Slimmed-Down Milling Chuck for Precise, Powerful Cutting

The HMCJ is a super-slim milling chuck with peripheral coolant supply from BIG KAISER Precision Tooling Inc. (Hoffman Estates, IL) that supports heavy-duty and finish end milling tasks with power and precision using Ø1/2 in or Ø12 mm cutters. This slimmer member of the Hi-Power Milling Chuck (HMC) family features a clamping bore with fine slots surrounded by hundreds of needle bearings that ensures concentric, precise and smooth clamping when the nut is tightened. The HMCJ applies the highest gripping force to the cutting tool shank of any comparable milling chuck in its class, and five to six times greater compared to collet chucks. The slim yet rigid design of this new chuck brings the nut diameter down to an impressive 1.260 in (32 mm), the smallest in its class. This was achieved while maintaining an uncompromising and substantial cross section of .394 in (10 mm) to prevent chatter and deliver cutting security. The max jet-through coolant pressure is 70 bar.

Despite being designed for heavy cutting, the HMCJ milling chuck is able to maintain a runout accuracy of ten microns at 4xD, giving it additional flexibility for use on finishing applications. For additional rigidity and accuracy, the CAT and BT interfaces are BIG-PLUS® as standard, however, a BIG-PLUS spindle is not necessary to achieve the excellent performance of this chuck. A Ø32 mm straight shank design is also available. It is also possible to use smaller diameter milling tools through the use of PJC Reduction Collets. The Ø.500 in HMCJ can then accept Ø3/8 in and Ø1/4 in shanks, and the Ø12 mm HMCJ can accept Ø10 mm, Ø8 mm and Ø6 mm shanks.

BIG KAISER also offers the world’s smallest hydraulic chuck for HSK-E25 machine spindles to complete their extensive range of Super Slim Hydraulic Chucks. The Super Slim type of Hydraulic Chucks (HDC) are the perfect tool holders for precision finishing processes in confined areas with drills, reamers, ball mills, end mills, diamond reamers and grinding tools. Cutting tools with shank diameters of 3 mm or 4 mm can be clamped directly and are ideally suited for high speed micro machining of automotive parts. The Super Slim HDC requires only a single wrench for clamping and unclamping, a much easier and safer solution compared to heat shrink tool holders. These chucks can clamp ultra-small end mills and drills directly, without needing a reduction sleeve. The external body diameter of the chuck nose is a mere 0.551 in (14 mm), and a gauge length of 1.575 in (40 mm) making it compact and precise. Each tool is precision balanced for speeds up to 60,000 rpm and runout accuracy of less than 3 microns (.00012 in) at 5xd.

“These ultra-precise hydraulic chucks, with their extremely slim design, are perfectly suited for high precision finish milling work on ultra-high speed spindles on machines with small work envelopes, “ explains Jack Burley, the vice president of sales and engineering at BIG KAISER. The Super Slim HDCs for HSK-E25 machine spindles are available from stock and are also available for the HSK-E 32 and HSK-E 40 spindle types.

The company also has three additions to their Smart Damper family of anti-vibration technology: EWN and EWD finish boring heads and SW rough boring heads with the CKB modular connection. Smart Damper incorporates a passive damping mechanism that functions as a counter action by way of high resonance friction action. The patent-pending system’s damping capability minimizes the effects of high frequency oscillations, absorbing vibration effectively and allowing higher machining accuracy. The modular CKB connection allows for an array of standard shanks and extensions to be adapted with the heads to create “custom” tools to extend over 16 in, maintaining damping near the cutting edge and managing vibration in long-overhang setups.

For rough boring holes Ø1.614 in to 4.331 in, the heavy-duty SW twin-cutter head with integral Smart Damper efficiently creates deep bores into iron or steel workpieces quickly, quietly and, most importantly, without vibration or chatter for faster machining and higher productivity rates. The SW Smart Damper can operate at cutting speeds of up to 660 sfm in steel at a length of 8xD without chattering. This is four times faster than the 165 sfm maximum chatterless cutting speed attainable with the standard SW heads. Moreover, the SW Smart Damper can perform two roughing operations without needing to change any components due to individually adjustable insert holders with a unique design element. Balanced cutting for high speed operations where inserts are of the same diameter and length, and stepped cutting for high stock removal where the insert holders are simply reversed to create diameter and height offsets.

For finish boring, tests have shown that with the new high precision mid-size diameter boring head types EWN and EWD with Smart Damper technology, deep holes free of vibration can be bored with dramatic improvements in time and accuracy. For example, with a projection length of 16 in and working in steel, a cutting speed of 1,500 sfm and feed rate of 6 ipm can be achieved. The EWN analog heads feature .0005 in/Ø setting accuracy, with .0001 in/Ø possible with Vernier precision. EWD digital heads feature Ø.00005 in setting accuracy, and have a seal rating of IP69K – the highest possible. The overall program between three head sizes covers the range of Ø1.614 in to 5.906 in. Both head types are coolant-through and, thanks to three different insert holders per head, a wide range of diameters can be processed on each head. For example, between 2.677 in and 5.906 in for the EWD 68 Smart Damper.

BIG KAISER Precision Tooling Inc., 2600 Huntington Boulevard, Hoffman Estates, IL 60192, 224-770-2999, Fax: 224-770-2997, bigkaiser@us.bigkaiser.com, www.us.bigkaiser.com.