Chucks ensure accurate thin-walled parts machining

Hydraulic shape-compliant chucks overcome problems in the machining of hardened and out-of-round thin-walled parts where high accuracy roundness is required.

Hydraulic shape-compliant chucks overcome problems in the machining of hardened and out-of-round thin-walled parts where high accuracy roundness is required.

Market-leading machine tool and workholding specialist - Hardinge Machine Tools - has introduced a new range of hydraulic chucks to its extensive workholding portfolio of products.

The patent-pending, Super-Precision Hydraulic Shape-Compliant Chucks are the perfect solution for precision manufacturers needing to maintain high accuracy roundness on thin-wall hardened and out-of-round parts.

The Chucks have been designed primarily for 'finish' turning operations on thin-walled hardened parts - but they also can be used to maintain concentricity, accuracy etc on softer, more delicate and fragile parts too.

A good example of the benefits of using Hardinge's Shape Compliant Chuck instead of a more conventional Step Chuck - is in the following case study.

The component in the case study is a heat-treated bearing race (60-64 Rockwell) with distorted inside diameter (ID) and outside diameter (OD) characteristics - therefore out-of-round.

Using a conventional Step Chuck to achieve the finished roundness on the part created problems.

In essence - the gripping forces acting on the workpiece caused it to become round.

When released, the workpiece sprung back to its previous out-of-round shape - but because deformation has occurred due to the combined gripping forces and spring-back action - the original roundness and concentricity were lost.

In comparison - the Shape Compliant Chucks enable the part to be gripped 'as is' - in its out-of-round shape which means that after release - the original out-of-round dimensions are protected and maintained.

The Chuck does this by gripping the part at multiple locations (radial positions) with equal force - the Chuck also centres the part.

In this outside diameter (OD) gripping case study - test results using the Hardinge Chuck found a significant improvement in maintaining out-of-roundness during and after the finishing cutting process.

The end result being - greater accuracy, improved process reliability, reduced scrap and/or re-working, etc The Shape-Compliant chucks are not 'off-the-shelf' workholding solutions - they are manufactured to order (application-specific) by Hardinge according to individual customer requirementsandhellip; and take into account a number of machining variables - applied force levels; operational speed range; grip points; jaw requirements; workpiece condition and accuracy required.

Said David Andrew, sales and marketing director at Hardinge Machine Tools: "The Shape-Compliant Chucks remove a production headache for manufacturers - how to maintain original out-of-roundness or thin wall dimensions on hardened parts during and after finishing operations.

These chucks are just another example of Hardinge's high-performance workholding solutions that are making precision engineers more productive.

These, plus our high-performance lathes, milling machines and grinding centres prove, once again, that Hardinge technology makes everything possible.".

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