What's in a Name?

The groove is the identifying characteristic of the ER collet—the standard for cutting tool clamping systems throughout the world. It’s a simple concept that allows for easy removal of the collet from the spindle. Despite the ER collet’s prevalence in the industry, however, its users are not necessarily familiar with its history.

In 1972, Fritz Weber, founder of Rego-Fix, created and patented the ER collet. The design is a modification of the previously popular E collet design, using the same taper, but simply adding the groove. According to Richard Weber, Rego-Fix president and CEO, the E collet was easy enough to press in, but getting it out was another story. “People used to hit the spindle with a hammer to get it to pop out,” he says—not the best way to treat expensive equipment.

But where does the R come from in the product name? For the answer to that trivia question, let’s go back to the early days of Rego-Fix. Fritz Weber was a toolmaker and inventor with many ideas. He started his company in the attic of his residence in Reigoldswil, Switzerland. In 1980, the company officially adopted the Rego-Fix name, using “Rego” from the city of its founding, and “Fix” simply meaning to fix things. The R in “ER collet” stands for Rego-Fix, representing the company’s modification to the E collet design.