Diaphragms Speed Chuck Change-Over

The company introduces the Quick-Pitch Diaphragm series of specialized chucks for gear production featuring quick-change, precision top jaw tooling sets. The chucks, using the company’s radius diaphragm chuck technology, are suited for gear manufacturing, grinding and hard-part processing of low- to medium-volume runs. They provide 60-second changeouts whenever frequent part-to-part change-overs are required. The system incorporates the use of fixed-length, interchangeable wedge pins that locate and lock on the gear’s pitch diameter; works with pieces having virtually any number of teeth; and compensates for varying teeth spacing and pitch values. The chucks can be used on applications with sun, ring, pinion and output gears with spur and helical gear tooth forms.   Four chuck units are available, including three three-jaw versions with pitch-diameter capacities of 25 to 100 mm, 100 to 170 mm and 170 to 245 mm; and a six-jaw unit with a 245- to 350-mm diameter range. The chucks’ operating features include pullback action to fixed stops that helps maintain accurate and repeatable workpiece position along with centrifugal force compensation to eliminate the effects of running at higher machining speeds, the company says. The chucks also incorporate weight-saving engineering concepts that are said to minimize wear and tear on machine tool and grinding system spindles and bearings.   The chucks are built with a locating wedge pin design, with each pin set in a jaw that snaps into place to orient and locate each individual pin’s position relative to the master jaw set. Two half-turn clamp screws securely lock and hold the jaw in place; and the jaws can be released, removed, changed and retightened with no additional adjustments or setup procedures required. The pins are nitrided to provide a hard, longwearing surface area for greater service life. The chucks also feature a sealed design to withstand harsh work environments, including grinding sludge and coolants. Furthermore, the diaphragm mechanism prevents parts from sliding, which can lead to contamination. Optional synchronizing pins are available to facilitate automatic-load operations.