Machinist Apprentice | Side Clamp Plate for Truck Project | Day 127

One of the tricky parts about this 5-axis truck project I'm working on is the issue of parting it off when complete. 

Since this project has a very thick width, running an endmill back and forth on both sides isn't really practical as the part could move side-to-side when leaving a web of material. So the solution my boss came up with was to have some of the stock left on the truck's underside and thread some holes to bolt a plate that would attach to the wheels and new holes. This would give a secure workholding location while an endmill could finish parting the truck from the opposite end. 

Adding the side plate fixture would require a pause in the machine between toolpath operations. I accomplished this by adding a Manual NC program in Fusion360 where I can add custom code for the machine to position the part right in front of the door, ready for adding the plate. 

I'm quite proud of how fast I designed, program, and mill out the clamp piece! It was a simple 2 op part, and I got it running from nothing to finished in about an hour and a half. Unfortunately, I found out too late that I missed that I was supposed to add a block to one side to push it away from the remaining stock. So the part I made was useless unless I added a small block spacer behind it. Thankfully I've got the updated version finished up, and the machine is ready to run tomorrow morning!