How Large Sockets Are Made

[Wamsutta]

This video shows you how large sockets are made in Elkmont, Alabama.

 

[pi_guy]

You seem on a roll with the videos today.
Your gonna make a whole group upset with this stuff.

 

[4x4gearhead]

You seem on a roll with the videos today.
Your gonna make a whole group upset with this stuff.

You don't mean the "HF is the best!" Or the "Snap-on *****!" Group do you? LOL.

 

[pi_guy]

Should have made group plural, as there are a few different sects.

One group at the top is Why spend good money on tools --I can fix it with cheap tools.

Is there anyone else who produces sockets in large sizes like SO?

 

[Mohawk Dave]

Damn! That is cool! Thanks Wamsutta

 

[davethorik]

Should have made group plural, as there are a few different sects.

One group at the top is Why spend good money on tools --I can fix it with cheap tools.

Is there anyone else who produces sockets in large sizes like SO?

Wright and Proto come to mind for larger size sockets.

 

[unslow1]

Urrea makes some big ones. What do you consider large? I have several good sized Wright, Proto, Stanley and SK ones.

 

[Plombob]

That's pretty cool! The place I bought tools from years ago had a large socket like that on the front counter. It was 3" drive and cost a fortune. They didn't worry about it being stolen, because you couldn't pick it up!

 

[FTG-05]

That SO plant is about 20 miles from me. Thanks for posting!

 

[beamrider]

Shame that didnt show the entire process at normal speed, without all the "wowza" speedups and camera cuts. Interesting, nonetheless.

 

[Musicinabottle]

That's a Mans socket right there. No woosing around.

 

[CGT80]

Shame that didnt show the entire process at normal speed, without all the "wowza" speedups and camera cuts. Interesting, nonetheless.

x2

The dubstep/electronic music ***** and at one point it sounded like air die grinder sounds while it was being machined.

For some great 5 axis machining videos of extremely complex and expensive parts, Edge Precision is the best. He doesn't add unnecessary music.

Today, amazon brought me some big sockets.........................well, not as big as the video.

My Cman usa impact set only went to 1-1/16, so I bought teckton. They had a 5 piece set, which skips 1-1/4 for some stupid reason, and it starts at 1-3/16. They are 1/2" drive deep 6 point impact. The 3/4" drive set with more pieces also skipped sizes. The two individual sockets I got to fill in, are the opposite steel type from the set and the etching is slightly lower on the socket, but otherwise they match ok.

I'll take their great customer service and taiwan product over the HF china stuff, and over the snap on I can't afford (unless someone wants to send me snap on gifts).

That is one big *** socket in the video. I have seen them before, but was thinking the size stock was odd and then thought it would be heated and drawn out for smaller sizes.

You have to have some big nuts to use a socket that size!

 

[davethorik]

One serious side note, I guess I had erroneously assumed that all Snap-on hard line stuff was made in Wisconsin. Learn something new every day.

 

[zendriver]

Great video, but I don't remember seeing anyone ever say Harbor Freight made better products, than Snap On.

But, at the end of of the day, aren't they all pieces of steel, machined, broached and heat treated?

Wonder what the cost was, of that big-*** socket?

 

[PhysicsDude]

https://store.snapon.com/Shallow-inches-Socket-Impact-Shallow-5-3-4-6-Point-P648480.aspx

$1,155 for that monster.

 

[mmason7764]

I would bet that this video has been posted before, but it fits in with this thread too good to resist:

The socket is a Wright. The location is HJE. And the inspiration is most probably Jori.

 

[Empty Pockets]

That's one big honkin socket. Thanks for posting

 

[American Locomotive]

Cool process, too bad you couldn't really see anything with the schizophrenic video editing. Also can't really believe Snap-On is using Haas machines for production work. Would have expected a much higher-end machine.

 

[davethorik]

Cool process, too bad you couldn't really see anything with the schizophrenic video editing. Also can't really believe Snap-On is using Haas machines for production work. Would have expected a much higher-end machine.

Haas will hold tolerance SO needs all day long. (Guessing here, +/- .005"?) Higher end machines will hold tighter tolerances generally needed for things like bearings and dies (+/- .0002").

 

[Matt Irvine]

Wright and Proto come to mind for larger size sockets.

Enerpac also has offerings upto 6 1/8”, 2 1/2” drive

 

[PNWguy]

Cool process, too bad you couldn't really see anything with the schizophrenic video editing. Also can't really believe Snap-On is using Haas machines for production work. Would have expected a much higher-end machine.

Haas machines will hold tolerance for making sockets, just fine. US made, reasonable prices. Good support. Why not?

