Datron machines already solve speed. The bottleneck is usually the setup underneath the cut.
Datron machines already solve speed. The bottleneck is usually the setup underneath the cut.
VacFixture extends the Datron workflow into a larger, more flexible vacuum workholding foundation. The Vacuum Fixture System (VFS) integrates directly with the factory vacuum ports on Datron machines and works with the Vacu-Card process you already know.
The result is a larger sealing area, faster fixture changeovers, and support for custom sub-plates, hybrid fixturing, and vertical edge workholding.
Built for Datron Neo, A-Series, and Cube platforms, including A-Table.
$2,750.00
Drop-in install on the Datron Neo table.
Specifically designed to mount directly to a Datron Neo.
This plate is provided with a match machined mounting plate that will ensure easy install.
$11,275.00
Fits A-Table on M8, M10, ML, and MX Cube machines.
Specifically designed to mount directly to a Datron machining center.
This plate is provided with a match machined mounting plate that will ensure easy install.
$9,900.00
Fits A-Table on M8, M10, ML, and MX Cube machines.
Specifically designed to mount directly to a Datron machining center.
This plate is provided with a match machined mounting plate that will ensure easy install.
$4,812.50
General use on M8, M10, ML, and MX Cube machines
Specifically designed to mount directly to a Datron machining center.
This plate is provided with a match machined mounting plate that will ensure easy install.
$3,437.50
General use on M8, M10, ML, and MX Cube machines
Specifically designed to mount directly to a Datron machining center.
This plate is provided with a match machined mounting plate that will ensure easy install.
Price range: $1,375.00 through $1,650.00
Mechanical edge-fixturing for A-Table Datron machines (M8, M10, ML, MX Cubes)
Specifically designed to mount directly to a Datron machining center.
Holds workpieces up to 600mm on edge.
Price range: $9,185.00 through $11,159.50
Fits A-Table on M8, M10, ML, and MX Cube machines.
Specifically designed to mount directly to a Datron machining center.
This plate is provided with a match machined mounting plate that will ensure easy install.
Each plate is machined parallel within 0.1mm and ships ready for in-situ facing on the customer’s machine.
Talk to an engineer about other Datron platforms.
Datron machines excel at high-speed machining, but the workholding envelope often becomes restrictive as setups grow more complex.
Common problems include:
The machine itself is not the constraint. The limitation is usually the workholding foundation.
The VFS expands what the machine can physically support without disrupting the Datron workflow. With the Vacuum Fixture System:
The system stays mounted to the machine, creating a stable workholding platform for recurring production, rapid prototyping, and custom fixture development.
Datron users machine differently from traditional VMC shops. Most Datron environments run dry or with minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) using atomized ethanol or oil. That changes the sealing strategy entirely.
The VFS is designed specifically around this workflow:
For Datron users, vacuum workholding should feel native to the machine, not like an external add-on.
Skirts are mechanical edge-fixturing specifically for Datron A-Table machines (M8, M10, ML, and MX Cubes). They mount into the front cutout of the machine and hold workpieces up to 600mm long on edge, opening up operations the horizontal vacuum plate cannot handle from above:
Three Skirt configurations are available:
Skirts are mechanical edge-fixturing, not vacuum. Unique to VacFixture and built specifically for the A-Table architecture. If your shop runs a Datron Cube, this accessory allows you to optimize your Z-travel, so you don’t waste valuable vertical machining space.
“The VFS for the Datron Neo is fully versatile. I am able to use my vises, 4th-axis, and fixture plates. I have never needed to remove the vacuum chuck. It basically permanently lives on the Neo.”
— CJ Rohde, Maverick Machine Co. (Tamaqua, PA)
Plate mounts to the Datron table using the factory conical locators and included hardware. Plumbs directly into the Datron factory vacuum ports. No venturi or external pump required.
A typical first install on a Datron A-Table takes one person about 30 to 40 minutes. The Datron’s factory vacuum ports plumb directly into the plate, which saves the venturi or pump install step that other machines require. Skirts install takes another 30 to 45 minutes on top of the horizontal plate setup. Subsequent installs run 10 to 15 minutes once you’ve done it once.
Vacuum workholding should increase the capability of the machine, not complicate it. Browse Datron vacuum fixture plates built for your platform, or talk to an engineer about your current setup.
Datron machines use a different machining workflow from traditional flood-coolant VMCs. These answers focus on how the VFS integrates into dry and MQL machining environments while expanding the machine’s workholding capability.
Yes. Datron plates plumb directly into the machine’s built-in vacuum ports. No external venturi kit or vacuum pump is required.
Yes. The VFS is designed around the Vacu-Card workflow that Datron users already rely on for dry machining and MQL applications.
Skirts are mechanical edge-fixturing for Datron A-Table machines (M8, M10, ML, MX Cubes). They allow parts to be machined on edge for side operations and vertical spindle access. Three configurations match how much A-Table space you need to use: Standard Access, Medium Access, and Deep Access. Holds workpieces up to 600mm in length. Skirts use mechanical clamping force, not vacuum.
Yes. The threaded conical locator system allows custom sub-plates, stop blocks, and mechanical fixtures to mount directly onto the vacuum plate.
Flat aluminum plate, plastics, composites, and thin sheet materials perform extremely well because the vacuum distributes the holding force evenly across the entire surface.
Yes. Plates ship machined parallel within 0.1mm, then get faced in-situ on the machine to match the exact spindle plane and table condition.
