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In Focus - Archivo Julio 2012
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Precise wedge bar lathe chucks such as the ROTA-S plus from SCHUNK, should be regularly lubricated in order to offer a long-term optimum performance.
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13.07.2012 -
Vises used for workpiece clamping in today’s production environments are exposed to extreme conditions. This significantly influences the precision of the workpiece, process stability, and safety for both operator and machine. In order to ensure optimum clamping force, users normally follow the manufacturer’s information on lubrication intervals. Moreover, many more companies are choosing preventive maintenance programs, where the clamping vise is thoroughly tested in defined cycles. This ensures longtime accuracy, minimum wear, and high process reliability.
The negligence during lubrication and maintenance lead to a continuous reduction of the required lubricating film on the jaw guidances and lathe chuck mechanics, which ensure proper function. Porous seals and penetrating dirt also slows the process down. The clamping force and the chuck’s precision is reduced, which will lead to malfunctions during jaw changes. This leads to extended set-up times and disturbances in production.
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For solving complex maintenance tasks, many users rely on the clamping technology service of the manufacturer.
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Accidents and damages should be avoided
In order to avoid such failures, experts in the field of clamping technology are recommending the regular lubrication of the workpiece clamping vises, and to run a complete maintenance check on them once a year. The lubrication cycles depend on the used clamping vise: In the case of low-maintenance lathe chucks, it is enough to regularly control the oil level. Similar to this would be the power lathe chucks which are equipped with a central lubrication, or if a quick-change pallet system is actuated with lubricated air. In both cases it is enough if the clamping systems are regularly controlled on proper function. According to DIN EN 1550, the manufacturers of clamping equipments are principally bound to indicate data on the correct maintenance and the intervals between two static clamping force measurements in their operating instructions. Normally the required lubricating cycles of the individual lathe chucks are also defined in the operating manual.
Lubrication is not enough
During lubrication the operator should ensure that every surface will be lubricated evenly. The narrower the fit of the assembly part, the higher the press-in pressure of the lubricant has to be. Optimum results are achieved if a grease gun is used. In order to avoid imbalance, every segment of the chuck has to be lubricated evenly. Then the clamping piston should be moved several times along the whole clamping stroke so that the grease will be evenly distributed on every surface. In order to permanently maintain the clamping force, the piston should be moved several times to its end positions and back after every 500 clamping strokes. Thereby the lubricant which has been pressed aside during the clamping operation is fed again to the pressure surfaces. Moreover, the serration should be cleaned and lubrified at every base jaw change.
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In order to avoid imbalance, the operator has to evenly lubricate every segment of the lathe chuck in the given maintenance intervals.
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There are substantial differences between the offered grease for lubrication. Unsuitable lubricants may have a negative effect on the chuck’s functionality, as well as the clamping force, the coefficient of friction, and the wear behavior. Whereas the user will achieve a particularly uniform, and therefore optimum acting lubricant films if high-quality greases are used. The amount of contained solid substance is a quality criterion of the lubricant. Particularly high-quality greases contain extremely small solid particles, and even when they are used for high-performance clamping force blocks or precise and flexibly used wedge bar chucks they can achieve their full effect.
Beside the regular lubrication the lathe chucks should be detached from the machine spindle, disassembled, cleaned and completely lubrified once a year. After assembly, the clamping force should be measured with a load cell to ensure that the clamping force is available in its full extend. This type of measurement should be always done in the same chuck condition which comes up to the latest clamping application. If top jaws with clamping steps should be used, it has to be measured in the same step, as it is clamped later. In case of high working speeds it would be wise to additionally control the operation clamping force by testing it in a simulated operational environment.
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The SCHUNK service bus is equipped with special testing instruments, which help to discover hidden damages as soon as possible.
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The service team also detects hidden faults
The more complex the lathe chuck, the earlier the users should be prepared to delegate the maintenance works to experienced experts. Some users, mostly in large companies, are training their employees, others use the know-how and the equipment of a specialized service team for clamping equipment. Beside the maintenance work they sometimes also offer the systematic control on every clamping equipment. Thereby even hidden damages such as a broken chuck body can be determined before a failure or even an accident will happen. When choosing a service provider, it pays off in the end if the provider can offer a fast spare part service, and that repair works can be quickly executed. Even commissioning of clamping equipment should be done by a service team, and can be a valuable help: They train the machine operators on how to use the clamping equipment and give tips in order to consistently increase quality and efficiency of the machining work. On request, they can support the users in standardizing their maintenance processes.
The SCHUNK service team offers both for the clamping technology and the gripping systems, where SCHUNK is setting standards. For many years the innovative family-owned company has been consistently enlarging its service program. The program comprises everything from initial advice, to planning, commissioning, and maintenance, and can also come up with conceivable requirements. The services help by taking full advantage of the used precision clamping equipment’s and gripping system’s performance, and helps to reduce system failures.
