Chucks And Arbors Designed For Holding Thin-Walled Parts

The Conform-A-Chuck and Conform-A-Arbor workholding solutions are designed to adapt to an out-of-round OD or ID and securely grip that diameter to enable boring, honing, grinding or other machining operations without changing the original free-state shape of the part. These workholding solutions are suited for the machining of thin-walled parts such as automotive smog control air pump rotors, gas turbine parts, thin-wall tubing and cylinder liners for diesel engines.

The Conform-A products rely upon a plastic material called Hydra-Fibre. This material allows the chuck or arbor to expand (as much as 0.125″ depending upon size) and adjust in order to hold thin-walled and out-of-round components without rounding. The products are able to locate on a rough-machined surface and establish an average center line. By locating on the entire surface, the chuck is able to support the weak component area and withstand tool pressure. Resulting accuracies of the operation are typically within +0.001″.

The chucks and arbors can be developed in virtually any size to meet the application with either a direct pressure or a self-contained hydraulic system. The arbors feature retractable stops so that the end face of the part may be machined square and ID chamfered during the same cycle during which the OD is turned.