D28 welding table accessories for heavy frames

The hole system decides the kit

D28 accessories are sized to 28 mm holes on a 100 mm grid. The tooling is correspondingly heavier than what a D16 or D22 station uses — larger pins, larger clamps — which is the point of choosing D28 for frames, bases and thick plate. It also means the kit is not interchangeable: a D22 clamp will not seat in a D28 hole, so the first thing to confirm is the hole system of the table the kit has to serve.

Hole type matters as well. Tables are supplied with plain bores, metric M16–M24 threads or imperial threads, and the accessory style follows: pins seat in plain bores, threaded inserts and bolts suit threaded holes. Say which hole type the table uses, or send the make and model, so the kit arrives usable.

The four families on a structural job

The same accessory families that serve any 3D table do the work on heavy fabrication. What changes is the sizing and how many of each a frame job consumes.

A starter list for frames and bases

The full accessory range runs to 188 individual SKUs, so a starter kit is a working subset, not the whole catalogue. The kit exists to make the first job holdable on day one; everything else gets added when a repeating operation proves it needs a dedicated item.

• Clamps for four to six points on the largest frame, in the sizes the clamp plan calls for, plus one or two spares of the most-used size.
• Two to four angle squares, so two datums can be set square while the frame is still reachable.
• Locating stops for the datum edges that repeat across the product family.
• Connecting pins and bolts for every modular element in the sketch — an accessory without its connecting hardware is shelf stock.
• Support blocks or U-shaped square boxes wherever a member overhangs the table or needs to sit above the grid for access.
• Maintenance basics: anti-spatter spray, cleaning brushes and surface protection oil. They cost little and prevent the most common surface damage.

Size the kit from the workpiece, not the catalogue

The reliable way to size a kit is to sketch the largest frame in its welding position and mark the tooling against it. Mark every clamping point the frame needs — typically four to six for a rectangular frame, more where a long member wants intermediate hold-down. Mark the datum edges and the corners that must stay square. Mark any member that overhangs the table or must sit raised for weld access.

Then count the marks. Each clamping point is one clamp; each datum edge is a stop or angle square; each marked accessory position needs its connecting pin or bolt; each overhang needs a support. That count is the kit for this job. Shops that run several product families on one station repeat the sketch for the second-largest frame and take the union of both lists — shared items simply get counted once.

Kit first, singles after

A kit covers clamping, squaring and connecting in sizes that already match each other and the hole system, which is the fastest route to a working station. Buying piece by piece from the start usually means several orders and a stretch where the table cannot hold work properly.

Singles come into their own later, once the repeating operations are known: the extra stop for a recurring datum, the taller support for a specific box section. The general accessory guide walks through that decision in detail.

Confirm before ordering

• Hole system and spacing of the table the kit will serve: 28 mm holes on a 100 mm grid for a D28 station.
• Hole type — plain bore, metric M16–M24 thread or imperial thread — because pin and bolt styles differ.
• Whether the kit contents are supplied matched to that system, so nothing needs exchanging on arrival.
• Whether the table carries the grid on its side faces too, since side clamping on a five-face platform uses the same tooling.
• Quote the table and the kit together so the sizes are confirmed against each other rather than assumed.