Work holding aids efficiency at Opus

Having identified a gap in the UK automotive market for a highly-efficient subcontractor that specialises in the production of premium-quality, low-volume components, the founders of Opus International Products established their business in 2013. In less than 10 years the company has grown to become a major force within its sector.

Given the company’s relatively short production runs, to help reduce changeover times and increase its machining efficiency, managing director Rob Coles recently searched for an advanced work-holding system, opting for a selection of solutions from Lang Technik UK.

“By using our Lang Technik work-holding systems on our Haas machine tools we’ve achieved the incremental production increases we were seeking,” he says. “Now, before inserting a workpiece blank into one of our new Lang Makro-grip vices, staff can use our Lang Technik stamping unit to make very accurate, minute indentations into the workpiece. Then, as the ‘male’ features on the jaws of our Lang vices engage exactly with the workpiece’s pre-stamped ‘dents’, we are able to achieve excellent holding power with the application of only minimal clamping forces. We are therefore able to hold, from the softest to the hardest of materials, under all machining conditions without fear of deformation. In addition, as the Lang Technik stamping unit makes its indentations into only the last 3 mm of workpieces, we are able to make savings on material.”

Coles adds: “As all of the indenting preparation work is carried out before each workpiece is placed into the machine tool, the use of our new Lang stamping unit and Makro-grip vices has slashed machining downtime. As we continue to ramp-up our production levels, we will be returning to Lang Technik UK for further products.”

For further information
www.lang-technik.co.uk