Precision parts machining shops are increasingly faced with the need to accept higher-mix/lower-volume work. Putting a job on a machine tool and running it for long periods of time is not as common as it used to be, and the definition of medium- and high-volume lot sizes has changed.

To maximize production efficiency, shops look to shorten the time required to change-over a machine tool from one job to another. In a turning application, one area in which a shop can save time is workholding, generally found in the form of universal clamping devices such as the three-jaw chuck. And one practical solution is a quick-change interface.

Changing jaw chucks on lathes has always been time consuming, but some products are geared towards reducing this bottleneck. Learn about Driving System, designed for any process requiring frequent change-over, that can reduce the time needed for replacing a three-jaw chuck from 45 minutes to 30 seconds for single-part and small-series production runs.

Because of its versatility, Swiss turning has found its way deep into the precision turned parts market. To make the most of this technology, a look at workholding considerations is in order.

For the most part, workholding on a Swiss is about collets. On a conventional fixed headstock lathe, the collet and spindle are fixed. They function as a rotary axis only. The Swiss-type moving headstock uses the spindle as both a rotary and linear axis. This design allows for very close coupling of the cross-fed cutter and the point of maximum workpiece support, which is nearest the spindle nose—on a Swiss, the guide bushing.