12/10/2025
Relying on crimping and sacrificial frames instead of dovetails cuts operations from Novo Modo’s high-end, high-mix work. What’s more, it supports the shop’s tight features and tighter tolerances.
Workholding can be an albatross around the profits of high-mix, low-volume job shops. Whether from lengthy processes of dialing in setups or time-consuming additional operations to add or remove dovetails, suboptimized workholding can keep employees away from valuable tasks.
When Joseph Alonso founded Mount Vernon, Washington-based job shop Novo Modo in 2023, he was mindful of this difficulty. He wanted his new shop to tackle high-end parts right from the start, and researched the software and equipment that would give him the best chance of making his dream of a high-mix, low-volume, five-axis shop a success. Alonso intended to purchase a work cell he could easily replicate in the future, in keeping with the need for swift setups. He ultimately chose Hermle’s C250 five-axis machining center and Wenzel’s LH 87 CMM, pairing the machining cell with HWR Workholding’s SolidLine modular, zero-point workholding equipment.
The modularity of HWR Workholding’s SolidLine fixtures enables Novo Modo to set up parts in less than five minutes. As the shop’s programs all use the same offset, Alonso says the shop can cut between 30 minutes and an hour of dialing in the vise for each setup.
Novo Modo uses the SolidStamp system to crimp material with a tooth contour that fits into the serrated edges of the HWR vise jaws. This saves time compared to dovetail machining — about two minutes per part for aluminum parts, and five minutes per part for stainless steel parts.
How does your shop optimize workholding for high-mix production? What strategies have you found effective for reducing setup times?
Read the full article for more insights on Novo Modo’s approach and its impact on revenue growth. https://www.mmsonline.com/articles/skipping-the-dovetail-saves-setup-time-for-high-end-parts
