Chucks designed for cost-effective turning

Cost-effective lathe chucking display at MACH 2004 will include power chucks, self-contained compact static and rotating air chucks and special chucks for high precision machining.

Leader Chuck Systems will be staging an Award-winning 'something for everyone who demands cost-effective lathe chucking' display at MACH 2004, and including examples from its comprehensive portfolio of own-brand standard CNC power chucks (165mm to 315mm diameter) and self-contained compact static and rotating air chucks (80mm to 315mm).

In addition, there will be a range of chucks from Gamet, Hainbuch, Hewa, MicroCentric and Zweifel, for which it holds the exclusive UK agency rights.

Available in diameters of 130mm, 165mm, 210mm, 250mm and 315mm, Leader power chucks are aimed at the volume retrofit market and incorporate a number of features that ensure compatibility with the widest range of machines, while utilising existing top jaws.

Models can be supplied with either 1.5mm x 60deg or 1/16in x 90deg pitch serrations, coupled with a novel design of base jaw and changeable tee nuts that enable acceptance of both metric and Imperial top jaws plus different slots and fixing screw centres.

Large bore sizes, long jaw strokes and high gripping forces, along with high rotational speeds and accuracy, combine to provide an unrivalled specification for a CNC replacement chuck designed to operate with air or hydraulic cylinders.

Also on the stand will be examples from the Hainbuch collet-style systems, illustrating the chucks' high-accuracy clamping of five microns TIR and higher clamping forces - up to 50 per cent more, with the same drawbar pull, than a conventional jaw or collet chuck.

Capable of handling parts up to 500mm diameter, Hainbuch collet chucks differ from standard chucks in being able to also securely hold short component lengths due to their positive pull-back and clamping action - the clamping head being pulled into a perfectly mating taper.

The Hainbuch display will include the Lexon, an economical collet chuck replacement for multi-bore and other styles of collet chucks in bar-fed turning applications, as well as the new Mando Adapt and jaw Adapt systems that effectively transform a standard Hainbuch Combi Pull Back collet chuck into a mandrel and jaw chuck.

Covering a wide range of capacities, Leader Chuck Systems' Gamet portfolio embraces lever chucks (105mm to 550mm diameter), quick change jaw/anti centrifugal chucks (15mm to 450mm), high speed large bore chucks (90 to 315mm) and the Delta Vario brand (programmable high/low grip types) in diameters of 140mm to 400mm.

The Delta chuck is ideal for holding delicate and thin-walled components.

With an ultra-efficient base jaw and lever system and quick change top jaws, Delta also boasts a novel design of master jaw slideways to ensure excellent grip, stability and accuracy in high-speed applications.

When Delta is coupled with a pressure-reducing Vario cylinder, the gripping forces can be relaxed automatically during the machine cycle without stopping the spindle.

From the MicroCentric range, the HPC high-precision through-bore power chucks boast unmatched accuracy at high speed with minimum clamping force.

Operating at spindle speeds up to 8,000 revs/min and providing standard runouts within two microns TIR, HPC chucks are available in diameters of four, five, six, eight and 10 inches.

Their innovative design counters the loss of jaw grip due to centrifugal force and offers constant chucking grip through the critical speed range of 2,000 to 5,000 revs/min, where most precision high-speed turning is carried out.

But, more importantly, there is no increase in the original static grip when the spindle is stopped, as happens with conventional centrifugally counter-balanced chucks They can be supplied with the QC quick change jaw system, which is based on precision tapered locating buttons, to minimise set-up times while maintaining accuracy.

The Zweifel manual instrument chuck, also available from Leader Chuck Systems, is proving particularly successful in benchtop measuring and inspection applications and, utilising soft, false multi-jaws is ideal for holding thin-walled workpieces.

The chucks are available in a range of diameters from 50 mm to 150 mm with up to eight jaws, and their quick-action operation is based on the use of a knurled ring.

Also being highlighted at MACH 2004 are Leader Chuck Systems' workholding systems for machining centres, milling machines and grinders - the MultiChuck MMY and new MMYB concentric clamping systems, MultiVice MMX inline vice and MMCC multi-jaw vice systems, and the MMXZ and MMCZ modular vice strips.

MACH 2004 - April 19-23 - NEC Birmingham, UK.

Hall: 5, Stand: 5305.

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