Japanese-manufactured Kitagawa rotary workholding systems that are usually fitted to lathes are now being offered for highly efficient static workholding on the table of machining centres. In the UK and Ireland, sole agent for these YS Modular Systems is 1st Machine Tool Accessories, Salisbury.
The pneumatically or hydraulically operated static cylinders have multiple workholding options for pull or push chuck actuation and are rapid to set up for various production requirements. Cylinders with a standard mounting interface can be supplied to actuate 6-inch, 8-inch or 10-inch chuck sizes.
Base units may be mounted side by side, depending on machine size, to facilitate multiple workpiece fixturing and automated production. Pull force is up to 20.8 kN with pneumatic actuation or 51.9 kN with low pressure hydraulic actuation at 15 bar, with up to 20 mm of piston stroke.
Multiple standard workholding options are available including three-jaw power chucks for holding prismatic workpieces, collet chucks for round, square and hex billet up to 80 mm, and expanding mandrels with a pull-back function for internal gripping of components with bores from 12 up to 82 mm diameter as standard.
The low profile of the cylinders, down to just 77.5 mm in height for the 6-inch model, does not unduly restrict Z-axis motion, maximising the prismatic milling and drilling envelope of the machines on which they are mounted. A screw-on protective cover allows unused units to remain permanently on the machine table, if desired, without fear of damage due to swarf ingress from machining at an adjacent fixture.
