Page 46 - 2021 CNC West April-May
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 UPDATE
ON LIVE
TOOLING
A REVIEW OF THIS MACHINING METHOD, THE BASIC CONCEPTS AND SOME EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS IN THE TECHNOLOGY
Article Supplied by Preben Hansen, President, Platinum Tooling Technologies Inc., Prospect Heights, IL
Live tooling, as a component on a lathe, is specifically manipulated by the CNC to perform various milling, drilling and other operations
while the workpiece is being held in position by the main or sub spindle. These components, whether BMT or VDI, are also called driven tools, as opposed to static tools, that are used during turning operations. All live and static tools are built per the machine tool builder’s specification for each of the various models they produce. A key to running a successful job shop or production department is to partner with a supplier
who can meet the tooling needs for all or most of the machines on your floor.
Most often, live tooling is offered in standard straight and 90o angle head configurations with a wide range of tool output clamping systems, including ER collet chuck, arbor, Weldon, Capto, whistle notch, hydraulic, HSK, CAT, ABS and a variety of custom or proprietary systems developed by the many suppliers to the industry.
When the need arises for a new machine tool, careful consideration should be made to determine which live tools are appropriate for your application. While a standard machine tool package will help you get started, it is important to anticipate job and volume changes, as well any unforeseen machining
challenges from the beginning, in order to avoid machine downtime. This short article is meant to give you a set of parameters to consider when evaluating the live and static tooling to use in your shop or production department. Simply stated, you need to do as much evaluation of your process, when determining the proper tooling to be used,
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Universal style adjustable tool might be the ideal solution for families of parts.





















































































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