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Expand the capability of your CNC machine to cut "impossible" to clamp parts without using tabs or double-sided tape. Our CNC Pressure Foot™ attaches to the Z-axis of your CNC router or CNC milling machine and provides clamping force directly around the cutter - right where it’s needed the most. This targeted clamping approach is particularly effective for machining small parts and thin/flexible materials that cannot be held by traditional clamping methods (without using tabs or adhesives) including vacuum clamping, edge clamping, and screws or brad nails.
Finding a simple, fast, and reliable hold down method is often the most difficult part of developing a cost effective machining strategy. The parts shown in the photos above were cut with our CNC Pressure Foot™ attachment and came off our CNC machine ready for sale. They were cut without the use of tabs or double-sided tape and without the cost of special clamping fixtures or custom vacuum jigs - no time or energy wasted on prepping materials and no post processing required.
Patent Pending
Choose from several CNC Pressure Foot™ mounting options that we offer or fabricate a custom mounting bracket yourself. Adjustable body comes complete with precision machined bearings, hardened and ground slides, and soft plastic foot to prevent scratches or marks on delicate finishes. Includes high-pressure and low-pressure springs along with full directions for optimizing cut strategies for CNC Pressure Foot™ clamping.
CNC Pressure Foot™ Clamping Attachment Technical Specs:
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Length: 5½"
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Width: 4"
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Height: 2¼"
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3 Types of “Impossible” to Clamp Parts Made Easy!
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Small Parts and Letters: Cut parts without using tabs that are too small to clamp with double-sided tape, too small for rubber gasket/high-pressure vacuum fixtures, and 50x smaller than universal vacuum clamping can hold! Tight access and tiny details make adding/removing tabs from small parts especially tedious. Eliminate tabbing headaches while saving time and money with our CNC Pressure Foot™ clamping attachment.
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Large "Swiss Cheese" Parts: Large parts that are full of holes can be a CNC machining nightmare. Without tabs, they don't have the surface area required for universal vacuum clamping and the remaining web of material is too narrow for custom gasket/high-pressure vacuum fixtures. The size and complexity of "Swiss cheese" parts makes application and removal of double-sided tape a thankless task. Our CNC Pressure Foot™ clamping attachment does the job without air bubbles and wrinkles, scrapers or chemicals...
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Thin Parts / Flexible Materials: Even with the use of tabs, many thin plastics, metals, and wood veneers cannot be cut by a CNC router or CNC milling machine using vacuum clamping or edge clamping. These delicate materials are easily damaged by double-sided tape. Screwing stock to the spoilboard, with a “Mine field” of fasteners placed in between cuts, adds considerable machine downtime while putting valuable cutters at risk. Our CNC Pressure Foot™ attachment provides quick and easy clamping for thin and flexible materials without costly accidents.
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Common CNC Pressure Foot™ Clamping Questions & Answers
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Will CNC Pressure Foot™ Clamping Work for My Project?
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Clamping parts for CNC machining is as much an art form as it is a
science. Every project has its own set of clamping requirements and challenges. CNC Pressure Foot™ clamping works for most 2-D and 2½-D part geometries and it works with most sheet stock materials, including wood, plastics, metals and composites. CNC Pressure Foot™ clamping is NOT recommended if your part includes any of the following characteristics:
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3-D relief carving
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Large open pockets. Through holes can be cut to any size with profile cutting operations, but pockets that don't go all the way through can cause problems if they are larger than the plastic foot.
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Elements that require cutters over 1/4" in diameter, including decorative edging cutters, (Ogee bits) roundover bits, and T-Slot bits
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Material that can't be cut without leaving a large burr on the top surface
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Machining operations that require liquid coolant
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Will Our CNC Pressure Foot™ Work with Your CNC Machine?
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Our CNC Pressure Foot™ is compatible with most CNC routers and CNC milling machines. It mounts onto your Z-axis, similar to many dust collection shoes, and provides clamping force directly around the cutter - right where it's needed the most. We offer several CNC Pressure Foot™ mounting options or you can fabricate a custom mounting bracket yourself.
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Can Your CAD/CAM Software Create Cut Files for Clamping?
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Cut files (G-Code) for our CNC Pressure Foot™ can be created using the same software and methods used to create standard 2-D and 2½-D cut files. The targeted clamping approach is particularly effective for machining
small parts and thin/flexible materials that cannot be held by
traditional clamping methods without using tabs or adhesives. Detailed instructions on creating cut files, including recommended bits and feed rates are included.
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What's Included with Our CNC Pressure Foot™:
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Adjustable CNC Pressure Foot™ body complete with precision machined bearings and hardened/ground slides
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Soft plastic foot that prevent scratches or marks on delicate finishes
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High-pressure and low-pressure springs
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Hex wrench for installation and adjustment
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Detailed step-by-step instructions on how to optimize your cut files for CNC Pressure Foot™ clamping
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Mounting bracket (optional - availability and pricing shown above)
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What Else Do You Need To Get Started Pressure Foot Clamping:
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CNC router or CNC milling machine with Z-axis
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Standard CAD and CAM software for creating your cut file
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Choose from several CNC Pressure Foot™ mounting options that we offer or fabricate a custom mounting bracket yourself.
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Sacrificial spoilboard. The pressure foot is designed to compensate for some material warping and tables that are not perfectly flat.
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Supplemental clamping method: vacuum clamping, edge clamping, screws/brad nails, etc...
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