What do you suppose the tolerance on a 5" socket is?

 

[American Locomotive]

Haas machines will hold tolerance for making sockets, just fine. US made, reasonable prices. Good support. Why not?

What do you suppose the tolerance on a 5" socket is?

I'm just talking reliability and speed. Haas spindles are definitely a little lacking in the power department compared to many European and Japanese offerings.

 

[pi_guy]

I'm just talking reliability and speed. Haas spindles are definitely a little lacking in the power department compared to many European and Japanese offerings.

There is the made in America by American products aspect that you might be missing.

 

[PNWguy]

I'm just talking reliability and speed. Haas spindles are definitely a little lacking in the power department compared to many European and Japanese offerings.

The last VF2 I used had a 35hp, 12,000 RPM spindle. That's a machine large enough to make any socket for SO, and even with a ton of options costs under $100,000.

We put a Datron & 2 GF machines in the last shop we built, and they were 5x the price. The Datron will a micron tolerance, which is great for medical devises and iPhones, but it has about half (at best) the hp that the VF2 does.

I just don't think you can generalize horsepower & speed based on COO.

 

[chrismenke]

Haas will hold tolerance SO needs all day long. (Guessing here, +/- .005"?) Higher end machines will hold tighter tolerances generally needed for things like bearings and dies (+/- .0002").

Cool process, too bad you couldn't really see anything with the schizophrenic video editing. Also can't really believe Snap-On is using Haas machines for production work. Would have expected a much higher-end machine.

I was far more surprised that the tooling cabinetry is Lista and not Snap On Industrial Workcenter...

 

[American Locomotive]

There is the made in America by American products aspect that you might be missing.

I mean I guess maybe? I understand made in the U.S. by American employees, but now we have to buy stuff made in American factories, made by American workers on American equipment? Seriously?

Our shop doesn't have a single American-made CNC machine in it. We run exclusively European and Japanese machines because there aren't any American companies that make machines as fast, powerful, accurate or reliable. (Well I'll admit our German machines are not reliable, but they are fast and powerful)

We'd like to run American machines, and regularly try some out every few years, but have never really been impressed.

The last VF2 I used had a 35hp, 12,000 RPM spindle. That's a machine large enough to make any socket for SO, and even with a ton of options costs under $100,000.

Well that's the thing, Haas rates their spindles in funny ways. Often rating their spindle power on very short duty cycles (instead of the typical 100%/40% ratings that others use). The power curves of their spindles often tend to lack at the lower range, dropping way off below 3,000 RPM. You look at a machine from DMG Mori, and their spindles will make near full power down to 500 RPM. You don't even need a low-range gearbox like Haas machines have.

I'm not trying to hate on Haas machines - I think they're fine machines for many applications. I was just surprised to see Snap-On using one in a production environment where usually your goal is to push the machines as hard and fast as possible to keep manufacturing costs down. But I guess when you're charging $1000+ for a single socket, you can take your time.

 

[CTyankee]

Cool video......Gotta admit I LOL'd reading the first comment -

"I bet I could still lose that thing!"

 

[PNWguy]

Well that's the thing, Haas rates their spindles in funny ways. Often rating their spindle power on very short duty cycles (instead of the typical 100%/40% ratings that others use). The power curves of their spindles often tend to lack at the lower range, dropping way off below 3,000 RPM. You look at a machine from DMG Mori, and their spindles will make near full power down to 500 RPM. You don't even need a low-range gearbox like Haas machines have.

I'm not trying to hate on Haas machines - I think they're fine machines for many applications. I was just surprised to see Snap-On using one in a production environment where usually your goal is to push the machines as hard and fast as possible to keep manufacturing costs down. But I guess when you're charging $1000+ for a single socket, you can take your time.

My shop, and the ones we set up are all prototyping shops, and not production. That probably makes a huge difference. Nobody really cares if an operation takes a few extra minutes. Sometimes I forget about the time crunch that production shops are under. If there's not enough power, we just take a shallower cut.

 

[marineman]

I know nothing about machining, can any of you that do take a guess at how long that would take from the first cut of round stock to finished product?

 

[theoldwizard1]

I know nothing about machining, can any of you that do take a guess at how long that would take from the first cut of round stock to finished product?

For something that big, including heat treatment and chroming, the total time could be in the 2 to 4 hour range, not including "transfer time" (moving the part from one machine/process to the next). I could even be double that depending on how long it takes to get the part up to temp in the heat treat processes.

I was very surprised that there was no "finish" broaching of the hex, but there are "relief" pockets for the cutter at the ends of each flat.

 

[Brodieb]

What is the reason that the socket was broached for the drive, instead of cut on the CNC?