New smaller 4-inch TriLock vise with CARVESMART jaws and 6-inch Cluster Tower with CarveSmart jaws are popular 2024 additions with more to come.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 29, 2024 – Minneapolis, Minn. – Minneapolis-based Kurt Workholding is expanding their TriLock lineup to include a 6-inch TriLock Cluster Tower and a 4-inch model of their popular TriLock Vise with CarveSmart Jaws. All Kurt TriLock products feature our 3-in-1 vise design and integrated quick-change dovetail CarveSmart jaws.
The new 6-inch Cluster Tower features 4 sets of double-station jaws to enable multi-station part clamping, multiple operations on a single machine or high-density setups with multiple parts in custom-machined soft jaws.
The new 4-inch TriLock Vise with CarveSmart is a more compact version of the original TriLock vise with all the same jaw plate options and holding configurations as the 6-inch TriLock vise.
“When we launched the TriLock Vise with CarveSmart Jaws last year, our goal was to integrate the design across multiple product lines,” said Jeff Lenz, Executive Vice President of Proprietary Products at Kurt Manufacturing. “The design is a leap forward in vise functionality for Kurt’s customers. Shops can purchase a single TriLock vise or Cluster Tower, keep an inventory of CarveSmart machinable soft jaws on hand, and quickly change between multiple jobs.”
The CarveSmart dovetail jaw system was created to help shops with a handful of machines manage high-variability jobs and multiple parts. The dream for CarveSmart was not only to produce great accessory jaw plates, but to bring a complete CarveSmart vise to market. We realized this dream in 2023 and are now expanding the TriLock with CarveSmart design into additional product lines.”
Bill Ehnstrom, CarveSmart founder
The TriLock 3-in-1 jaw design quickly converts between three vise sizes and double-station or single-station configurations. CarveSmart dovetail jaws come standard for maximum workholding flexibility. Precut CarveSmart jaw plates can quickly convert between hard jaws, machinable aluminum jaws, edge-gripping jaws, or a wide variety of other CarveSmart jaw plate options for custom part holding and high-variability production work. (below)
Both TriLock Towers and Trilock 6-inch vises are also compatible with existing Kurt hard jaws and jaw plates allowing you to continue to use your existing inventory of Kurt jaws simply by reversing the movable jaws and using cap screws.
TriLock vises and Cluster Towers are available now and ship with preinstalled aluminum jaws. Additional jaw extrusions with 5 different profile options in precut 4-inch, 6-inch and 8-inch widths can be purchased at kurtworkholding.com. Jaw extrusions are compatible with the TriLock vise’s dovetail movable jaws and with other CarveSmart master jaw kits currently in the marketplace. 31-inch and 94-inch long extrusions are also available online.
In 2023, Kurt announced the acquisition of Bellatex Industries LLC, Owner of CarveSmart™—the original dovetailed quick-change vise jaw system. In an asset acquisition, Kurt acquired all Carvesmart patents and inventory.
Kurt also invested in the entire team at Bellatex, Industries LLC, hiring founder, Bill Ehnstrom, to work on their sales and product teams as an Applications Engineer and to help integrate CarveSmart jaws into new and existing Kurt products. And hiring Christine Ehnstrom in the Administrative Support Lead role for the CarveSmart product line and Carl Blaske as the lead CNC machinist for the product line.
Visit booth # 432433 in the West Building of IMTS 2024 to see these new products.