Collet and assembly for mounting a workpiece to a milling machine
OwnerDrew Boersmainventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A milling machine can include a chuck and at least one tool. The chuck is rotatable about a first rotational axis and has clamping jaws. The at least one tool is movable relative to the first rotational axis. An assembly for the milling machine includes a workpiece and a collet. The collet includes fingers affixing the collet to the workpiece. The collet also includes a chuck mount receivable within the chuck. The chuck is rotatable about a first rotational axis and has clamping jaws. The at least one tool is movable relative to the first rotational axis. An assembly for the milling machine includes a workpiece and a collet. The collet includes fingers affixing the collet to the workpiece. The collet also includes a chuck mount receivable within the chuck.
Claims20
A collet for mounting to a workpiece and receivable within a milling machine chuck having clamping jaws, the collet comprising:
- a clamp assembly comprising multiple fingers arranged in spaced relation to define a gap, the multiple fingers being deflectable from a clamping position to a non-clamping position;
- and
- a piston assembly having a mandrel movable between a retracted position to an extended position to move the fingers from the clamping position to non-clamping position.
An assembly for a milling machine comprising a chuck, rotatable about a first rotational axis and having clamping jaws, and at least one cutting tool movable relative to the first rotational axis, the assembly comprising:
- a workpiece;
- and
- a collet comprising resilient fingers applying a clamping force affixing the collet to the workpiece and a chuck mount receivable within the chuck.
A method of automatic loading of a workpiece into a milling machine having a rotating chuck, the method comprising:
- moving the workpiece along a conveyor to an indexed position corresponding to alignment of a collet mounting station and a collet mounting location on the workpiece;
- when the workpiece is in the indexed position, mounting at least one collet to the workpiece at the collet mounting location to form a workpiece assembly comprising the workpiece and the at least one collet;
- and
- carrying the workpiece assembly with a robotic arm to the milling machine and inserting the at least one collet into the chuck.
A method of mounting differently configured workpieces to a milling machine having a chuck with clamping jaws, the method comprising:
- providing a plurality of clamping collets, each having a chuck mount portion and clamping elements for clamping their respective collet to a work piece;
- each said clamping collet having clamping elements specifically configured to be compatible with, and mounted to a compatibly configured workpiece, whereby the process of mounting said clamping collet to its correspondingly configured workpiece is streamlined and the time and effort required is reduced;
- mounting each said clamping collet, while mounted to said correspondingly configured workpiece, to said milling machine chuck by inserting said chuck mount portion of said clamping collet into said chuck and applying a clamping force from said clamping jaws to said chuck mount portion of said clamping collet, whereby said differentially configured work pieces can mounted to their correspondingly configured clamping collets in preparation and milled seriatim while mounted on their respective clamping collets with a minimum of setup time required between milling differently configured workpieces.
A method of mounting a workpiece to a milling machine having a chuck with clamping jaws, the method comprising:
- providing a clamping collet which includes a chuck mount portion and clamping elements moveable between a clamped position and an unclamped position;
- moving said clamping elements into said unclamped position for receiving a work piece between said unclamped clamping elements;
- positioning a workpiece between said unclamped clamping elements and moving said clamping elements to said clamped position to clamp said clamping collet to a work piece;
- mounting said clamping collet, while clamped to said workpiece, to said milling machine chuck by inserting said chuck mount portion of said clamping collet into said chuck and applying a clamping force from said clamping jaws to said clamping collet, whereby said work piece is mounted to said milling machine by clamping said milling machine chuck to said clamping collet, thus avoiding the time consuming necessity of workpiece setup and alignment within the milling machine chuck.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.