Chuck arrangement and method for fastening and rotating a workpiece using such chuck arrangement having counterweights mechanically connected to the chuck jaws

A method for fastening and rotating a workpiece using a chuck arrangement, which chuck arrangement is associated with a radial direction, an axial direction and an angular direction about said axial direction, which method comprises the following steps:

• a) arranging the chuck arrangement into an assembled state, in which at least three chuck jaws of the chuck arrangement are radially displaceable;
• b) radially displace said chuck jaws into said respective clamping position, in which respective clamping position each respective chuck jaw applies a radial clamping force onto the workpiece so that the workpiece is held by the chuck arrangement;
• c) radially fixing each of said chuck jaws in said clamping position using a chuck jaw fixing means;
• and
• d) rotating the chuck arrangement in the angular direction, about the axial direction,
• wherein the method further comprises, for each of said chuck jaws, providing a respective associated counterweight, each of which counterweights, in said assembled state, is mechanically connected to its associated chuck jaw in question and also associated with a respective centre of gravity which in turn, in said assembled state, is arranged so that the counterweight in question, via centripetal forces developed by the counterweight in question, pulls its associated chuck jaw in a pull direction having a non-zero component radially towards a centre of rotation of the chuck arrangement as the chuck arrangement rotates in the angular direction in step d) wherein each of said chuck jaws is provided with a respective radially displaceable backing chuck jaw part and a respective clamping chuck jaw part, and wherein the method further comprises the step of mechanically connecting the respective backing chuck jaw part to the counterweight associated with the chuck jaw in question wherein each of said clamping chuck jaw parts is axially rotatable in relation to its corresponding backing chuck jaw part, and wherein step b) further comprises rotating said clamping chuck jaw parts into a desired rotational position.