Optimize and Push the Limits With Your Workholding Solutions
New and exceptional workholding products assist you in navigating the road to success.
Posted: April 19, 2023
Custom engineered workholding devices, and modern workholding products, ensure your production process moves smoothly. Discover the latest and newest products regarding vises, positioners and clamps.
Power Chuck for Heavy-duty End Milling
BIG DAISHOWA (Hoffman Estates, IL) has added to its MEGA Double Power Chuck lineup for heavy-duty end milling with the MEGA 12DS. Designed for trochoidal milling with anti-vibration end mills, the MEGA 12DS series features high rigidity and gripping strength and is available in BBT30/40, HSK-A, C for metric and BCV40 for inch.
The Mega Double Power Chuck system features an expanded contact diameter of the nut to the flange, which provides the highest rigidity — as if the chuck and nut were one solid piece. This superior rigidity ensures heavy duty machining without chatter.
The MEGA Series high-speed milling chucks are precision ground and balanced, with all components specifically designed for high-speed applications. Like the full MEGA Double Power Chuck lineup, the new MEGA 12DS series enables max of 30,000 rpm. A secure, jet-through coolant supply enables improved surface finish, smoother chip evacuation, extended tool life, and better cooling and lubrication of tools.
New Dual-vise Servo-drive Setup for Automated Workflow
Kurt Workholding (Minneapolis, MN) has created custom solutions for horizontal and vertical CNC systems ranging from high-density, DoubleLock vise setups capable of holding 18 parts for aerospace machining operations to indexing trunnion fixtures that allows for three-sided machining in automotive applications and countless other customized vises and workholding solutions.
A new solution is a servo-drive setup featuring two Kurt SCD430 self-centering vises actuated by a pair of Kinetix 5500 (Allen Bradley) servo motors controlled by a CompactLogix ERM or ControlLogix controller. Studio 5000 V33 software runs everything.
Servo motors allow more granular control and I/O options including speed, torque and position outputs. The vises are programmed to open to a part width and then another 1/16” to allow the robot to load. Then the vise will close via the servo to stall at a preset torque. The torque preset translates to a given force via the direct linear relationship between torque and poundal force with our vises.
Servos also allow engineers to program a closed width for the part and a width slightly smaller than the part. This allows the machine to cycle off if there is no part in the vise and it hits the close width limit.
Advantages, include:
- Servos allow more control fine tuning vise torque and clamping force needed to securely hold a part. This is especially important in a “light touch” application where you might deform or damage a part if the vise jaws come in too fast or with too much force.
- Servos are great for providing accurate high-resolution direct feedback for jaw position and motion when automating jaw open and close. Servos allow programmers to know that the jaw position is where they expect it to be — accurately and repeatably every time on each part cycle for a reliable vise automation system.
The Route to Flexible Workholding
Lenzkes Clamping Tools (Christiansburg, VA) is known for its high-quality workholding solutions for all types of machines. Products are applicable for machine tables/platen with t-slot and/or tapped holes and feature high clamping forces ensuring quicker and safer changes. The Lenzkes Self Center Clamp provides 0.0016 in. centering accuracy. Application examples include milling and drilling. The device has interchangeable jaws and a base plate with centered tapped hole. The device is hardened alloy steel and provides a clamping force of up to 5,600 lbs.-force.
New Sensor Detects Three Clamping States
The versatile SCHUNK (Morrisville, NC) VERO-S modular system enables workpieces and clamping devices to be mounted, positioned and clamped in no time at all. With its new VERO-S AFS3 IOL monitoring sensor, reliable information is provided on the clamping states of the modules.
Uncertainty in automated clamping has been consigned to the past: the new VERO-S AFS3 IOL brings greater transparency to the clamping process, thereby ensuring precision. The sensor will reliably monitor the clamping slide positions and whether the module is ‘open’, ‘clamped with clamping pin’ or ‘clamped without clamping pin’ via an IO-Link signal. An LED light indicates the clamping status, ensuring additional operating safety. The component can be combined with SCHUNK clamping modules of the NSE3 138, NSE3 99 and NSE3 100-75 series. An inductive proximity sensor also indicates whether there is a pallet above the modules. This smart electronic monitoring system interaction ensures greater safety in automated workpiece clamping for users. This guarantees a consistently high level of process reliability. There is no need for pneumatic clamping slide monitoring.
As well as convenient indication of clamping status, the simple programming is another customer benefit – teaching of the VERO-S AFS3 IOL is via the standardized IO-Link interface and is completed in no time at all.
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