Masa Tool, Inc. is a company founded with the mission of bringing micromachining solutions to industry. 

The Microconic™ work holding system is  a mechanically actuated micro-workholding system for use in high precision, small diameter CNC turning applications.

It's the first and only workholding system for the micro machining industry!
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WhizCut has re-invented the parting off insert for the future. WhizTwin is a bold new insert that helps reduce waste material and has a cutting edge stability.

The patent pending design of WhizTwin generates a cutting edge stronger than any other and a stability not seen before. The strength and increased stability of the cutting edge is maximised with two cutting edges at the front. This lets the toolholder be clamped in a more stable position with a smaller overhang from the toolholder plate - reducing instability and vibrations which are the main chal-lenges when parting off.
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Less material waste, less costs. WhizTwin is forceful, stable and overall brilliant. The narrow insert allows you to lower your production cost as you save material using it. Removing less bar material is great for you and also for the environ-ment. It’s a win win - with WhizTwin.

The WhizTwin insert optimizes cutting geometry and relief around and under the cutting edge which boosts mass and stability. The stability of a WhizTwin 1,2 mm part off insert achieves the same result as a 1,5 mm wide conventional insert from the top – and is considerably stronger below

The WhizTwin design utilizes the two cutting edges to build up an extra strength under and around the cutting edge. Get longer too-life and more stable parting off – the patent pending design gives the WhizTwin insert a bigger carbide mass under the cutting edge.

​A 1,2 mm insert is considerably stronger than a 1,5 mm conventional insert. The strength of a 1 mm part off is the same as a 1,5 mm conventional. WhizTwin represents a new range of carbide grades developed for faster and tougher machines and materials, grade 7.

by ​Jerry McNealy, Owner, Indian Mountain Machine

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My name is Jerry McNealy – I’ve been in the machining industry for over thirty years, and I am the owner and operator of Indian Mountain Machine based out of Jellico, Tennessee. Here, we handle some highly complex and precision parts (most of which have just as high a value placed on their cosmetics as they do their function/tolerance).

Pair this with the fact that I started running a CNC lathe only a couple years into my early career, and I can definitely claim to know a thing or two about some of the problems you tend to come across with thin-wall parts in a lathe.

At our shop, we do several somewhat thin wall long parts, and we’ve bought other anti-vibe bars in the past that have usually resulted in having to turn the RPM down very low, as well as the feed rates, which results in these projects taking a considerable amount of time to achieve the finish we need – and it’s still not good enough.

One day, we were tooling up another machine to do some parts, and I spoke with Gary McNealy at Jones Marketing Inc., who suggested that we try out this new chatter-free anti-vibe bar made by MAQ. I hadn’t yet heard of MAQ, but it looked interesting, and I trusted his recommendation. Looking back on it now, I’m extremely glad we did – because I have never seen anything perform quite as well as these bars do.

We decided to start out with a 1” diameter bar, running some 6.5” long parts – which then progressed into some 8” long parts, and still only required a 1” diameter bar.

And as we continued to run parts, we kept increasing the speed and feed rate, before finally ending up around 1000 RPMs and a feed rate of .005 IPR.

We were completely surprised by the finish, not to mention the speed with which we could now produce these parts!

In fact, another incredible thing that the MAQ Bar’s performance has done is improve the product and its finish, allowing us to actually skip the dreaded sanding and polishing process. Some parts can even be cleaned and shipped straight to plating.

​We ended up going into some 9” long parts, which we were able to get the 1.25” bar for. To really illustrate how great the MAQ Bar is, though, when we first started running the parts, I went over to my toolbox and got the best 1.25” anti-vibe bar that we’d had previously, thinking that we might just try with it first and see how it goes. This bar has seen a lot of parts over the years, and it has a lot of character to show for it; rubber bands wrapped around it, bungee cords wrapped around the parts, the whole deal – anything to dampen vibration.

Using this bar, however, we only ended up with what I figured to be a low RPM, slow speed, and a very poor finish. This particular part we were working on was going to take up to an hour and 15 minutes to rough and finish the bore.

But once we switched over to the MAQ 1.25” Bar, it roughed and finished the part with the same bar in less than 15 minutes. The finished product was checking at under a 20 (micro), and was absolutely immaculate.

Like I said, I’ve been at this a long time – and I’ve definitely been around the block enough to recognize a game-changer when I see it.

MAQ Bars are, without a doubt, true standouts that have impressed me and the rest of the team here at Indian Mountain Machine. They are built to extremely high standards, save us valuable time, and are completely dependable, always resulting in final products that we are proud to ship out from our shop.

​I am personally a huge fan of MAQ, and I cannot recommend them highly enough. You will not be disappointed with what they have to offer.

by DEREK KORN | Editor-in-Chief, Production Machining Magazine

For some turning applications, chuck jaws or other conventional workholding devices for CNC lathes can cause a part to distort as clamping force is applied. This can be the case for large, thin rings such as the one shown on the left. Those workholding elements can also prevent full access to a part, which might necessitate reclamping for an additional operation.
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The threaded grippers install in the top of a fixture plate and require a through-hole to enable the UV light to pass up and through the gripper to cure the adhesive. For most turning applications, this would be done at a workstation and the fixture plate with bonded part would then be installed on the lathe.
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To do this, the top of each gripper and the areas of the part to be gripped are cleaned with isopropyl alcohol. Adhesive is deposited on the top of each gripper so that the entire gripper face is covered and the gap between the face and underside of the part is filled. The gaps (thus, the thickness of the adhesive) can range from 0.020 to 0.120 inch, depending on part flatness. The part rests on hard stops installed in the fixture plate that are slightly taller than the gripper tops to achieve the proper gap.
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To cure the adhesive, the UV light source’s light guide is inserted into the backside of each gripper and the source is activated. It typically takes 60 to 90 seconds for the UV light to cure the adhesive, bonding the gripper to the part. Once curing is complete for all grippers, the fixturing element with the part can be installed in the machine and machining can be performed.

Once machining is completed, a wrench is used to back off each threaded gripper, shearing the adhesive bond with the part. The residual adhesive can then be peeled off the part and grippers after applying steam, or a hot water soak or spray.

​The number of required grippers is based on the size of the part and its geometry, the company says. Axial holding force depends on gripper size and can range from 250 to 800 pounds. Grippers are made from hardened, corrosion-resistant stainless steel and have a black oxide finish. The adhesive is compatible with most water- and oil-based coolants and cutting fluids. It is said to be able to hold a variety of ferrous and nonferrous metals as well as plastics, ceramics and composite materials.