Improvement of the Automatic Workpiece Clamping Mechanism of Lathes to Expand Technological Capabilities

Abstract

The force characteristics of actuators of automatic clamping mechanisms determine the forces of clamping workpieces in the spindle assemblies of lathes. It determines the opportunities for clamping the workpieces with a wide range of material characteristics and construction rigidity. The conducted work aims to develop a new method of measurement of the force characteristics of the drive of automatic clamping mechanisms. The measurement issue is solved by implementing the contactless method, which meets the requirements for ensuring the efficient operation of a high-speed spindle assembly. The developed structure provides new opportunities for creating a control system with better possibilities for interactive estimation of the clamping forces. The use of the developed design helps to increase the quality of clamping and, consequently, the productivity ofmachining workpieces with an expanded range of characteristics. The proposed design of the clamp drive does not contain radially movable parts and implements a contactless power supply. It is proposed to control the clamping mechanism by non-contact measurement of the torque at the input link of the mechanical drive in the range of 0–50 N·m