• Walsons & Company

Tool Clamping System For HSC/HPC Machining

Innovative toolholders such as the powRgrip® tool clamping system developed by Rego-Fix AG have been shown to increase tool service life by as much as several hundred per cent and also boost productivi ty considerably. The powRgrip's proven ability to absorb vibra tion in high-speed cutting and high-performance cutting (HSC/HPC) applications results in increased concentricity, enhanced accuracy, and low spindle load, all of which ultimately enhances machining quality. What's more, the manufacturer points to an American automotive customer who switched from a conventional collet holder to the powRgrip system for one machining step in one of its production lines and reported saving $225,000 in a year as a result. In HSC and HPC today, with manufacturers using high-capacity tools that feature advanced geometries and high performance coatings, conventional clamping systems are often inadequate. The high cutting speeds produce vibrations, the tool has excessive runout, accuracy suffers, and the spin dle bearings are badly strained. The tool may break or be pulled out of tile holder. This is not the case with the powRgrip system, designed for situa tions with strict precision and speed requirements. Its performance with respect to runout, balance, clamping power, rigidity, and vibration attenuation is im pressive. Its strong clamping power holds tools firmly even at high material removal rates. Using a Rego-Fix powRgrip CAT 40/PG 25 holder with a PG collet 1/8 in, in diameter, the automotive customer enjoyed tight runout performance of just 3 mm up to 3xD and length adjustment with repeatability within 10 mm. These values were achieved because the powRgrip's sfunctional contact surfaces between the tool and collet and between the collet and toolholder can attenuate vibrations much better than shrink-fit holders. Also, the absence of a clamping mechanism makes the full wall thickness available to absorb radi al forces, maximising system rigidity.