Collet adapter chuck assembly with axially fixed collet head

A turning machine, comprising:

• a spindle including a drawbar;
• and
• a collet chuck assembly, comprising:
• a spindle adapter body constructed and adapted to be mounted on the spindle, said spindle adapter body defining therein an interior cavity, an elongate axis of said spindle adapter body defining a collet assembly movement axis of the collet chuck assembly;
• a sleeve assembly having outer surfaces constructed and arranged to slidingly engage corresponding inner surfaces of said spindle adapter body for axial movement along the collet assembly movement axis, said sleeve assembly defining an interior collet head receiving passage therein, said collet head receiving passage having engaging, motion-translating surfaces arranged on at least a portion thereof, said sleeve assembly also comprising:
• a rear portion having one or more bearing surfaces extending perpendicularly with respect to the collet assembly movement axis;
• and
• one or more projections extending from said rear portion substantially parallel to the collet assembly movement axis;
• one or more resilient elastic members constructed and arranged to be installed between the bearing surfaces of said sleeve assembly and corresponding bearing surfaces of said spindle adapter body;
• and
• a bushing member constructed and arranged to be removably and fixedly mounted within the interior cavity of said spindle adapter body proximate to said sleeve assembly, said bushing having a central passage positioned and adapted to be operationally contiguous with the collet head receiving passage of said sleeve assembly, said central passage having structure constructed and arranged to secure a collet head against movement along the collet assembly movement axis, said bushing member also defining one or more passages therein arranged to receive the one or more projections of said sleeve assembly so as to place said sleeve assembly in motion-transmitting relation with motion-generating or transmitting structures connected to the turning machine.

An actuation mechanism for a collet head, comprising:

• a sleeve assembly constructed and adapted to move between first and second positions along a first movement axis, the first position establishing an open position of the collet head and the second position establishing a closed position of the collet head,
• said sleeve assembly having engaging, motion-translating surfaces constructed and arranged to engage corresponding surfaces of the collet head,
• said sleeve assembly also having projections constructed and arranged to be inserted through a fixed member so as to transmit motion to said sleeve assembly;
• and
• one or more resilient elastic members coupled to said sleeve assembly and adapted to bear against an outer surface of said sleeve assembly and a bearing surface of another structure, said one or more resilient elastic members being adapted to resiliently resist a movement of said sleeve assembly between the first and second positions thereof.