Workholding Devices: Minimize Downtime and Maximize Gripping Power
The enhanced accuracy and rigidity of chucks and collets improves your shop’s overall machine performance.
Posted: June 14, 2024
Transform your tooling and workholding processes with the latest innovations regarding chucks, collets and quick-change tooling.
Slim Line Chucks for 5-Axis Milling Versatility
EMUGE-FRANKEN USA (West Boylston, MA) a leading manufacturer of high performance taps, thread mills, drills, end mills and other rotary tools, offers a line of FPC Milling/Drilling Chucks products including Slim Line models that are designed to enhance 5-axis machining productivity and versatility. Available in the 1/8″-to-9/16″ (2 mm-to-14 mm) size range (FPC14), the compact, slim design with tapered shape enables easier access to the work, especially in confined areas and for challenging angles. Innovative solutions in tool holding, such as the FPC Slim Line Chucks, help maximize machining productivity while reducing cycle times, downtime and allowing for improved holder clearance conditions.
The FPC Mill/Drill Chucks provide unprecedented rigidity, vibration dampening, concentricity, machining speed, and tool life versus conventional chuck technologies for milling and drilling applications. Featuring the world’s only chuck with a 1:16 worm gear, the FPC chuck’s patented design delivers three tons of traction force. The unique design and body provide 100% holding power for maximum rigidity, and the collet-cone assembly absorbs virtually all vibration for maximum dampening. The chucks are available in five shank styles and in 68 different SKUs for a range of applications.
Collet Chuck Provides Superior Accuracy and Rigidity for Aggressive Machining
Lyndex-Nikken (Mundelein, IL), a manufacturer and provider of high-performance machine tool accessories, offers the VC collet chuck that provides high performance for aggressive machining.
For manufacturers that are looking to minimize common challenges such as vibration, chatter, heat generation, workpiece stability, and tool wear, the VC collet chuck provides excellent runout accuracy, cutting rigidity, high precision finish, and high speed rotation. The VC collet chuck is ideal for aggressive milling, high speed machining, thread milling, and ultra-precision reaming applications.
A key design advantage of the VC collet chuck is a TiN bearing nut that reduces friction and improves runout accuracy of 3 microns at four times the diameter of the cutting tool. The TiN bearing nut improves surface finish and ultimately increases cutting tool life.
Additionally, the 8-degree internal taper collet and ground ion nitrided thread further improves the accuracy of the tool. The extended collet and collet compression force being perpendicular to the centerline of the collet bore maximizes the runout accuracy and is another source of gripping strength. Other features include a thick wall design of the VC body providing cutting rigidity and improved dampening. Further, the symmetrical external nut design, without notches, allows for ultra-high speed rotation of up to G2.5 at 40,000 rpm.
Because a collet system is used, tool changeover is faster and less expensive than a tool holding system that requires a machine in order to insert or extract the cutting tool.
Flexible Changing System for Live Tools Reduces Changeover Time
Heimatec, a world leader in live tools, angle heads and multi-spindle drill heads, offers the u-tec® flexible changing system on all live tools in the company’s product line. Platinum Tooling Technologies, Inc. is the exclusive North American importer of Heimatec tools. Heimatec plans to include its u-tec flexible changing system on all live tools and angle heads. The design offers the benefits of quick change, while maintaining exceptional rigidity.
The changing system allows a standard ER output live tool to accept various adapters for different applications. This allows users the ability to have quick changeover of tools on almost any lathe or mill, using a single tool, without having to commit to a quick-change system on the initial purchase. A face mill adapter, for example, can be quickly positioned into the standard holder, without the need for a new tool purchase. This significantly reduces inventory costs as well as changeover time for the busy shop.
The polygon connection helps guarantee the proper position and alignment of the adapter inside the tool, noted Preben Hansen, president of Platinum Tooling. The unique collet nuts on the u-tec system have internal threading for clamping stability and the new tool adapter system enables the actual cutting tool to be brought into proximity to the bearing, thus further improving performance in use.
Cylindrical Shank Adaptor with Quick-Change System
Walter USA LLC’s (Greer, S.C.) A2100 boring bar/plain cylindrical shank adaptor features the QuadFit exchangeable heads for counterboring and internal profiling/copy turning. The main application areas are aerospace engines, pumps for the oil and gas industry, and general mechanical engineering.
The boring bar is available in 40, 50 and 60-mm diameters. With a dimension of 3×D, it is suitable for machining long bores.
Turning and boring heads are fitted on the A2100 boring bars/adaptors using the QuadFit interface for replacement of the heads. The exchangeable heads feature a precision-ground, tetrahedral polygon attachment that can be rotated 180° for use overhead. The heads have a locating face for adjusting the center height and internal coolant delivery for optimum chip removal. A clamping nut enables quick tool changes.
Potential benefits include quick and precise tool changes of ±0.00008 in. (±0.002 mm), less non-productive time because of fast tool changes, a wide application range for all industry segments, universal use for turning operations and easy handling.
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