Flotron: Product FAQs

1. WHAT ARE YOUR STANDARD DELIVERY TIMES?

Most of our smaller standard models can be shipped in 1 to 2 weeks after receipt of your order. Larger models are shipped in 3 to 6 weeks. Customized units are usually shipped in 6 to 12 weeks depending on the amount of customization.

2. WHAT ARE YOUR PAYMENT TERMS?

We offer net 30-day terms on approved credit, COD terms and accept major credit cards.

3. DO YOU HAVE CUSTOM CLAMP INTERFACE OPTIONS?

Yes. We offer both modified standard clamps as well as completely customized designs. Our engineering department works with you to design the best clamp for your application.

4. WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF YOUR FIXTURES VERSUS WORKBENCHES?

Our fixtures offer you more flexibility, accessibility, and adjustability. The floor models with casters also offer mobility to offer you a flexible factory floor design to handle ever-changing production demands.

5. WHY USE STEEL RATHER THAN ALUMINUM CONSTRUCTION?

Due to the higher cost and flexibility of aluminum, we have standardized on steel construction. We do however make custom fixtures using aluminum and stainless steel when it is needed

6. WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF MODULAR DESIGN?

Our modular design offers height and length adjustability to adapt to different height workers and different size parts. The fixtures do not have to be dedicated to just one job and can handle several applications with minimal changes. They can also be broken down into components and stored more easily in smaller areas.

7. ARE ESD FEATURES AVAILBLE?

Yes. As an option, we offer conductive finishes, conductive casters, grounding lugs and drag chains.

8. CAN THE FIXURES BE USED IN CLEAN ROOMS?

Most of our fixtures are designed to work in class 10,000 clean rooms with no modifications. Optional finishes and construction ("C" option) can make them compatible with class 100 environments.

9. CAN THE FIXTURES BE MOUNTED DIRECTLY TO THE FACTORY FLOOR?

Our fixtures can be mounted with fasteners directly to your floor utilizing the pads used for mounting the casters. However, with the casters removed, you will not have the ability to easily adjust your floor layout to a possible changing production need. You also will not have to lose the time commonly associated with facility requests.

10. THERE ARE FOUR JACK ORIENTATIONS OFFERED FOR THE 700 SERIES JACKS, WHICH ONE IS BEST?

This will depend on your requirements. If you require maximum rotational clearance you will normally orient the jack handle away your part. If you are concerned about people bumping into the handle you may want to orient them toward the center of the fixture.

11. ARE OPTIONAL CASTERS AVAILBLE?

In addition to our standard line of casters and those listed in the options section, we also offer special casters such as pneumatic, shock absorbing, and dual wheel versions. We can offer an endless variety of casters to satisfy your requirements.

12. WHY SHOULD I USE A GEARBOX, JUST AN INDEX PLATE SHOULD BE GOOD ENOUGH?

Index plates alone are designed for fairly balanced loads. If during assembly your part's center of gravity (CG) shifts, removing the pin from the index plate could introduce a dangerous situation for part and operator.

13. MY APPLICATION HAS HIGHER TORQUE REQUIREMENTS THAN YOUR STANDARD GEARBOX. ARE HIGHER CAPACITY GEARBOXES AVAILABLE?

Yes. We offer standard upgraded gearboxes for many of our fixtures as well as extra capacity and low backlash models. In some applications, a higher torque requirement may mean upgrading to a higher capacity fixture.

14. HOW DO I CHOOSE THE PROPER HOLDING FIXTURE?

Determine the WEIGHT, SIZE and SWING RADIUS of your load.
Determine the MAXIMUM TORQUE required to rotate your load. This will require knowing the eccentricity of the CG of your load in relation to rotation centerline.
MAXIMUM TORQUE = WEIGHT X ECCENTRICITY
Determine the SAFETY FACTOR desired for the fixture.
Go to the website HOLDING FIXTURE section, then to the website OVERVIEW TABLE.
1. Find fixtures that have PART LENGTH and SWING RADIUS capabilities equal to or greater than your requirement.
2. From the fixtures chosen in (a), find fixtures that have a LOAD CAPACITY greater than your requirement. NOTE: 500 Series fixtures and smaller are rated at a SF yield = 2 and 600 Series fixtures and larger are rated at a SF yield = 3. Ratings are also given for eccentricities of 0 inches and 5 inches. Ratings for other safety factors and eccentricities may be found by looking at the specific website DATA SHEETS for the selected fixture.
Look at the specific website DATA SHEETS for your selected fixtures. If the load capacity rating is not high enough, choose a fixture in a numerically higher series of fixtures. Conversely, if the rating seems too high, look at a numerically smaller series. Note that the numerically larger series will have a greater load rating but also cost more.
After picking a fixture, look at the website OPTIONS section for the chosen series fixtures and determine which options are desired.
Look at the website CREATING A MODEL NUMBER page for the chosen series of fixtures and put together a model number.
Contact FLOTRON for pricing and delivery. FLOTRON can also assist in choosing the best model, recommending the best options, and determining if custom fixtures will need to be designed and fabricated for your application.

15. HOW DO I DETERMINE MY REQUIRED SAFETY FACTOR?

Most large companies have predetermined requirements for both safety factors and also the vertical and lateral loading which the fixture may be required to sustain. Allowable loadings are usually given at accelerations specified in multiples of the acceleration of gravity or G's. Typical safety factors are based on yield strength and will usually fall between 2 and 4.

FLOTRON'S standard dynamic ratings are at a vertical acceleration of 1.0 G and a simultaneous lateral acceleration of 0.5 G. FLOTRON'S standard Safety Factors for smaller fixtures are a SF yield = 2 and the larger fixtures are a SF yield = 3.

If your company does not have predetermined requirements, FLOTRON would recommend using our standard dynamic load ratings with a SF yield = 2 or 3. On smaller fixtures, add to the working torque an accident torque caused by 200 lbs at maximum swing radius to make certain the gearbox will not fail from accidental torque overload.

If your requirements don't match up to the data given on the website DATA SHEETS, allow us to help you choose the correct fixture or design a custom fixture for you.

For more information on this topic, see the website TECH SECTION on HOLDING FIXTURE SAFETY.

16. WHICH FINISH SHOULD I SPECIFY?

FLOTRON'S standard finishes are zinc plate and enamel paint (or powder coat). These finishes are adequate for most commercial work.

For some aerospace applications, especially satellites, many companies now exclude the use of zinc in or around the work area. This is because of the possibility of forming zinc whiskers. (The spontaneous growth of whiskers has also been observed forming on electroplated tin, and cadmium as well as from tin/lead solder.)

For these applications, FLOTRON provides the "N" option, which replaces zinc plated parts with electroless nickel plated parts or stainless steel parts.

For clean room applications, FLOTRON offers the "C" option which is similar to the "N" option but internal surfaces of the slides and support tubes are also nickel-plated. Additionally, the external surfaces are either painted with high gloss urethane white paint or nickel-plated.

17. HOW DO I CHOOSE THE OPTIONS I NEED?

After picking a fixture that meets your load and torque requirements, go the website OPTIONS section for that series of fixtures. Descriptions of all the standard options are given there. If you need more information or if you need custom options or modifications, contact FLOTRON for help.