Toolholders

The Toolholder is the essential connection between the machining center and the cutting tool. The toolholder fits into and is secured by the machining center’s spindle, and in turn, secures the cutting tool such as a drill or end mill by clamping onto its shank. The taper of the toolholder matches the toolholder interface of the particular spindle. Toolholder tapers are often conical, including CAT and BT taper specifications. A different kind of taper, HSK, is not tapered at all, but instead includes a variety of flanges for securely locking the toolholder in place. Toolholders use different mechanisms for clamping the tool including set screw, collet, hydraulic compression and shrink-fit.

Rego-Fix’s Center for Machining Excellence Promotes Collaboration
Toolholders

Rego-Fix’s Center for Machining Excellence Promotes Collaboration

The new space includes a showroom, office spaces and an auditorium that will enhance its work with its technical partners.

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Kyocera SGS
Sumitomo

ESSENTIAL READING

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Basics

How to Manage Cutting Tool Inventory in a Small Job Shop — The One-Person Shop #4

Working in short lead times means maintaining a large range of tools to be ready. What is the right way to stock and organize this investment?

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Automation

Cutting Tool Technology Aids Lights-Out Machining Applications

These features can help improve cutting tool stability, standardize cutting performance and extend tool life, enabling shops to confidently run unattended shifts.  

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What To Consider When Adding Angle Heads

Angle heads can enable a three-axis machine tool to be more versatile. That said, this shop explains that there’s more to getting started using them than simply loading them into a machine’s spindle.

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Basics

Video Shows How to Check Toolholder Runout

Here’s a video that explains how to check the runout on a collet chuck toolholder.

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Toolholders

A Machinist’s Guide to Toolholder Maintenance

Techniks’ “Machinist’s Guide to Toolholder Maintenance” can be a handy reference for inexperienced machinists and shop veterans alike.

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Basics

Why the Y?

See how Y-axis toolholders enable Swiss-type lathes to realize better chip control.

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Ingersoll Cutting Tools
Specialized Plastic Packaging for Cutting Tools
IMCO
Horn USA
IMCO

Latest Toolholders News And Updates

Toolholders

Lexair Handling Solutions Shorten Operation Times

IMTS 2024: Lexair Inc. is showcasing four products: the hydrodynamic Mini Rhinobar bar feeder; its Gen 3 Collet Closers; the Unload Pro unloader for unloading round workpieces and the Breuning IRCO Profimat magazine bar feeder for small to medium production runs. 

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Haimer Tool Management Systems Reduce Programming Times

IMTS 2024: Haimer is exhibiting a range of precision products to be used alongside WinTool and ToolBase technologies for for continuous data exchange and reduced programming times.

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Toolholders

Advanced Machine & Engineering, Hennig Inc. Showcase Machine Tool Solutions

IMTS 2024: Hennig Inc. and Advanced Machine & Engineering are exhibiting a wide range of machine tool solutions together.

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IMTS

Pascal Engineering Clamps Optimize Tool Accessibility

IMTS 2024: Pascal Engineering Inc. is showcasing its hydraulic expansion clamps, designed to maximize workspaces, improve tool accessibility and shorten the lift stroke of workpiece loading systems. 

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IMTS

Speedgrip Chuck Workholding Solutions Reduce Setup Times

IMTS 2024: Speedgrip Chuck Co. showcases its QCR quick-change receiver to attach to CNC lathe spindles, as well two turning chucks designed to reduce the amount of time needed to change clamping and other workholding devices.

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IMTS

Tungaloy, NTK Toolholding Solutions Improve Efficiency for Small-Part Machining

IMTS 2024: Tungaloy and NTK Cutting Tools are showcasing Swiss-type product lines designed for small-part machining, including toolholders, ceramic inserts, micro tools and more.

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CERATIZIT
Iscar
Innovative Manufacturing for the Medical Industry
Techspex
Sumitomo

Featured Posts

Toolholders

Making the Most of Mixed Toolholder Assemblies

While nearly all ER systems will have cross compatibility, they’ll have small differences across manufacturers that make their implementation at the shop level not as standard.

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Toolholders

Five Common Mistakes Shops Make with ER Collets (And How to Prevent Them)

Collets play a crucial role in the machining process, so proper tool assembly and maintenance is important. Here are five potential pitfalls to avoid when using ER collets.

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Cutting Tools

How to Troubleshoot Issues With Tool Life

Diagnosing when a tool is failing is important because it sets an expectation and a benchmark for improvements. Finding out why gives us a clue for how to fix it.

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Toolholders

Simulation and Tooling Secure High-Value Work

Simulation software and careful attention to tooling parameters have enabled Major Tool to take on ambitious projects with its complex machinery.

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CAD/CAM

IMTS Takeaways From the Modern Machine Shop Editorial Team

The first in-person IMTS in four years left the MMS editorial staff with a lot to digest. Here are a few of our takeaways from the show floor.

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Fixturing for the Automated Age

Koma Precision’s booth at IMTS 2022 features practical demonstrations of rotary tables, right angle heads and more.

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JTEKT
DN Solutions
SolidCAM
KraussMaffei
Horn USA

FAQ: Toolholders

What is a HSK toolholder?

HSK, meanwhile, works by elastically deforming the toolholder. Fingers inside the hollow shank of the toolholder clamp the holder by pushing out. High spindle speed helps this interface, because the centrifugal force strengthens this clamping.

Source: Testing Measures Impact of Toolholder Interface Rigidity

How does a hydraulic toolholder work?

The hydraulic toolholder works by using fluid to compress an internal membrane within the holder body. The hydraulic fluid delivers uniform pressure around the membrane allowing it to compress equally around the periphery of the cutting tool. Basically, that’s how the hydraulic toolholder delivers its high concentricity specs.

Source: Why Use Hydraulic Toolholders

What is a toolholder?

The toolholder is the connection between the machining center and the cutting tool, employing clamping mechanisms such as set screws, collets, and shrink-fit.

TIMTOS
VERISURF
Ingersoll Cutting Tools

Toolholders Supplier Categories

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