Hydraulic fixturing components provide size and durability advantages

Husky Corp. uses hydraulic clamping components from ROEMHELD to create fixtures with extremely compact sizes, and find they last for decades.

by Alan Richter, Editor
CUTTING TOOL ENGINEERING Magazine, February, 2017

Time-tested workholding allows a parts manufacturer to target other areas for improvement, if needed. Husky Corp., for example, needed space-saving hydraulic components when refixturing a dial machine with limited space for fixtures and conducted an extensive search 30 years ago for a solution, said Darrell Vilmer, senior manufacturing engineer – machine/fixture designer for Husky.

“Size was a major consideration,” he said. “I coined the phrase, ‘I’m trying to jam a nickel in the dime slot.’ I began looking for components that would allow the most fixture locations in a limited machining envelope.”

The search lead the Pacific, Mo., manufacturer of fuel dispensing equipment to hydraulic fixturing components from ROEMHELD North America in Fenton, Mo.

After achieving positive results with the first application, Vilmer said he employed the hydraulic components for column fixturing in a horizontal machining center and increased the number of locations for machining parts from six to nine.

Extreme durability was a bonus

Vilmer added that he also appreciates the durability of the fixtures. “I have 30-year-old working systems with original ROEMHELD hydraulic components,” he said. “I only have had to replace two hydraulic cylinders in 30 years.”

Besides minimizing component replacement cost, that level of durability also allows Vilmer to avoid the difficult task of replacing components in confined spaces, he noted.

Nonetheless, if a hydraulic component does fail, he pointed out that finding a replacement isn’t a hassle. “It’s nice to know that if I needed to replace my ROEMHELD hydraulic components in systems that are 30 years old, they are available and will fit as built.”

Founded in 1947, Husky Corporation is one of the world’s largest producers of fuel dispensing equipment. The company manufactures a variety of components, ranging from the nozzles that dispense gas into a vehicle to the swivels that allow movement of the hose, to the safe-t-breaks® that prevent the dispenser from getting pulled over in case there is a drive off.

Headquartered in Pacific, Missouri (in the metro St. Louis area), with 130+ employees, Husky is committed to provide petroleum-dispensing products that meet or exceed customer expectations and reinforce the fact that Husky is a reliable partner that is with its valued clients every step of the way.

Husky’s primary decision makers in finding fixturing solutions were Darrell Vilmer, Husky’s Senior Manufacturing Engineer and machine/fixture designer, and Alan Siedhoff, VP of Manufacturing, and project approver.

Vilmer and Siedhoff found ROEMHELD components to be very compact and highly efficient. The two primarily worked with David Vilcek, ROEMHELD’s Manager of Workholding and Assembly.

“I insist on systems I can control,” said Vilmer, “and recommend to anyone who asks, to use ROEMHELD hydraulic components in the machines or fixtures they are building.” Vilmer and Siedhoff found they were able to get 24 to 36 parts on a machining column, with an extremely low replacement cost, and have only had to replace 2 hydraulic cylinders in 30 years. “With the longevity I have experienced using Roemheld hydraulic components; I would be hesitant to use any others,” said Vilmer. “I started thirty years ago using ROEMHELD hydraulic products exclusively in manufacturing machining and assembly components, and will still be using them tomorrow.”