Flexible, Sealed Collet Heads Achieve High Accuracy and Reduce Setup

OmniGrip Collet Systems from Forkardt, Inc. (Traverse City, MI) are flexible, sealed collet heads that interchange in seconds and are available with spindle mounts for most brands of CNC lathes. However, quick changeover is not the only benefit. With an accuracy of .0004 in TIR on the A and D styles, and a .0008 in TIR on the DL style, the OmniGrip falls in the “special accuracy” collet classification. These systems achieve the same gripping capability as conventional collets while using less draw bar force.

Vulcanized rubber bonds the hardened, chrome-nickel steel collet sections together providing superior elasticity for repeated opening and closing of the collet without deterioration. A manual wrench can be used to compress the collet providing quick changeover in seconds instead of minutes. The collet head has a gripping range of ±.020 in (.5 mm) of its nominal size to allow variation in bar stock without having to change the collet.

True parallel clamping minimizes stock “push back” that could create inconsistent part lengths. Purchase one spindle mount and interchange collet heads from job to job. OmniGrip collet heads are fully interchangeable with competitor’s models.

An Emergency Collet can be kept on hand for just-in-time machining when the proper size hardened collet is not in your tool drawer. The taper and collet seat of an emergency collet are hardened while the ID and the face of the collet head are soft. A face boring ring will hold the collet in nominal position for boring to size.

Emergency collets are reusable. Standard collets, ordered to size, are stocked in round smooth, round serrated, hex smooth, hex serrated, square smooth, emergency and S-master style collets. Square sizes are made to order.

The OmniGrip Collet Systems are available in 42 mm, 65 mm and 80 mm sizes and are ideal for machines experiencing multiple changeovers daily and where stock variations occur. When using an OmniGrip system, it takes less than ten seconds to change a collet. Setup time is drastically reduced when compared to 191 seconds to change three jaws on a power chuck or 79 seconds that it takes to change a collet in a standard collet chuck. Test results from repeated collet actuation indicate a highly durable, fully sealed gripping solution.

Forkardt, Inc., 2155 Traversefield Drive, Traverse City, MI 49686, 800-544-3823, Fax: 231-995-8361, sales@forkardt.us, www.forkardt.us.