Ultra-Precision Accuracy – 0.″ or Better
DRAKE are exported all over the world and different industries with quality first. Our belief is to provide our customers with more and better high value-added products. Let's create a better future together.
How much time do you waste boring jaws? The Royal Quick-Grip™ pays for itself in no time.While many users purchase the Royal Quick-Grip™ CNC Collet Chuck for its lightning-fast collet changes and wide gripping range, another major benefit of this system is its extreme accuracy.
With CNC collet chucks, there are several factors which affect overall system accuracy.
These include:
The manufacturing processes for Royal CNC collet chucks and collets have all been fully optimized to achieve the absolute tightest tolerances and highest accuracies. While we guarantee our chucks at 0.″ TIR between the A-mount taper and collet chuck closing sleeve, they often run at 0.″ or better! Round-bore collet accuracy is also guaranteed to be within 0.″ TIR.
This means that out of the box, with absolutely no indicating in, you can expect to achieve a Quick-Grip™ total system accuracy of 0.″ TIR or better. We know of no other collet chuck manufacturer that can consistently produce such an exact level of precision.
Big Benefit #3Industry-Leading Gripping Range – 0.062″With a spring-type collet, unless the bore is exactly sized to the workpiece diameter there will be reduced contact, resulting in compromised accuracy and grip force.
With a Quick-Grip™ collet, the segments always remain parallel to the workpiece, helping to maintain optimum accuracy and grip force.
Royal Quick-Grip™ Collets have a much wider collapse range than conventional spring collets. A spring-type collet can only be compressed by up to 0.005″ before there is a sharp drop off in both grip force and accuracy due to the changing angle of the gripping surface.
However, with the unique design of the Royal Quick-Grip™ collet, each collet segment is bonded to the adjacent segments with vulcanized rubber. This ensures that the collet segments always remain parallel to the workpiece as the collet is compressed, giving the Quick-Grip™ collet a full collapse range of .062″ (nominal diameter ± .031). For the QG-100, this range is even greater – 0.080″!
Slash Cycle Times and Boost Throughput
Many Royal Quick-Grip™ users have told us that they have made back their investment in just a few short weeks thanks to such a significant increase in throughput over their previous three-jaw chucks and older-style collet chucks.The parallel-grip functionality of Royal Quick-Grip™ Collets provides extremely high grip force by maintaining workpiece contact over the entire length of each collet segment (see image above). Additionally, the design and construction of all Royal Quick-Grip™ CNC Collet Chucks has been optimized for rock-solid rigidity.
This combination of tremendous grip force and outstanding rigidity results in something that every manufacturer strives for – the ability to drastically increase speeds, feeds and depth of cut, without sacrificing part accuracy or surface finish.
Big Benefit #5Most Compact Collet Chucks in the IndustryRoyal Accu-Length™ CNC Collet Chucks have been optimized for tool clearance and rigidity. Short lengths maximize the usable space inside the machining envelope, while extremely compact nose diameters reduce tool interference and enable machining to take place closer to the spindle.
Compact
(Standard Length/Compact Nose Diameter)
The traditional length ensures that these chucks can accommodate most machine drawtubes, while a greatly reduced nose diameter offers the best tool clearance in the industry.
Ultra-Compact
(Compact Length/Compact Nose Diameter)
These are the smallest collet chucks available. Often mounted on sub-spindles, Royal’s Ultra-Compact CNC Collet Chucks make a great choice when maximum z-axis capacity is the primary requirement.
Extended-Length
(Longer Length/Compact Nose Diameter)
Royal stocks a few chuck models in extended-length versions to accomodate a handful of machines with limited z-axis travel. As a rule, it is usually best to choose the shortest chuck model possible for your machine.
Big Benefit #6Exclusive Royal Bolt & Go™ Mounting Advantage
Knock 30 Minutes Off Your Setup Time with Royal Bolt & Go™All Royal CNC Collet Chucks mount quickly, easily, and accurately due to our exclusive Bolt & Go™ mounting interface.
Many Royal chuck models mount directly to the lathe spindle without the need for an adapter plate. However, for models that do use a plate, a precision–ground tapered fit between the plate’s male pilot and chuck body’s female recess ensures a consistent, near-perfect fit without the need for any adjustment. This precision fit also enhances overall system rigidity by providing both face and taper contact.
Other chuck manufacturers use a less precise approach. Instead of providing a near-perfect tapered interface between the chuck body and plate, they rely on a loose fit between a male cylindrical pilot on the plate and an oversized bore within the chuck body. Because there is clearance between these two components, jack screws located around the circumference must be used to radially true-up the chuck on the plate. This process of using the jack screws and an indicator to dial out the runout each time a chuck is mounted wastes valuable production time. The rigidity of this design is also significantly less due to the limited point-contact provided by the screws against the pilot as compared to the full-contact tapered fit of the Royal Bolt & Go™ interface.
