Device for chucking a tool or workpiece and method for operating such a chucking device

A system, comprising:

• a chucking device, comprising a rotationally-drivable spindle;
• chucking means for mechanical chucking or unchucking of a chucked object arranged on the spindle, the chucking means comprising a rotating body having gear teeth, each with a leading tooth flank and a trailing tooth flank, which allows the chucked object to be chucked or unchucked by relative rotational movement of the rotating body with respect to the spindle;
• a drive gearwheel having gear teeth engagable with the gear teeth of the rotating body, each of the drive gear wheel gear teeth having a leading tooth flank and a trailing tooth flank, which are complementary to the gear teeth of the rotating body;
• and a drive for rotationally driving the drive gearwheel, wherein the gear teeth of the rotating body and the gear teeth of the drive gearwheel define a flank play so as to define a neutral angular position of the gear wheel with respect to the rotating body in which the leading tooth flank and the trailing tooth flank of the gearwheel and a corresponding leading tooth flank and the trailing tooth flank of the rotating body are not in contact with each other;
• and
• a CNC controller configured to specify and maintain said neutral angular position and readjust the drive gear wheel as necessary to maintain said neutral angular position.

A method for mechanically chucking or unchucking a chucked object, comprising the following steps:

• introducing a chucked object into a chucking means of a chucking device, which is arranged on a spindle;
• rotationally driving a drive gearwheel, which is engaged with a rotating body of the spindle, while the spindle is fixed, or rotationally driving the spindle while the rotating body, which is engaged with the drive gearwheel, is fixed by the drive gearwheel, to move the chucking means such that the chucking means chucks or unchucks the chucked object;
• and
• transferring the rotating body and the drive gear wheel relative to each other into a neutral angular position such that a leading and a trailing tooth flank of the drive gearwheel is not in contact with a corresponding leading tooth flank and trailing tooth flank of gear teeth of the rotating body.