A zero-point clamping system can complement a 5-axis machining centre. Numerous practical examples attest to its efficacy.
Reducing non-productive time, setting up outside the machine, quickly pushing through an urgent order: these are challenges that arise in day-to-day production. But abandoning time-honoured practices can be difficult. Traditional clamping technology and the associated machines have become highly prevalent over the years. Using a machine vice, three-jaw chuck, clamping jaws and other standard clamping devices together with groove or bore systems is as essential in production as it ever has been. The drawback of this kind of clamping, however, is that retooling the machine takes a lot of time.
For every job, it takes 20 to 30 minutes or more to mount the clamping devices on the machine table in the proper way. At first, the machine table is cleared of chips and cooling lubricant, the apparatus already in place is disassembled and the machine table is cleaned once again so that the new apparatus can be placed on it. Then the search for suitable clamping jaws, screws, etc. begins so that the apparatus can then be secured. The dial gauge is used several times, the equipment is aligned and finally fixed, before the position is once again checked with the dial gauge for safety. This takes a considerable amount of time – indeed, often longer than the processing of the workpiece itself.
This is where a zero-point clamping system comes in. It provides the machine operator with a means to simplify the time-consuming processes of cleaning, measuring, aligning and clamping. The machine table is equipped with a standardised interface that pares the process of centring and aligning the apparatus back to a few seconds. This eliminates a significant source of errors.
All HEDELIUS machining centres can be equipped with the GARANT ZeroClamp zero-point clamping system in the factory. The clamping cylinders are fitted evenly into the fixed machine table, the integrated rotary table or the rotary/tilt table, so that travel is not restricted. The zero-point clamping system is impressive for its large holding load and repeat accuracy. Additional T-slots are also available for the use of conventional clamping devices.