A zero point is the quick-change joint that puts a fixture back on a prepared seat. A zero-point system is that joint plus the parts that have to match it. It is not the work offset in the control.
The quote says “zero point,” the drawing says “zero reference,” and the fixture note says “datum system.” Those are not three spellings of one part.
This page owns the joint. The zero reference point is the place you probe or align to. The datum system is the locating set that brings that place back. If the drawing uses all three words, the short map only points to these pages.
Receivers and plates are different joints
On this site, “zero point” is a product family. It is not a coordinate the control already stores. The zero-point RFQ guide says the family covers several forms. A receiver module may be built into a base or machine table. A manual plate may use a hand tool to release its mating fixture. A pneumatic plate may use air for a defined action. A matched datum system may pair a base and carrier made for each other. These forms do not share one universal interface.
The picture beside the title shows four round receiver modules on one square base. That is one zero-point layout. It is not a manual plate, and it is not a BDS body. The zero-point clamping system page is the route when you machine a receiver into a subplate, tombstone, or fixture: one module, or a 2/4/6-station block. A finished plate you bolt down is the manual zero-point clamping plate. A plate the machine releases is the pneumatic zero-point plate. The smaller A024/B024 carrier is on the BDS positioning datum page. Treat that carrier as its own datum system, not as a nickname for the plate.
The manual plate page calls the plate the standardized machine interface for vises, pallets, and fixtures. It is mechanical. No air supply is required. The listed 52 mm and 96 mm families publish repeat positioning below 0.005 mm. The same page says the result you get also depends on the matched stud, mounting flatness, cleanliness, fixture stiffness, and the acceptance method on your machine.
Receiver modules use a different catalog figure. On that page, V1 and V2 are two receiver listings, not plate families. V1 repeatability is published below 0.003 mm. The V2 model sheet does not list repeatability, so that number stays on the drawing. Do not paste the V1 number onto a V2 module, and do not paste either number onto the manual plate’s below 0.005 mm figure. The repeatability article keeps a reseat at one interface separate from a finished part and from a move between machines.
Programmers also say “zero” for the work offset in the control. NEXTAS pages do not publish that offset as a property of the clamp. After the joint is seated, someone still sets or checks the offset on the machine. A catalog reseat figure is not that offset, and it is not a finished-part tolerance.
Which joint the quote is naming
Open the page that owns the thing you are naming. Leave the other catalog numbers closed until the selected drawing says they belong in the order.
| You are naming | Open this page | Leave closed until the drawing says otherwise |
|---|---|---|
| A receiver you machine into your own base | Zero-point clamping systems | A finished-plate catalog number, or a BDS body code, as if it were that receiver |
| A finished manual plate with a 52 mm or 96 mm grid | Manual zero-point clamping plate | Pneumatic release, and the V1 receiver’s below 0.003 mm figure |
| Air release for a machine or a robot load | Pneumatic zero-point plate | The manual plate’s “no air supply” statement |
A compact body that stays and a pallet that moves is a different joint. That pair is on the datum system page, not in the table above.
What sits on the joint
A vise, a dovetail, or another fixture sits on top of the joint. The joint puts that fixture back on the seat. It does not choose the vise. If the upper tool is a pneumatic vise, open the Pneumatic Vise page. The workholding architecture guide is where that choice is made.
The quick-change clamping catalog covers the zero-point system, the manual plate, the pneumatic plate, and the pneumatic vise. It is not a BDS specification.
Fields the quote still needs
Name the joint on its own line. The probed feature and the locating set have their own pages.
- Zero point: receiver in your base, manual plate, pneumatic plate, or not chosen yet. Add the machine table or tombstone if you have the drawing.
Questions before a zero-point line
Is a zero point the work offset?
No. The zero point is the quick-change joint. The work offset is a number in the control. NEXTAS pages do not publish that offset as a clamp specification. After the joint is seated, set or check the offset on the feature you named.
Do a receiver, a manual plate, and a pneumatic plate share one interface?
No. A receiver is machined into your base. A manual plate is a finished bolt-down plate released by hand. A pneumatic plate uses air for a defined action. These forms do not share one universal interface.
Can I copy the V1 below 0.003 mm figure onto a manual plate?
No. The manual 52 mm and 96 mm plates publish repeat positioning below 0.005 mm. The result still depends on the matched stud, mounting flatness, cleanliness, fixture stiffness, and the acceptance method on your machine. The V2 model sheet does not list repeatability. Do not paste the V1 number onto a V2 module or onto the plate.
Where does a pneumatic vise fit?
On top of the joint, as the clamp that holds the part. Open the pneumatic vise page for that tool. Keep the zero-point line for the joint that puts the fixture back on the seat.
Before a model number
Attach the machine-table drawing
The table drawing shows whether the quote lines fit the machine. Send it with the quote.
Send the table drawing
