WORKHOLDING & ACCESSORIES MANY VICES MAKE LIGHT WORK
clamping problems, such as how to retain
chuck bodies without the risk of the
cylindrical components rotating during
machining. Again, these parts were
previously bolted to a xture plate,
necessitating a half-hour set-up time,
whereas now the bodies are swapped in the
line of Qwik-Lok jaws in a couple of minutes.
Axminster Tools & Machinery initially
decided to mount the units directly onto the
machining centre table, but it meant that
when a clamp was removed it was timeconsuming
to realign the unit for a new job.
To avoid this, two years ago Jake Knight,
head engineer at the Innovation and
Manufacturing Department in Axminster,
decided to invest in a Chick foundation plate
for two 3-axis Mazak VMCs on-site –
a Mazak VCN-530C and one of a pair of
VTC-200Ms.
Manufactured to suit the size of the
machining centre table, the cast iron plates
have a grid of accurately drilled holes at
50 mm centres with hardened bushings and
threads at each location that allow Qwik-
Loks to be positioned anywhere over the
surface rapidly and repeatably to an
accuracy within 10 microns. The use of
round and diamond pins at two positions
allows the Qwik-Loks to be located and
mounted quickly and easily.
Alpha-numeric labelling of the grid
enables unerring relocation of each base
and jaw set so that the same program can
be used every time a job repeats. All unused
holes in the plate are sealed with plugs to
A robotic gripper with zero-point
clamping for automated pallet
exchange on machining centre tables
without their own media supply
has been introduced by
the Stark division of
Roemheld (more below)
prevent the ingress of
swarf, which could
compromise location accuracy
upon next use.
Con rms Knight:
“Overall, we use about 20 Qwik-Lok bases
and have three-times as many soft jaw sets
machined to hold a multitude of components
that we machine from stainless and other
steels through to aluminium and plastics.
“We have chosen Chick’s 1040 base
size, with a jaw width of 100 mm and an
overall length of 400 mm, as this supports a
majority of the components and accessories
we produce for the products
in our catalogue.
“In another project, 1st MTA also
regularly supplies us with machinable steel
chuck jaws for our four Mazak turning
centres. They are especially useful for
clamping various rotational parts to a high
degree of concentricity for turning, such as
chuck bodies for our woodturning lathes.”
Product news in brief
Erowa’s Easy 800 has
a minimal footprint but
components up to 850
mm diameter and up
to 1,000 mm in
height can be
accommodated.
The unit can have
six stations (more
below)
Erowa’s Flexible Manufacturing Concept sees robot systems
capable of handling small workpieces from a few kilos to large parts
up to four tonnes (picture, above). www.is.gd/karoco
Roemheld UK has introduced pneumatically actuated swing-clamps
incorporating a mechanical locking action, such that the full holding
force – between 200 and 600 N – is maintained in the case of air
pressure reduction or loss, ensuring operator safety and avoiding the
production of scrap. www.is.gd/ixelah
Designed to reduce set-up times on lathes, the new BR-series of
3-jaw chucks from Japanese rm Kitagawa is capable of a gripping
accuracy of 0.01 mm TIR (total indicator reading) or less when using
optional T-Nuts Plus jaws. Repeatability of jaw exchange is within the
same tolerance, even on the largest chuck. They are manufactured in
6”, 8”, 10” and 12” versions and are available in the UK and Ireland
through sole agent 1st Machine Tool Accessories. www.is.gd/osenen
The MK250 now joins Kitagawa’s MK200 launched last year as the
rst in a new range of compact, general-purpose rotary tables intended
for adding a rigid fourth CNC axis to a 3-axis vertical machining centre.
www.is.gd/z4mqjt
A robotic gripper with zero-point clamping for automated pallet
exchange on machining centre tables without their own media supply
has been introduced by the Stark division of the Roemheld group
(picture, top of page). It is available in Britain and Ireland through
subsidiary company Roemheld UK, Hitchin. www.is.gd/unixor
www.machinery.co.uk | MachineryMagazine | @MachineryTweets | July/August 2020 27
/karoco
/ixelah
/osenen
/z4mqjt
/unixor
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