-1954).

Rentapen Inc., has been in business since August 20, 1976 and has been able to stay in business through many different generations, but there is one key piece that holds this company together; they are excepting of all ages and are willing to teach their employees.  Have you ever heard the saying “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” in the case with Rentapen Inc. you can.  Every day the younger and older generations work side by side to reach a common goal; to build, design, and create the best weld fixture components in the manufacturing industry.

“I am in the Baby-Boom Generation and I am learning new things from the other team members all the time,” said Susan Straley, President of Rentapen.  “Just last week our staff was teaching me about our website and social media.”

 

Teach and Guide CAD Drafters and Interns

There are many conflicts in the manufacturing industry when it comes to generation differences.  Like any business today, conflicts can come from recruiting, building teams, the many different changes in a company, and different styles of management.  However, Rentapen Inc., is embracing the generations and changes; in their industry change is a good thing because it allows for growth, efficiencies, and cost savings.

The weld fixture specialist is excited for the growth of their line of RAPid Tooling Components™. With the different generations working together there has been an increase in the orders for RAPid Shims™ and the CAD Drafters in the office are busier than ever.

Rentapen Inc., is a Waukesha, Wisconsin based company that provides Weld Fixtures and 3D CAD models to manufacturers.  Since 1976, Rentapen Inc has consistently saved customers time and money.  Rentapen Inc., is a Certified Woman Owned Business and owns RAPid Tooling Components™.  For more information Rentapen Inc., please call 262-542-8891 or visit www.rentapen.com.

 

 

Growing Weld Fixture Design Company Enhances Their Web Presence.

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Rentapen Inc., the Weld Fixture Specialists, has been using a variety of social media sites to increase sales and educate the manufacturing industry.

Since April, 2011 when Susan Straley took over as President of Rentapen Inc., the use of social media has taken off in a positive direction. A new version of Rentapen’s website was also created in 2011 to help the company introduce CAD Drafters and Engineers about Rentapen’s time-saving RAPid Tooling Component™ line; increase brand recognition as the Weld Fixture Specialist; and educate beginning machine tool designers in the manufacturing industry through Susan Straley’s Blog – Weld Fixture Design 101.

 “I knew we needed to grow in sales and customers in order to become a stronger company. I asked for help from the SBDC. They sent a consultant to help us with our marketing strategy that includes social media marketing” said Susan Straley, Owner and President of Rentapen.

Merriam-Webster, defines social media as forms of electronic communication (as Web sites for social networking and micro-blogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (such as videos). Rentapen Inc. is utilizing social media to find and connect with Machine Designers, Manufacturing Engineers and others. Through social media Rentapen can announce the launch of new products and educate CAD Drafters and Machine Tool Designers about how to save time with Rentapen’s products and services.

Rentapen Inc. created RAPid Tooling Components™, consisting of RAPid Blocks™, RAPid Plates™, RAPid Clamp Risers™ and RAPid Shims™, to help save time for manufacturers. Rentapen’s website makes it easier for CAD Drafters and Engineers to download the right Block, Plate, Riser, or Shim for their product part holding tool design. Rentapen’s website also makes it easy to connect with Rentapen and its President on various social media platforms. One of the largest social media sites that Rentapen Inc. uses is Linkedin. Via Linkedin, Susan Straley, has been able to interact with targeted customers, Engineering and Mechanical Design Instructors, and CAD Drafting students. She keeps in touch with key targets by posting updates to her profile with educational blogs and industry news.

Rentapen Inc., as the weld fixture specialist uses the blog and internships to educate students in CAD Drafting, Weld Tooling Design, and building Weld Fixtures. Another, large social media platform that Rentapen Inc., has been using since June, 2011 is Youtube. According to Youtube this site has been designed to allow billions of people to discover watch and share originally-created videos. Rentapen’s youtube channel attempts to educate and entertain machine designers and followers. The company created a video that has been seen by over 3,000 viewers.

“I am very grateful to the help we received from the SBDC. Before they met with me, I didn’t know what a blog or a tweet was. Now I am using this medium to attract customers and help mechanical design students learn some of the practical machine design tips they can’t learn in the class room,” said Straley

Social media sites that you can find and follow Rentapen Inc. on are Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Youtube, and Google +. These are great ways to stay connected and to gather valuable information about Weld Jigs and Assembly Fixtures and an innovative company, Rentapen Inc.

Another Big Year for Weld Fixture Tooling Components Company

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Rentapen Inc. Sees Increase In Sales For Their Weld and Assembly Fixture Tooling Components in 2012

President, Susan Straley Featured With Weld Fixture

In January, 2013 Rentapen’s President Susan Straley sat down and calculated the numbers from 2011 to 2012.  The growth is a reflection of both an
interest in lean manufacturing and the increased speed at which manufacturers are trying to go from product development to production.