Big Benefit #7Risk-Free Performance GuaranteeIn addition to providing superior quality, service, support, and deliveries, Royal CNC Collet Chucks also carry an industry exclusive risk-free performance guarantee. This no-risk guarantee allows our customers to run a collet chuck on the toughest jobs in their shop for 45-days, and if they are not 100% satisfied with its performance, we will take it back and arrange for a full refund through their distributor.
When you buy a CNC collet chuck from Royal Products, you can have complete confidence that we will not let you down. For over 75 years, Royal has been recognized as one of the most reliable and trusted suppliers in the metalworking industry. We are here for you today, and we’ll be here for you tomorrow
Big Benefit #8Precision-Made in USA ISO :(This article is an updated version of the original that was published in .)
When considering the purchase of a CNC lathe or turning center, it is important to ensure that the workholding system is matched to both the machine’s capabilities and the type of work that it will be doing. For example, the workholding system for a large-bore oil-patch lathe that will be machining pipe threads is probably not going to be the right solution for a high-speed multitasking machine making hip joints.
Many CNC lathes and turning centers come equipped from the factory with a standard workholding system consisting of a three-jaw power chuck, a hydraulic actuating cylinder and a drawtube. The hydraulic cylinder is fixed to the rear end of the machine’s spindle, while the chuck is mounted to the front side, or working side, of the spindle. These two components are typically connected together via the hollow steel drawtube that passes through the spindle bore.
For more CNC Collet Chuck Priceinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.
The opening and closing of the chuck jaws are accomplished through the axial motion of the hydraulic actuator’s piston. As the piston slides back and forth, the drawtube moves in unison, driving a wedge-shaped plunger within the chuck body. This plunger converts axial motion to radial motion, causing the jaws to open and close. The amount of gripping force that the jaws apply to a workpiece is directly related to the actuator output force and is easily regulated with a pressure valve.
As a universal workholding device, a three-jaw chuck functions well for many common turning applications. It can hold a range of part sizes, is capable of operating at reasonable rotational speeds and achieves good accuracies—particularly when the jaws are bored in place.
A CNC collet chuck mounts to the working side of a CNC lathe spindle in the same manner as a three-jaw chuck and uses the machine’s existing hydraulic cylinder and drawtube for actuation.
However, there are many applications where a jaw chuck is not the best workholding option, which has led to the development of a range of alternative solutions. The most common among these is the CNC collet chuck.
A CNC collet chuck mounts to the working side of a CNC lathe spindle in the same manner as a three-jaw chuck and uses the machine’s existing hydraulic cylinder and drawtube for actuation. The installation of a collet chuck usually requires the fitment of an intermediate adapter between the chuck and drawtube to compensate for thread and position disparities. This adapter is custom machined for the specific lathe/chuck combination and is normally included in the price of the collet chuck.
CNC collet chucks were originally developed to facilitate the machining of smaller parts. Although collet chucks are available with capacities of as large as about 6 inches, the majority of applications are for workpiece diameters measuring 3 inches or less. In fact, the benefits achieved by using a collet chuck on parts in this size range are so significant, many lathe manufacturers and machine tool distributors now allow customers to purchase their machines with a collet chuck already installed as the standard workholding device.
The most obvious advantage when machining parts in the 0 to 3-inch range is the additional tool clearance provided by a collet chuck’s streamlined shape and reduced nose diameter. This arrangement enables machining to take place much closer to the chuck, providing maximum rigidity and better surface finishes. In contrast, the large diameter of a three-jaw chuck and its jaws typically requires the part being machined to extend further into the work zone, thereby increasing the likelihood of deflection.
Collet chucks also lend themselves to small diameter work because their lower mass and symmetrical geometries enable them to run at higher speeds than conventional three-jaw chucks. Being comparatively lighter in weight, collet chucks are less prone to the negative effects of centrifugal force and, therefore, tend to produce more consistent gripping force over the entire rpm range.
One of the major differences between a collet chuck and a three-jaw chuck is evident in the area of workpiece engagement. A jaw chuck typically provides three points of contact—one for each jaw. Conversely, a collet chuck and collet offers 360-degree support. This additional contact helps reduce the chance of part slippage, and also plays an important role in the machining of tubes and thin-walled parts. By distributing the gripping force evenly over the entire workpiece circumference, the risks of pinching and crushing are reduced.
Some additional benefits of using a collet chuck when bar feeding include reduced vibration and faster clamp/unclamp times.
Collet chucks are the preferred workholding method for most bar feeding applications. Aside from the previously outlined advantages related to small diameter turning, some additional benefits of using a collet chuck when bar feeding include reduced vibration and faster clamp/unclamp times. The 360-degree contact between the collet and workpiece again comes into play in bar feeding applications by ensuring that the barstock remains on centerline for concentric re-gripping after being advanced by the feeder.
