Fractal vises are apparently a thing? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: daqq
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 15, 2021, 07:21:23 pm
content: Found this, never knew such a thing existed and now I need one:

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 15, 2021, 07:36:17 pm
content: The original really took off it seems...I guess they've been around a long time, but maybe haven't been very visible, which clearly was a shame as, well, look at 'em!And within but a week or two, there's a 3D printed version of course:Tim

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 16, 2021, 02:40:07 pm
content: almost posted this last night, it looks very nice

author: Gromitt
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 20, 2021, 01:53:22 pm
content: Quote from: T3sl4co1l on July 15, 2021, 07:36:17 pmhttps://www.core77.com/posts/109366/Product-Designer-Chris-Borge-3D-Printed-That-Fractal-Vise-That-Can-Hold-Any-Shape#

author: Kjelt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 20, 2021, 03:46:19 pm
content: 3D printing is one thing, if you look at the original one you see that the parts are not even exchangeable which indicates that is difficult thus expensive to manufacture.Today with cnc machines it coukd be done easier but due to the cost of such an 5 axis machine still pretty expensive.I believe some startup company is reproducing it.Oh wel, if it was such a great thing why did it not survive time such as the Stanley tools etc. Probably not that much improvement over standard clamps.

author: TimFox
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 20, 2021, 03:52:08 pm
content: I checked the website for the vise jaws: the manufacturer specializes in tools for engraving, including heavy bench vises.They are taking down payments, but are not shipping the vise jaws yet (nor have they posted final pricing).

author: CatalinaWOW
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 20, 2021, 04:50:51 pm
content: It seems that this would have been a winner from the start. Since it hasn't been there are a couple of things that may explain it.1. As several have pointed out it had to be expensive to build. Like many multiples of the cost of regular vises, which are already not cheap. The current group starting this out is making a much smaller version and it is still expensive.2. While it can grip about anything, it isn't a precision grip. By that I mean that you don't know the gripped items orientation relative to the vise. So for any work requiring precision there is a lot of difficult setup required after you lock something in the vise. I'm sure most folks just ended up putting shapes conducive to conventional tools on there parts as fabrication aids, and then if required machined them off as a last step.Still would love to have one, but they seem to be quite rare, and I haven't decided if the 3D print version is good enough for the effort required.

author: SiliconWizard
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 20, 2021, 04:51:41 pm
content: Those things look pretty cool. But yes they probably are pretty expensive to manufacture.

author: TimFox
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 20, 2021, 04:58:48 pm
content: With respect to the undetermined orientation: most of the vises sold by that company are axially symmetric (like a traditional chess pawn) to allow the engraver to rotate the heavy vise at will, not like a milling vise.

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 20, 2021, 06:40:42 pm
content: That said, with flat-ground ways, parts could sit flat, or on top of parallels or some other positioning jig. The angle wouldn't be well defined, but a plane could; this might be adequate for some operations.Mostly, I doubt the clamping force is all that great, and you wouldn't want to put an end mill near the thing. Or you're taking very light cuts, which will take forever for bulk removal -- but would be fine for engraving purposes, again.With a CNC indicator to measure part position and orientation, I suppose one could set up without too much bother, and engrave/shape completely arbitrary parts. (Is that something CNCs can usually do? Position offset obviously, but multiple rotations?)Tim

author: ebastler
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 20, 2021, 08:27:29 pm
content: Neat idea! But would I dare to file or engrave anything clamped in these jaws? The mechanism looks like it might take offence when contaminated with metal dust and filings?

author: Kjelt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 20, 2021, 09:09:27 pm
content: For one offs engraving weird shape object it would be great.Engraving doesn't exert a large force. Also I think the clamping force could be large since the contact points are smaller than a regular vise.For multiples on an cnc machine it will IMO not be suitable since there is no fixed reference side as is with a machine vise.So the next object could be shifted in a random position after each clamp.

author: CatalinaWOW
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2021, 03:06:25 am
content: My uses would be for general purpose bodging. Nothing precision, but just holding a part or tool while doing rough filing, sawing, drilling, grinding or welding to customize or repair it. Farmer machining, not precision or production work. Obviously the vise in the restoration video had received a lot of this kind of use. And unfortunately it is hard to justify investing a lot of money in that type of work.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2021, 05:40:08 am
content: someone should do a test with a heavy hammer to see how well it holds up to determine what operations are safe, you can be as imprecise as you want and drift does not matter but you need to know it will not fling things, especially with angle grindersI am seeing a smooth cylinder contact surface