Keeping bar stock unmarked, holding a small diameter bar stock on center, holding a thin wall part, ejecting parts and working with extruded bar shapes are common gripping dilemmas for the Swiss-turning industry. Hardinge, a name synonymous with Super-Precision, offers gripping solutions for producing quality, small diameter parts for the medical and aerospace industry - headstock collets, pickoff collets, carbide guide bushings and bar loader collets.

Hardinge round guide bushings are carbide-lined to keep the stock clean and unmarked. Hardened steel or Meehanite-lined bushings can be made for certain stock that is not compatible with carbide. Custom guide bushings can be made for D-shaped or other extruded stock shapes. Extended-nose headstock and emergency collets feature added nose length (flat or tapered) for doing pickoff work or to compensate for tooling interference. Emergency collets can be machined to the desired bore size right in your shop to accommodate small runs or get you by in a pinch until your standard collet arrives. Emergency collets bored in place will provide better concentricity, and could be considered for small to medium job runs to meet print requirements.

Extremely small diameter bar stock can be difficult to keep on center. Hardinge has engineered a bushing to be fitted in the back end of their headstock collet to assure on-center feeding of the bar stock. This extra step can eliminate the problem of the stock accidentally pushing through a slot when working with extremely small diameter stock.

ID gripping pickoff collets may be the solution for parts with delicate outside threading or a thin wall, and may eliminate the time and cost involved with second operations. A built-in spring ejector allows each part to drop to a basket or conveyor for automating the process. Hardinge has engineered pickoff collets for Citizen, Star, Tornos Deco, Tsugami and other Swiss-type machine applications. Other special Swiss application collets include stepped, tapered, chamfered, radius and off-center order holes, and over-the-shoulder collets. Hardinge also manufactures bar loader collets for FMB, LNS and Robobar barfeeders. Other brand bar loader collets and Escomatic counter collets and guide bushings can be manufactured to order.

Dedicated teams and work cells manufacture to rigid specifications including material and heat treatment, with a process control that leads the industry. For more information contact Hardinge at 800-843-8801, or fax your prints to 607-734-3886.