Nipple chuck

A nipple chuck for supporting a nipple blank having a threaded end and an unthreaded end for rotation relative to tool means of a power driven thread cutting machine having a plurality of workpiece gripping jaw means rotatable about a machine axis, said nipple chuck having an axis and being mountable between said jaw means for coaxial rotation therewith, said chuck comprising a plurality of arcuate chuck segments extending about said chuck axis, said segments having corresponding first and second ends and corresponding interior and exterior sides, means adjacent said first ends of said segments supporting said segments for pivotal displacement such that said second ends are radially displaceable between open and closed positions relative to said chuck axis, thread means on the interior sides of said segments at said second ends thereof, said thread means enganging said threaded end of a nipple blank when said second ends of said segments are in said closed positions, said exterior sides of said segments being radially engaged by said gripping jaw means axially between said first and second ends to maintain said second ends in said closed positions about said threaded end of said nipple blank during rotation of said nipple chuck with said jaw means, said means adjacent said first ends of said segments comprising a connecting member transverse to said chuck axis, means connecting each of said segments to said connecting member, said connecting member including a central portion and a plurality of legs extending radially outwardly from said central portion and corresponding in number to said plurality of segments, each of said legs having a radially outer end, said means connecting said segments to said connecting member including means connecting the outer end of each leg to the corresponding segment, said connecting member being of planar resilient sheet metal and said legs being flexible relative to said central portion, and said means connecting the outer end of each leg to the corresponding segment comprising a rigid connection between each said leg and the corresponding segment.

A nipple chuck for supporting a nipple blank having a threaded end and an unthreaded end for rotation relative to tool means of a power driven thread cutting machine having a plurality of workpiece gripping jaw means rotatable about a machine axis, said nipple chuck having an axis and being mountable between said jaw means for coaxial rotation therewith, said chuck comprising a plurality of arcuate chuck segments extending about said chuck axis, said segments having corresponding first and second ends and corresponding interior and exterior sides, means adjacent said first ends of said segments supporting said segments for pivotal displacement such that said second ends are radially displaceable between open and closed positions relative to said chuck axis, thread means on the interior sides of said segments at said second ends thereof, said thread means engaging said threaded end of a nipple blank when said second ends of said segments are in said closed positions, said exterior sides of said segments being radially engaged by said gripping jaw means axially between said first and second ends to maintain said second ends in said closed positions about said threaded end of said nipple blank during rotation of said nipple chuck with said jaw means, and said exterior side of each of said plurality of segments including positioning means circumferentially centrally thereof receiving a corresponding one of said gripping jaw means to position said nipple chuck relative to said jaw means.