This is a custom locating nest machined from black Delrin, used in automation equipment. The part is a block with a row of curved channels across the top, each holding and locating a cylindrical workpiece, with a narrow slot machined along the bottom of each channel. It was machined from solid Delrin.

Delrin suits this job because it holds parts without scratching or marking them, slides with low friction, resists wear, and stays dimensionally stable, which is what a nest needs to locate parts repeatably. The features that mattered most were the curved channels and their spacing. Each channel had to match the others in radius and depth so every workpiece sits at the same height, and the channels had to be evenly spaced so their positions are predictable to the machine. The bottom slots had to line up with the channels. The block also had to stay flat so it mounts true on the equipment.

Part type: Custom Delrin (POM / Acetal) Fixture

Material: Delrin

Machining Process:  CNC Milling

Surface Finish:  As-machined, Deburred

The part was left as-machined in black Delrin, with all edges and slots deburred. Before shipping we checked the channel dimensions and spacing, the bottom slots, and the overall flatness against the drawing. The result is a locating nest that holds its row of workpieces at a uniform position, ready to mount into the automation equipment. Because it’s machined from solid to a set process, the same nest can be reordered in any quantity and made again to the same dimensions.

We squared up the block, then milled the row of curved channels across the top, and cut the narrow slot along the bottom of each channel. The main point of care is consistency across the row. Every channel has to have the same radius, the same depth, and the same spacing, or the workpieces won’t sit at a uniform height and position, and the machine that loads or works on them won’t find them in the same place each time.

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