“Our components save time in the design, build and testing of weld jigs and assembly fixtures,” said Straley.  “That is what manufacturers are looking for, lean and fast.”

The year 2012 is over, but the increase and growth of Rentapen’s RAPid Tooling Components™ that are used in weld jigs and assembly fixtures is still something worth talking about.

“I knew we were busy, but with December’s numbers in, I was happy to see a growth of approximately 40 percent in the sales of RAPid Tooling Components™,” said Straley.

Rentapen’s RAPid Tooling Component collection is made up of Standard and Custom RAPid Blocks™, RAPid Plates™, Clamp Risers, and Shims.
These products precisely hold a customer’s product in their weld fixtures while it is being manually or robotically assembled or welded.

Rentapen introduced a new website feature in March, 2012 that has played a large role in the increase of sales for their RAPid Tooling Components.  3D Models of their components are available for
machine design engineers and CAD drafters to download and use in their 3D designs. Rentapen’s 3D model download process insures the customer’s order is as accurate as possible.
This ordering system is free to use, convenient, and time saving.

 

 

Weld Jig Design and Tooling Company Introduces Wolverine Clamp Riser

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Rentapen Inc., Located In Waukesha, WI Has Added A Brand New RAPid Tooling Component™ To Their Website.

On Monday, January 21, 2013, Rentapen Inc. launched their new spacer and riser to go under Wolverine Clamps. They immediately made 3D models available for customers to download from their website and place in their machine tool designs.

Rentapen developed a new line of clamp risers that will work with a variety of Wolverine brand clamps. The Wolverine clamp is designed to hold parts in place while the parts are being welded or assembled with other parts during production. Often times the machine tool requirement is that the clamp needs to be attached to a mounting block to be in the right position for clamping the production part.

“We have several new products that are being launched early this year that will be offered to help manufacturers and machine tool makers save time,” said Susan Straley, President and Owner of Rentapen. “Our team is excited about this first new product launch of 2013.”

Wolverine clamps are available in a variety of styles and sizes. Rentapen’s new risers are able to hold straight-line clamps and manual or pneumatic hold-down clamps. When Machine Tool Designers are creating jigs or fixtures, they find it is faster and cheaper to use purchased products as often as possible to reduce design and build time and to reduce errors.

By using a purchased component the manufacturer saves time needed to create a custom clamp riser from start to finish. For example, they would have to go through a timely and expensive process that includes: designing the part; detailing; checking; ordering material; writing the CNC code; creating the part and finally inspecting the part. Time studies have shown that Rentapen’s RAPid Risers™ saves manufacturers as much as 73 minutes in design and build time.
“We experienced phenomenal growth in our tooling component sales in 2012 as more manufacturers learned about the quality and versatility of our product line,” said Straley. “More and more, RAPid Tooling Components are becoming the new standard in assembly fixture and weld fixture design.”
Rentapen Inc. has been designing machines since 1976. In 2002 they developed the RAPid Tooling Components™ line in response to their customers need to reduce costs. The new clamp risers will be made in the USA.

6 Benefits to using Sub Assemblies in Machine Design

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Discover How Sub Assemblies Save a Ton of Time and Money in Machine Design.

Sub Assemblies in machine design are fun and easy and the really help save time and money in a lot of ways.  Once you learn how to use them efficiently you will see all kinds of places that they can be used.  Then, you can be the CAD wizard at your company!

A sub assembly is just a 3D CAD Assembly that is inserted into the Main 3D CAD Assembly in machine design.  If that sentence doesn’t make sense, keep reading and watch the video below to get a good idea of how Sub Assemblies are super tools for Machine Designers.

For example these Jergens Jig Feet along with RAPid Shims and manufactured risers are used several times in a fixture.  As sub-assemblies they save time, and unclutter the assembly drawing.

 

 

 

 

This configuration of RAPid Blocks and RAPid Shims is used in several places on a weld fixture.  Only the pin changes.

 

 

 

So this configuration, without the pin, is a good candidate for a sub assembly.
It will save engineering time to create it once in a Sub Assembly and then insert the Sub Assembly into the Main Assembly several times.

 

This goal post is part of a change over fixture.  A change over means that more than one product is welded within this fixture.  To “change over” the fixture to hold a different product, one sub assembly can be removed, and another sub assembly (or cover plate) can be put in its place.

In a fixture with lots of parts, it is easier for the machine assemblers to read the assembly drawing and assemble a machine when the drawing is less cluttered.

Benefits

1)      The Machine Assemblers will love it!  The drawings are easier to read.  There are less Balloons on the Main Assembly Drawing.

2)      It is easier to job out parts of the fixture to be made by contractors or machine shops.

3)      If sub assemblies are contracted out to be made, more people can be working to create the machine at the same time, moving the machine into production faster.

4)      Faster CAD design because the same sub assembly can be inserted several times into the main assembly.

