Automating chuck changeovers: Turning Performance

Workholding changeovers are taking a big step forward as a result of the Automation Chuck Change system from Positrol Inc., a manufacturer of workholding equipment, as well as standard and custom products for turning, grinding, milling, balancing and gear making. This advancement pairs the company’s Chuck Change system with an industrial robot so changeovers can be fully automated.

Positrol has offered workholding changeover systems for several decades. However, users could not clamp on the parts in the machine. Instead, users could manually load and clamp a part onto a fixture and then move that fixture from machine to machine.

A robot changes the chuck using Positrol’s Automation Chuck Change system. Image courtesy Positrol

“The purpose of the old system was to take one part through multiple operations in one setup,” according to Sales Manager Josh Pocock. “Due to technology advancements in machining, all of these operations can now be done on one spindle. So the demand for that older system is very low.”

A key advancement is the way the system integrates with robots to form fully automated cells. A robot can both load and unload parts. Furthermore, working with the system, the robot can completely change over the workholding. No manual intervention is needed.

Without any loss to rigidity, the system supports a power-actuated drawbar. Integrating the chuck and drawbar increases the effectiveness of the spindle.