PM Blog

Workholding can affect many aspects of the machining process, but it often is not given enough attention. Many shops are content to use whichever workholding system comes with the machine. If it gets the job done, they don’t give it another thought—unless they have to. But once a shop does take a closer look at its workholding, it can lead to improvements in several different areas of the part production process.

One such workholding option is a collet chuck. To get more information, we spoke with Matt Block, a regional business manager with Royal Products. Royal provides a range of workholding options, including several lines of collet chucks.

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“Progress lies not in enhancing what is, but in advancing toward what will be.” – Khalil Gibran

On Wednesday, April 3, from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., the 2019 Parts Cleaning Conference, held in conjunction with PMTS 2019, in Cleveland, Ohio, will present the Basics and Best Practices Track, where industry professionals will present on such topics as cleaning agent testing, safe alternatives to cleaning methods, aqueous precision cleaning 101, and the benefits of aqueous parts cleaning. See the full agenda of speakers here, which includes Barbara and Ed Kanegsberg with BFK Solutions, and Darren Williams, Sam Houston State University; Alicia McCarthy with Toxics Use Reduction Institute; Yangsheng Zhang from BHC; and Chuck Sexton from Kyzen.

The Critical Track, held Thursday, April 4, from 8 to 11 a.m., will cover critical cleaning in automotive applications and how to achieve these cleanliness requirements; cleaning of medical devices and implants, and the importance of cleaning sensitive electronics and more. The speaker lineup includes Remi Mercier from Proceco; Raymond Wu with Chemours; Henry Ederle from Technotrade International Inc./ Borer Chemie AG; ​Mike Valenti with Hubbard-Hall; and Malcolm McLaughlin at Alconox. See the full agenda here.

Collet-type toolholder assembly and setup have typically relied on manual methods that can be cumbersome, prone to errors and potentially waste time and money. Traditionally, operators must first check adjustment charts to reference torque values based on specific collet series holders and tool diameters. Then they have to find the right torque wrench, unlock it, set the torque level and re-lock it before tightening the collet retention nut on a toolholder. This procedure can cause shops to lose valuable production time and can lead to inaccurate torque settings that damage toolholders, or, in some instances, negatively affect workpiece precision.

This system can also lead shops to adopt bad habits in their quest to save time and simplify the setup process. Under deadline pressure or unsure of exactly what to do, shops might lock their torque wrenches at maximum values and leave them there, trying to cut corners with what seems like a quick solution. But nuts don’t all transfer the same amount of clamping force to the collet—some are more efficient than others. Shops that try to apply the same approach to every setup might end up with over-tightened tools because of improperly adjusted torque wrenches that transmit excessive force to the thinnest, most vulnerable parts of the toolholders. This force can damage toolholders, collets and nuts, and introduce runout that leads to rejected workpieces. Conversely, applying too little torque can be dangerous if it leaves tools loose enough to pull out of their toolholders. Some solutions to these setup problems substitute new complications for old ones by adding bulky hardware or complex, expensive digital technologies that change the setup process without necessarily improving it.

Manufacturing production in the U.S. is estimated to grow 2.8 percent from 2018 to 2022 (a faster increase than other segments of the general economy), and manufacturing continues to have an outside influence on regional economies. Longstanding economic analysis has posited for every dollar invested in manufacturing, and the result is $1.40 in additional economic activity.

Along with the predicted manufacturing production output, the need for skilled workers in areas such as CNC machining, fabricating, welding and manufacturing engineers is also on the rise. By 2025, as many as 2 million manufacturing jobs are projected to be unfilled. Welding alone will need an estimated 90,000 welders around the U.S. by 2024, according to Lincoln Tech, a training school for welding students, with campuses throughout the country.