Product category:
Toolholders
News Release from: Haimer, Franz | Subject: Power-Clamp toolholder shrinking equipment
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 26 September 2001
Shrinking tools is the technology of the
future
Shrinking offers marked advantages for high speed milling when compared with other tool retaining processes, says Franz Haimer.
Shrinking offers marked advantages for high speed milling when compared with other tool retaining processes, says Franz Haimer High-speed machining has promoted shrinking of tools very much
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 26 Sep 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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Shrinking is the tool clamping method for the future - even if no "high speed" machining is applied.
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Everybody intends to save time.
The high-capacity inductive shrinking equipment made by Franz Haimer GmbH will guarantee a saving in time against other clamping methods and even against other shrinking units with a lower capacity range.
The coil of the Power-Clamp is heating the shrinking tool-holder by applying a voltage of 10 kW.
Within only a few seconds the tool-holder has expanded in a way that allows introduction of the tool.
Water-cooled cooling bodies, which are subsequently placed over the tool-holder, will extract heat in approx.
25 seconds so that the shrunk tool can be removed by hand.
The tool is now accurately and rigidly connected to the tool-holder.
The complete shrinking and cooling process will not last longer than 30 seconds.
Already 20 to 30 shrinking operations per a working day will pay off the unit within one year taking the saving in time into consideration.
The proof of the "pudding" will come for other shrinking methods during slackening when gas flames, hot air or low-power induction is being used.
These processes will heat the tool-holder only slowly and the heat can be transferred to the tool which will also expand and can then not be removed.
This does not apply to hard metal tools, however, for HSS-tools where the heat expansion coefficient is similar to the tool-holder.
In these cases our Power-Clamp will show its clout: The high capacity and short heating period will only heat the tool-holder while the tool as such will remain cold.
This allows HSS-tools to be shrunk and be slackened without problems using this unit.
The shrinking units offer an other advantage that will pay off monetary-wise.
This clamping method achieves a concentricity as in no other tool-clamping method.
This can be traced to the basic principle: no additional part, no hole or removal of material from the tool is required in order to clamp the tool provoking possibly an unbalance.
The tool is positively positioned in the tool-holder.
This provides major advantages during milling.
A high concentricity will ensure that all blades are in contact at the same time so that the milling tool will show a reduced wear.
If the tool shows minor run out one blade will always be as far as possible towards the external diameter and it will consequently be loaded to a higher degree than the others.
This will reduce the milling tool life.
Higher concentricities will also provide better surface finishes.
Sometimes a finishing operation can be deleted.
This makes the shrinking process also interesting for tool manufacturers, die or pattern manufacturers who have a tool in use for a long period and who have a tool in use for a long period and who demand good surface qualities.
Operating the Power-Clamp is a child's play.
The shrinking adapter is placed into the adapter, the tool is held against the aperture and the start button is pressed until the tool slides into the tool-holder.
Then the start button is released, the rotary table is turned c.w.
and the appropriate cooling is put onto the tool-holder.
After thirty seconds the tool is ready for use.
Even the manual use offers an advantage.
Every shrinking process is timing the largest expansion when the tool is placed into the tool-holder or needs to be removed.
Every second of an extended heating, as it happens often during automatic use, will cost a lot of time in particular during cooling.
Safety is a major aspect in the Power-Clamp.
The controlling system prevents that the tool-holder heats itself in the coil.
The controlling system will recognise from the flow of current if an incorrect diameter is being programmed and a fault notice will be issued.
If the operator stays by mistake on the start button for too long a time, the shrinking equipment will immediately interrupt the heating process automatically in order to prevent an injury to the operator.
It can never be fully excluded that an operator touches a hot tool.
This fact had been remedied as far as possible upon designing the Power-Clamp: The rotary table with the tool-holders is equipped with three positions.
The first is the heating position.
At this stage the tool-holder is being heated.
The second position is the cooling position where the cooling body is placed over the tool-holder.
In these two positions the operator has to expect hot tools and utmost care shall be taken.
In its cold position the tool will be turned to the third position.
It is only here, where the operator should touch the tool and the tool-holder using his hands.
The height-adjustable coil allows the Power-Clamp to be used for almost all tool lengths: Adequate shrinking chuck adapters allow the use of tapers and HSK's in varying sizes.
As the Power-Clamp is a stand-alone unit which can be placed on a cart, it can be used all over the workshop.
The coil is removable.
Therefore tools can also be shrunk and slackened on milling machines.
2 ? Franz Haimer GmbH, Weiherstraáe 21, D-86568 Igenhausen, 0 82 57 / 99 88 -0.
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