Midaco Corporation, one of the key partners of Hyfore Workholding, made its EMO debut in Hanover during September, using the opportunity to introduce a new fourth-axis trunnion system for vertical and horizontal machining centres.

The trunnion system is aimed at subcontract or low-volume manufacturing environments, where easy and rapid access to a fourth axis for three-sided machining of workpieces is necessary but not permanent. To facilitate ‘all-around’ machining, the trunnion rotates through 360°. A ‘parked’ fourth axis can impair access to the total machining envelope, whereas with the Midaco unit it is completely removed, along with its docking unit.
Midaco’s trunnion system is supplied with a permanently wired, universal receiver that automatically engages with the chosen fourth-axis unit (not supplied).
“Innovative components such as this can really help productivity as the operator can effectively be working on two jobs at a time,” says Rob Beckett, workholding product manager for Hyfore. “Different workpieces are being machined while the set up for the next – possibly different – batch can be undertaken safely out of the machine. Therefore, the transition between machining two different jobs is virtually seamless.”
In addition to the trunnion system, Midaco featured one of its M3016FL manual pallet changers on the stand. Midaco products are available exclusively in the UK from Hyfore Workholding, which can undertake all of the engineering and installation either as a retrofit or as part of a new turnkey installation.
For further information www.hyfore.com

NCMT Fixture Solutions used the recent EMO exhibition in Hanover to demonstrate the advantages of the photo-activated adhesive system, Blue Photon. Intended for the manufacture of workholding systems used on machine tools, NCMT says that Blue Photon is suitable for securing awkwardly shaped parts that require tight-tolerance machining and inspection.

The process involves applying an adhesive that is cured by ultraviolet light via an LED spot-curing system. Next, the adhesive can subsequently be melted and the machined workpiece removed by immersion in hot water or by application of another heat source, which should be at 80°C. Alternatively, the adhesive contact points can be sheared to free the workpiece by rotating the gripper pins in the fixture plate with a spanner.
Use of the technique is predicted to grow rapidly due to its ability to hold components securely with an average shear resistance of 136 kg per gripper point, yet allow cutters all-round access for machining on five sides. Unlike solutions that use magnetic clamping, the Blue Photon system can be used to secure both ferrous and non-ferrous metallic workpieces, as well as ceramics and composites.
Blue Photon can, for example, clamp a turbine blade to enable the fir tree and wedge face on the root, as well as the shroud end features at the tip, to be ground in one-hit. Traditionally, due to clamp interference, multiple operations are required using conventional CNC grinders. The Blue Photon single manufacturing process is not only faster, but eliminates work-in-progress and the risk of introducing inaccuracy due to repeated re-fixturing. Tests have shown that the clamping force produced by the system can easily withstand the requirements of machining.
For further information www.ncmt.co.uk

Available in the UK from Leader Chuck, Lexair’s full-bore, fixed length, self-contained collet chuck allows full capacity spindle operation, due to elimination of the draw-tube. When using the full-bore chuck, spindle capacity is boosted as much as 30% and clamping pressure is unaffected by centrifugal force, regardless of spindle speed. An adjustable grip lightly grasps delicate tubing or clamps tight for deep rough-cutting operations. Intended for bar feeding or slugging, the chuck can be used on main or sub spindles, rotary indexers and machining centre tables.

The chuck’s open/close time is less than half a second and it provides true dead length clamping with no drawback. A mechanical locking action holds the workpiece, even without air pressure, for failsafe operation. The chuck uses air to release the work, rather than secure it, and spring force holds the workpiece while it is being machined. Lexair’s collet chuck has full concentricity adjustment to help maintain accuracy when using Master collets with S-type pads.
Available in seven models with body diameters from 150 to 355 mm, the collet chuck offers bar capacity from 50 to 140 mm. The chuck also features direct spindle mounting for A5, A6, A8 and A11 tooling.
For further information www.leaderchuck.com

Schunk says that its new hydraulic compensation jaws set a new benchmark for low-deformation workpiece clamping. According to the company, it is the first time that chuck jaws for compensating the workpiece clamping process have successfully been combined with centrifugal force compensation, vibration-damping characteristics and micron-precision concentricity.

The integrated oil chamber innovation and clamping technology is a central feature of the new hydraulic compensation jaws. Above this are two oscillating clamping elements for clamping rough or finished component workpieces. As the jaws individually adapt to the workpiece, form tolerances in castings, for example, are reliably compensated. Compared with conventional three-point clamping, the number of clamping points is doubled, which lowers workpiece deformation. Obtainable roundness is also increased.
At high speeds, the hydraulic clamping system automatically guarantees centrifugal force compensation, which ensures that the clamping force is always reliably maintained. In order to minimise workpiece deformation, the clamping force can be considerably reduced in comparison with previous solutions without restrictions on process reliability.
For maximum precision on the component, the concentricity can also be adjusted with micron-precision on the chuck jaws. Additionally, the vibration-damping characteristics of the oil chamber system benefit the surface quality of the workpiece, while tool life is increased.
For further information www.schunk.com