
Bewise Inc. www.tool-tool.com Reference source from the internet.
In today's complex manufacturing environment, maintaining operations at optimum levels will require a significant degree of attention, effort and priority. This is particularly true of the higher tech elements such as machine controls, hard working mechanical structures, programming and general equipment reliability. Fortunately, on the other hand, there are certain manufacturing components that are robust and consistent, and that will yield a long lifetime of usage. Workholding collets fall into this category, having been historically incorporated in a wide variety of applications and industries for more than 100 years.
It is not certain when the first collets were employed, but it has been established that workholding collets were available before the turn of the last century. At its facility, workholding manufacturer Hardinge (Elmira, New York) displays collet drawings and complete line catalogues that date from 1901. The production of collets at Hardinge occurred in the 1890s, with many of the applications at that time focusing on the watchmaking and lens industries. Collets have proven to be as useful on today’s CNC equipment, with state-of-the-art control systems, as they were on the early engine lathes and the cam operated multi-spindle automatics from the 1920s. As strange as it might seem, when we look back at what has evolved with machining and equipment technology, it is as though the basic collet was suspended in design time and space, while everything around it was required to adapt to productivity improvements.
This phenomenon of the staying power of the collet, in light of the rapidly changing technology in machine tool design, is attributed to the utility and the elegant simplicity of the device. The collet is a small but powerful component for the machine tool industry, incorporating all of the following features:
The capability to accurately grip a workpiece or a tool, resisting both rotational forces and multi-directional cutting loads.
The capability to amplify the actuation force, converting it into workpiece or tool gripping.
The inherent ability to rapidly release the workpiece or the tool.
The ability to operate at high repetition levels without loss of accuracy or material failure.
The ability to operate at a wide range of rotational speeds with minimal loss of gripping force.
The ability to accomplish all of the above with a minimum of rotational inertia.
Grip Force
The overall design and use of the workholding collet is a tremendously broad subject, considering the multiple collet families for the huge array of material-cutting machines and the variety of individual styles and features. The total count of workholding collets would probably number in the tens of thousands. There is a common misconception that collets are limited to grip round, square or hex shaped materials. This could not be further from the truth; in fact, nearly any shape or part form that fits within the envelope of the collet can be engineered to grip the part piece for processing. This article, however, is limited to a discussion regarding the factors that can and do affect gripping force. It is important to note that the principles described below can be associated with both internal and external gripping operations.