5)      Assembly model checking time is reduced because each sub assembly only has to be checked once.

6)      The MAIN BOM can contain all the parts for the whole machine, just like always.

Numbering

It depends on your numbering system.  All parts in a sub assembly get normal part numbers.  Even the sub assembly gets a normal part number.  If a 3/8” jam nut is part 103, you can use part 103 inside a sub assembly and also elsewhere in the main assembly and it won’t be a problem.  The main Bill of Material will reflect the total quantity of parts both inside and outside the sub assembly.  And the Sub Assembly Bill of Material will contain only the quantity of part number 103 used in the Sub Assembly.

We find it helpful to use the words “sub assembly” in the name or description of the sub assemblies.  That way they are easy to identify in the BOMs.  Your company may use a special group of numbers for your sub assemblies.

Now discover how to get the Bill of Material (BOM) to show all the parts but balloon only the parts not in the sub assemblies!  Watch this short video.  (The demonstration is using Pro/E Wildfire 4.0. )

So the instructions for flattening  the Bill of Materials for the purpose of ballooning only those parts not included in the sub assembly is as follows.

Steps

  • Select Table from Top Menu
  • Select Repeat Region
  • Select Flat/Rec Item from the pop-up window
  • Select the Bill of Material (Table)
  • Select Default or Flat (to flatten the Bill of Material)
  • OR Select Recursive (to expand the BOM show the parts that are in the Sub Assemblies)
  • Select the sub assemblies in the BOM
  • Click OK or “Done”

Be sure to sign up to receive Education and Updates!  All people who sign up in April 2012 will receive RENTAPEN’s DOWEL HOLE GUIDE.

Give me a Recommendation on Linked in!

View Susan Straley's profile on LinkedIn

Leave a comment below… tell me, do you use sub assemblies?  Why or why not?

‘Til next time…

The Queen

Images of Weld Fixtures — Weld Fixture Design 101

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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

Five Pin Pointers

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Weld Fixture 101  – Locating Pins

To recap what was said in the video:

Pointer #1 

You can buy your pins from a catalog or you can make your own.  But don’t use the lock screw design for mounting your pin.  We have found they don’t hold up to the hard use they experience in a weld fixture.

Pointer #2

Harden your pins.  This makes it “harder” for the weld splatter to stick to the pin and easier, then, for you to get the part out of the fixture.  In fact, it is good practice to always harden those components that touch the product parts.  You can surface harden, called “case” harden, or you can full harden, which hardens the part all the way through.  Purchased pins are already hardened.

Pointer #3 

If possible, mount  the pin from the bottom with a screw.   If you can’t mount from the bottom, another best practice is to cut a whistle cut (an angle cut) into the base of the pin.  Then use a set screw to hold it in place.

Pointer #4

When using locating pins in two holes in a product part, use a round pin in the first hole and a diamond pin in the second hole.   The diamond pin will allow for some tolerance variations between the holes in the product.

When I say, round pin, it doesn’t mean that you can’t cut off some surfaces of that round pin as discussed in pointer  #5.

Pointer #5

Other cuts in the pin make it easier to remove the product parts from the fixture.  Square cuts or triangular cuts work well and still have sufficient pin surface to locate the product.

That’s it!  If you haven’t already, sign up to be notified when the next blog on Weld Fixture Design is released!

Now for fun, check out the new video we have from Lashy7 singing our shim king song.

Seven Tips for Lean and Efficient Weld Fixture Design.

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This is my FIRST Blog!!!  Yep!  And I am excited because we are going to go over how to design a simple weld fixture.  Then, with each new post we are going to delve deeper.  This is going to be like Weld Fixture Design 101, and then 201 and then 301!  So you may notice that some things may be not quite right in this weld fixture.  In future blogs we will address that.  So sign up to get notified regarding future education and updates.

 Weld Fixture Design is both an art and a science.  We won’t all agree on what is the right way.  I invite you to comment.  This way we can learn together.

So lets get started!

Tip #1  Ask the right questions before beginning.

Tip #2 Start w/ those items that touch the product parts.

Tip #3 Use purchased components where possible reducing time, costs, and errors.

Tip #4 Design in adjustability with shims.

The right combinations of shims will give the ability to fine tune the location of your product parts to .005” accuracy before mass production begins.

Tip #5 Review the design for weld access, efficiency and functionality.

Can you eliminate any parts?  Is there room for the weld gun?  Will you be able to get the parts out after they are welded?

Tip #6  Have the customer or production team review the design.

Make any changes they recommend and get their approval before putting in the holes, shims, fasteners and creating drawings.

Tip #7 Always have someone else check your work.

Get someone else to look over your design and drawings. 

In future posts we will go further into the design, address more complex issues, and continue learning together.

This list of tips is not all encompassing.  Let me know what you think.  What would YOU add?  Which of these tips would you like me to explore deeper first?