US 5,498,008 AGranted

Chuck jaw locking apparatus for rotatable machine tool

OwnerR. Lee Chase, Russell C. Chaseinventors

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Abstract

This disclosure is directed to a chuck system for a machine tool such as a lathe. It incorporates an elongate cylindrical body which terminates in a set of collet fingers having enlargements at the detail end whereby the enlargements define a circular body. The circular body is divided by slots to form collet fingers with enlargements at the ends of the collet fingers. A circumferential groove is formed having a registration shoulder for all of the lock jaw segments. Each lock jaw segment has a protruding tab. The tab is locked by positioning against the face of the groove and is registered against movement by jamming against a transverse post in the groove which shoulders against a conforming notch on the locking tab. A set screw holds the components in fixed location, and release is accomplished by unthreading the set screw.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A machine tool chuck jaw mounting system comprising:

(a) a demountable chuck having at least two removable and replaceable master jaws;
(b) at least two soft jaws fixedly anchored with respect to the master jaws to support a work piece;
and
(c) a registration means releasably holding the soft jaws with respect to the master jaws in repetitive fashion to assure that the soft jaws, after removal and reinstallation, are returned to a registered position with respect to the master jaws said registration means comprising:
(1) a registration pin on said master jaw and having an external surface defining a first clamping surface;
(2) a spaced registration member and a cooperative receiving surface located to define a second clamping surface;
(3) an alignment area on said master jaws for receiving and fixedly holding said soft jaws;
(4) wherein said first and second clamping surfaces cooperative with a registration pin prevent soft jaw movement after installation;
(5) a tapered point on a set screw to engage a co-acting chamfered surface to force soft jaw registration;
(6) wherein registration is in three dimensions;
and
(7) wherein radial jaw movement restrains the work piece.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.