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12.2012
New application possibilities for square pole technology
The electro-permanent square pole technology is a part of the magnetic clamping technology, and represents an ideal clamping solution for machining centers. It offers numerous advantages: Workpieces are easily accessible, and can be machined in one set-up from five different sides. It is no longer necessary to spend time on the fine adjustment of clamping elements. Multiple clamping operations of workpieces during the machining process are no longer necessary as well. In addition to milling applications, square pole technology also covers flat grinding applications. Moreover, special display modules increase process reliability and create optimum preconditions for automated loading.
 más…
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11.2012
High-performance automation from the modular system
Those who plan high-performance assembly plants for electronics, medical technology, automotive, or consumer goods industry, know of the challenges, if individual modules and assembly groups need to be linked to an entire system. Missing mechanical joining elements, incompatible controller concepts, or insufficient planning tools influence the planning and implementation processes as well as during the process itself. The variety of combinable system programs can be an efficient alternative - provided they are well thought out in terms of performance, volume, compatibility, and configuration.
más…
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10.2012
Applying strengths in a targeted way
Stationary clamping systems have enormous hidden efficiency and quality potentials for production. Those who want to utilize them, should question, where the strengths of the individual clamping technologies are. If they are selected and combined in a targeted manner, their investment costs can be amortized very quickly.
más…
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09.2012
The underestimated collaborators
In view of sophisticated lathe chucks, clamping blocks with compact performance, and highly engineered devices, the technological possibilities of chuck jaws may seem at the first glance rather limited. In reality, however, these direct interfaces to the workpiece open up enormous potentials: Beside conventionally hard and soft top jaws, a broad range of established chuck jaws ensure that even tricky clamping tasks can be economically solved. An overview shows what is potentially possible.
más…
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08.2012
Efficient concepts for automated machine loading
In the past, automated loading and unloading was restricted to large series, today though, small batches and individual pieces are now standard. The ultimate aim is to reduce set-up involved downtimes and to have as few workers possible manning production around the clock. What is needed, is the sophisticated interaction of innovative clamping equipment and automated components which lead to utmost precision and ensures reliable processes all at the same time.
más…
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07.2012
Consistent maintenance increases precision, process reliability,
and safety of the clamping vises in the long run
Vises used for workpiece clamping in today’s production environments are exposed to extreme conditions. This significantly influences the precision of the workpiece, process stability, and safety for both operator and machine. In order to ensure optimum clamping force, users normally follow the manufacturer’s information on lubrication intervals. Moreover, many more companies are choosing preventive maintenance programs, where the clamping vise is thoroughly tested in defined cycles. This ensures longtime accuracy, minimum wear, and high process reliability.
más…
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06.2012
High performance without chatter
The times when brachial roughing was normal are over. Those who want to produce a lot of chips in a short space of time now take advantage of high-quality cutting and intelligent toolholding systems that transmit high torques and, at the same time, reliably absorb any occurring vibrations. Modern toolholders protect the cutting edges, the machine spindle, and the workpiece surface and allow you to work with high metal removal rates even when using challenging materials.
más…
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05.2012
Pneumatic or mechatronic gripping?
In many industries, the increasingly wide range of product variants, the ever-shorter cycle of innovation, and the increasing comparability among products are leading to an enormous pressure on costs. Experts believe that production automation will be one of the keys to business success in the coming years. These issues also apply to gripping systems: the precision, flexibility, speed and reliability of a gripping system has a significant impact on the profit margin which they can achieve. Although pneumatic gripping systems were long considered the state of the art, mechatronic solutions have since made significant strides. As a result, users and system planners are increasingly faced with the question of which drive concept is more advantageous to handling and assembly processes: pneumatics or mechatronics?
más…
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04.2012
Vacuum clamping technology: an ideal addition to the standard clamping devices
In comparison to clamping brackets, clamping blocks, jaw chucks, quick-change pallet systems, or magnetic clamping technology, vacuum clamping technology is mostly unknown in the metal cutting industry. Nevertheless, vacuum clamping technology can perform a valuable service here, especially when machining thin parts that are susceptible to deformation, or workpieces made of aluminum and other non-ferromagnetic materials. Particularly when they are in the form of versatile matrix plates, they are a useful and easy to handle addition to clamping devices already in use.
más…
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03.2012
Gripping Systems of the future
Mechatronic handling systems offer distinct advantages: They are very flexible, offer numerous intelligent functions, and despite higher acquisition prices, they quickly pay off. Therefore, it is no surprise that the handling issue is becoming increasingly important in the pneumatics dominating world. This particularly applies, since more and more mechatronic components can be easily operated by average users.
más…
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02.2012
Tool extensions with minimal interfering contours
Due to the success of modern 5-axis machines, tool mountings with slim interfering contours have experienced a real boom. With sufficient torque, and high run-out accuracy they allow a deep, collision-free tool path into the workpiece, and thus ensure precision machining, even in areas which are difficult to access. These slim tool extensions are economic, flexible, and can be assembled between tool and toolholder on request. They can be combined with various machine tapers.
más…
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01.2012
Up-to-date support for all gripping tasks
Gripping systems in handling and assembly are often in operation around the clock, seven days a week. Many components have to withstand external influences such as chips, dust, aggressive media or heat. In addition, tight margins and deadlines due to just-in-time production often result in enormous scheduling and planning pressure, usually starting well before the initial commissioning. In view of these challenges, many purchasing decisions are increasingly made based not only on the quality and performance of the modules, but also on the range of services offered. Services increase planning reliability, facilitate commissioning and ensure maximum cost effectiveness during operation.
más…
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In Focus - 2013
In Focus - Archivo 2012
In Focus - Archivo 2011
In Focus - Archivo 2010
In Focus - Archivo 2009
In Focus - Archivo 2008
In Focus - Archivo 2007
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