Some additional advantages to using collet chucks include faster setup times and/or higher accuracies because there is no need to bore soft jaws in place; availability of standard collets for gripping round, square and hex-shaped stock; internal expanding collets for gripping on workpiece internal diameters; and bores as small as ¼ inch can be accommodated. Holding odd-shaped parts and performing off-center turning are among some of the more specialized applications that can be easily handled with custom collets.
As its name implies, a pullback collet chuck operates by drawing a collet back into the chuck body. As the external taper on the collet makes contact with the internal taper of the chuck, the collet compresses to grip the workpiece. A downside of this simple design is that as the collet draws back, it often starts pulling the barstock or workpiece with it, resulting in variable Z-axis positioning. On first operation jobs, this part movement can usually be remedied with a simple facing cut, but may present more of a problem with secondary operation work or subspindle backworking operations where length features must be accurately controlled.
Royal Products’s dead-length collet chucks (branded as Accu-Length) have been designed to overcome the issue of part movement during the closing operation. With a dead-length chuck, the collet is fixed to the chuck body, and a tapered sleeve pushes forward over the collet to compress it. Because there is no axial movement of the collet with this design, workpiece positioning remains constant. As machine tools become more sophisticated with features such as live tooling, multiple spindles, multiple turrets and in-process gaging, there has been a shift in the market away from pullback-style chucks in favor of the more advanced dead-length model of collet chuck for both main and subspindle operations.
Royal’s low-profile CNC collet chucks are characterized by both a distinctive streamlined shape and their use of traditional spring-type collets. Collet choices include 5C, 16C, and 3J models, while the larger models use master collets that work in conjunction with S-type collet pads.
With this type of workholding system, the collets have a limited range of a few thousandths of an inch, so it is important to closely match the collet bore to the workpiece size for optimal accuracy and grip force. Installing a spring-type collet into a low-profile chuck is accomplished by threading it into the chuck and engaging a key with the collet’s keyway. Low-profile chucks are available in both pullback and dead-length configurations.
Most shops are dealing with short lot sizes across the production spectrum. The days of dedicating a machine to a single long run part are, for the most part, over. The capability for quickly changing over a machine from one job to the next is in high demand.
Workholding manufacturers, such as Royal, have developed quick-change collets (Royal brands its Quick-Grip) in response to this demand. These collet chucks are a relatively new innovation in the workholding market and offer a number of advantages over traditional collet chuck designs. (To read an article about the Quick-Grip collet, visit “Discovering the Benefits of Collet Chucks.”)
Another advantage offered by Royal’s quick-change system is the 1/16-inch gripping range of the collets.
One of the most functional features of this design has to do with the way the collet is installed. A special installation tool compresses the rear end of the collet so that it can be inserted into the chuck. Upon expansion, the collet locks into place via a hook and groove arrangement.
Another advantage offered by Royal’s quick-change system is the 1/16-inch gripping range of the collets. This range is possible because of the fact that each segment of the quick-change collet is completely separated from the other segments by a vulcanized rubber spacer. With this design, all collet segments are installed at the same time.
This design allows for parallel gripping of the workpiece over the entire closing range, providing a significant advantage over spring-type collets where the segments begin to form an angle after being compressed by a few thousandths of an inch. The range and parallel grip of the system enables it to easily handle both oversized and undersized barstock, as well as over-the-shoulder gripping of pins, fasteners, and so on.
One final advantage of the Quick-Grip collet chuck is its extremely short overall length. This provides maximum work zone usage, a benefit that is especially valuable on smaller machines with limited Z-axis capacity. The short length also improves rigidity by keeping the workpiece closer to the machine’s spindle bearings.
Choosing the right collet chuck begins by identifying the spindle nose of the machine on which the chuck will be mounted. All CNC lathe spindle noses follow international standards that clearly define the mounting interface dimensions. Common spindle nose configurations for the North American market include A2-6, A2-8, and 140 mm.
The next step is to determine the chuck’s required capacity, based upon the size of the parts that need to be held. For bar feeding applications, it is customary to match, or slightly exceed, the machine’s drawtube bore size.
Once the spindle mount and required capacity have been identified, the selection can be further narrowed based on specific features and benefits of the various models, including pullback versus dead-length operation; external clearance dimensions; RPM capability; and setup time requirements.
When properly matched to a machine, bar feeder and application, CNC collet chucks provide an economical and effective way of holding material less than 4 inches in diameter. Because collet chucks are generally matched with a bar feeder, some of which have magazine storage and are designed to maintain consistent gripping force at high speeds, they are the workholding choice for lights-out operations.
Collet chucks’ compact size improves tool clearance, maximizes Z-axis capacity and aids in rigidity. Readily available round, square, hex, internal expanding and emergency collets offer broad flexibility.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of CNC Power Chuck. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.