via Production Engineering Solutions

The precise and stable clamping of small workpieces in the sub-spindle of sliding head machines has long been an issue for turned parts manufacturers. Masa says it has revolutionised this problem for manufacturers to deliver improved precision workholding.

Until now, this popular solution has been specified primarily on 20 and 32mm capacity sliding head machines. However, the demand for the system has now seen Masa expand the series to cater for manufacturers working on 10 and 12mm diameter capacity machines.

To understand the Microconic system, manufacturers must first consider that only three things are in physical contact with the workpiece, the cutting tool, coolant/cutting fluid and the workholding. The Microconic over-grip collet system ultimately allows manufacturers to rethink what is possible.

This innovative workholding system consists of a cartridge and precision collet. The over-grip collet fits inside a cartridge and is accurately adjusted before it is fitted directly into the existing collet sleeve with no machine adaptations required.

The patented over-grip collets can open up to 4mm larger than the clamping diameter and also incorporate an ejection guide sleeve blank. This helps the end user to solve the difficulty of ejecting parts from the collets after machining and allows manufacturers to reach behind flanges, parts with heads or any other enlarged feature.
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Ideal for processing parts with stepped features such as connectors, screws or other common components, the over-clamp system can clamp over the protruding features and securely hold on the main body of components. The collets are available with clamping diameters from 0.2mm to 10mm, meaning the most fragile of parts can be clamped safely and precisely. With concentricity between 3 to 5µm, the Masa Microconic system is perfect for high-precision machining.

Previously, the system was available with F20, F25 and F37 style collets and this has been expanded over time. Now, it is offered with F15 and F16 to deliver high-precision clamping for challenging components. The F15 M5 cartridge works in synergy with most 10 to 16mm capacity machine tools from manufacturers like Star, Citizen, Tsugami and Maier whilst the F16 M5 variant is perfect for other machine tool brands such as Citizen, Hanwha, Tornos and Nexturn to name a few.

Commenting upon the expanded range, Floyd Automatic Tooling managing director, Richard Floyd says: “The expansion to the line has been sought after for a long time. This is a credit to the success of the Masa Microconic collets for 20mm and 32mm diameter capacity machines.

“Small-diameter sub-spindle clamping and over-gripping applications have historically been a bane for users of sliding head turning centres. This radical, but elegant solution brings repeatability and precision to small part turning, solving the challenge of clamping difficult parts.”
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Floyd Automatic Tooling
www.floydautomatic.co.uk

Designed for the clamping of micro-workpieces in the sub-spindles of sliding-head turning machines, Floyd Automatic Tooling, in association with Masa Tool of the USA, has released the Microconic system into the UK marketplace. The Microconicworkholding system consists of a cartridge and precision collet. Importantly, no machine adaptations are required: the collet fits inside the cartridge and is adjusted before being fitted directly into the existing collet sleeve.

With a concentricity level of between 3 to 5 µm, Microconic is suitable for sliding-head lathe marques including Tornos, Citizen and Star. It is currently available for F20 and F25 style collets, with F37 versions in development. A 5C version can also be offered.

The cartridge system incorporates a solid extended nose and has the facility for micron-adjustment of the collet closure. To confirm precision levels, the hardened and ground cartridges can be used as gauges to verify spindle accuracy.

Masa’s Microconic also includes ‘over-grip’ collets where clamping behind a shoulder is necessary, for example. The cartridge/collet combination can accommodate openings more than 4 mm larger than the clamping diameter (depending on the application). This flexibility offers production engineers the potential to machine the part the other way around, which can sometimes help improve cycle times.

Microconic collets are available in 0.05 mm increments from 0.22 to 10 mm diameter. Each collet has a nominal clamping range from 0.05 to 0.1 mm depending upon the chosen collet diameter. With regard to the over-grip collets, the nominal clamping diameter starts at 0.5 mm with a maximum clamping diameter of 7.2 mm.

For further information
www.floydautomatic.co.uk

This article originally appeared in Machinery Trade International