Holding Tools The ultimate goal is to make every tooling assembly, especially in 5-axis machining, as short as possible. The shorter the tooling, the less room for error. That said, the unusual angles, sizes, and shapes of the parts that require multiple axes don’t always allow for that. We’ve talked about some workholding solutions for this challenge, but you have options in tooling selections too. The choice for 5-axis access often comes down to hydraulic chucks and shrink fit holders. Compared to collet chucks, shrink fit holders and hydraulic chucks are able to maintain higher rigidity and accuracy and have a smaller nose diameter relative to the tools they hold. This allows a further reach into mold cavities or other tricky work envelopes without interference. If you’re deciding between hydraulic chucks or shrink fit holders, you’ll likely pay less for shrink fit holders upfront but maintaining the heating and cooling systems will require maintenance and training hours over time. These temperature cycles do add to setup time as well.
Maintaining Performance We’ve talked about the importance of precision when you’re moving on so many axes. Each point of contact should also be kept clean to maintain performance, i.e., avoid scrap or poor finishes resulting from misalignment or chatter. These contact points include the spindle taper, clamping bores and, in the case of BIG-PLUS tooling, both the taper and flange mating surfaces of the dual-contact system. It’s tedious, dirty and even a little dangerous when chips are involved. That’s why you can’t overlook the tools out there for keeping your equipment in good working condition. These minor investments may be the last thing on the mind of a shop owner with a new 5-axis machine, but it will certainly pay big dividends if deployed right away. Here are just a few examples: Bore cleaners remove chip particles, grease, oil, and coolant from the hard-to-reach clamping bores of milling chucks, hydraulic chucks, and shrink fit holders. Taper cleaners serve a similar purpose at the other end of the tool, ensuring clean clamping into the machine spindle.
BIG DAISHOWA hydraulic chucks maintain higher rigidity and accuracy and have a smaller nose diameter relative to the tools they hold. This allows a further reach into mold cavities or other tricky work envelopes without interference.
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