Jaw dropper

Soft jaws now available in more than 600 sizes and styles – standard, pointed, high, wide, steel or aluminium – are the backbone of Thame Workholding's range of chuck jaws.

Thame's latest chuck jaws catalogue runs to 172 pages, featuring standard ranges of hard and soft jaws to suit chucks from all leading manufacturers and covering around 80% of end user requirements. For the remaining 20%, Thame Workholding claims it has the specialist experience necessary to design and manufacture dedicated workholding solutions for all types of machining application and virtually any shape of workpiece.

Standard ranges such as quick change jaws – which convert a standard power chuck into a quick jaw change chuck; Inogrip jaws – which secure the workpiece by locking their precise tooth form into defined pre-stamped identical indentations of the workpiece; and multi-point rocker jaws – which overcome problems associated with thin-walled components, are regularly updated and extended.

Thame Workholding‘s TEC Quick Change Jaw system for 1.5mm by 60º metric serrated power chucks, for example, now comprises six sizes of hardened intermediate jaws, which are mounted to a power chuck's existing base jaws. Each intermediate jaw features a specially designed mounting that, in turn, allows inexpensive soft top jaws – 13 types in all – to be fitted or exchanged within a few seconds at the push of a button. A high level of repeatability (0.020mm) guarantees all the advantages of a quick change chuck but at a fraction of the cost.

The extended Inogrip range, which allows stamped workpieces to be re-inserted into the jaws with a reported accuracy of up to ±0.005mm, offers a number of significant advantages, including the option of using one jaw set for both roughing and finishing operations. Because workpieces need only be clamped on 6mm of material rather than the 20-25mm required with other chuck jaws, there is less material wastage, and the chuck pressure needed to secure the workpiece is less – down to one tenth of the normal requirement.

Multi-point rocker jaws are now available to suit a wide range of chucks, including large vertical chucks up to 3m capacity, and are ideally suited to thin walled components such as rings. Firstly, the jaws spread the clamping force to six points (or 12 points for special designs), gripping equidistantly around the component and countering any tendency to ‘tri-lobing' while improving out of roundness to an acceptable level. Secondly, the floating rocking arms allow a part to self centre, thereby compensating for irregularities in castings and forgings.

The majority of Thame Workholding's standard jaws are manufactured from either 080M15 low carbon steel or 590M17 (16Nn Cr5) alloy steel and can be case hardened for long term durability. Other materials, including aluminiums, plastics and composites can be specified by the customer but are classified as specials. Every item is backed by a no quibble guarantee, with same day despatch of standard products from stock for orders placed before 3.00pm.

Thame Workholding
www.thameworkholding.com