Workholding solutions for more productive machining

February 17, 2014 7:05 am

 The continuing advances in production methods in manufacturing industries such as the automotive, pumps and valves have created a need, not only for precision workholding devices but also for custom-manufactured special workholding products. The applications for these special workholding products typically are hard-to-hold and non-cylindrical components. A special team of designers, experienced machinists and manufacturing engineers work closely with customers to provide workholding solutions.
Here are five case studies at random where you’ll see solutions to problems you may relate to, such as components with extruded stock, non-cylindrical parts, eccentric, off-centre and non-traditional applications.
Case study 1: turbine housingAfter detailed study of the component, the research team at Guindy arrived at a workholding solution with Universal Ball Lock Chuck including a special balancing arrangement.
Universal Ball Lock Chucks (UBLC) are designed to clamp components and ensure face butting. These power-operated ball lock chucks have certain distinctive advantages over wedge and lever type chucks. Jaw movement is achieved by sliding and swivel of the base jaws, which are amply proportioned.
This results in less wear, less bearing pressure and less stress concentration in the jaws when compared to same sizes of wedge or lever type chucks. Apart from the radial clamping forces, these ball lock chucks provide an axial force to pull the component against the butting face. This is achieved as the jaw movement is along an arc. Wedge, base jaw, spherical aligner, spherical bushes are made of nickel chrome steel, case hardened and precision ground on all working surfaces.
Eccentric compensating type of ball lock chuck is essentially designed where the component is usually located between two centres, one on the chuck body and one on the tailstock of the machine. As the line of the centres is defined, concentricity is guaranteed and the ball lock chuck design allows adequate freedom for the jaws to adjust and accommodate the irregularities of the job before full-clamping force is applied.
Case study 2: tripodThe production and machining of components with intersecting axes has for a long time involved high processing expenditure. These components were either processed on special machines, transfer lines or on conventional lathes in several chucking operations. Guindy Machine Tools (GMT) has developed indexing power chucks to meet the persistent problems in machining components with intersecting axes in a CNC lathe.
Indexing chucks of different sizes are designed for machining typical parts like Universal joints, tripods, spider and valve bodies etc. Power operated power indexing chucks are offered with index position:4 x 90 degree3 x 120 degree2 x 180 degree.

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