About – SnapFixture

Company Overview

Our focus is rapid repeatability to maximize efficiency.

After over 10 years of sales and consulting with coordinate measurement machines (CMM) and 3D scanning, it became obvious that most systems were not being utilized to full potential for efficiency, ease of use and repeatability. Fixturing held the key.

In 2010 Snapfixture began developing a line of off-the-shelf base fixtures for a wide range of measurement systems like Micro-Vu. These standardized items support a customized solution to match each client’s particular part’s geometry. In addition, many CMM manufactures had created highly functional systems with powerful software, but chose not to offer specialty positioning axis or kinematic fixturing to meet the needs of certain highly specialized, demanding sectors of their customer base. Snapfixture picks up where the CMM manufacture left off.

Applications

Kinematic Attachment

CMM manufacturers’ stock attachments that are hard-bolted to the machine stage can create a crash hazard or obstruction when not in use and often take time to remove between setups. An example is Micro-Vu’s very popular RSD 60 Rotary, an industry leading solution for automatically rotating parts in a 4th axis. In response Snapfixture developed a magnetic kinematic fixture upgrade. This highly repeatable solution allows the user to quickly remove or attach their system’s 4th axis without the need for any recalibration/restoring of its’ position. In the event of a crash, the magnet allows the fixture to slide free (yet retained) and greatly reduces possibility of a costly service visit.

Tilt Axis Upgrade

Some parts have multiple features that must each be inspected from a specific 3D perspective. An industry leading medical device manufacturer was facing just this challenge with a new nitinol implant design. Our team listened closely to the customer’s needs and introduced them to Snapfixture’s 5th Axis Tilt Stage. Compatible with their existing Micro-Vu machines, this field upgrade delivers automated high-speed inspection of the full component XYZ, plus V and W rotational axis. As a result, it saved the customer several hundred thousand dollars, which was the quoted cost of a new, specialized CMM otherwise required to do this additional tilt positioning.