Clamping Technology for Quality Assurance

Modular system for surface and contour measurement technology

The reliability of the measurement results and the level of the process costs are decisively influenced by how exact, safe and fast the fixing of the test specimens is. It was therefore overdue to make the many adjustment and clamping elements of the DK standard program applicable for the requirements of roughness and contour measurement. Adaptations to all conceivable machine tables and already existing fixtures were developed as a standard in order to be able to use existing solutions in the measuring room. Via the standard interfaces created in this way, all catalog products - and often the manufacturer's fixtures already available to the user from dimensional metrology - can be used directly. Fast, tool-free and repeatable thanks to multiple zero-point clamping.
Fixing the vision system instead of the test parts

As soon as the positioning of hardware for automated optical inspection of workpieces and processes becomes demanding, the principle of conventional device holders becomes more expensive and involves risks: a special design milled from the solid becomes cost-intensive and cannot be aligned accurately enough afterwards, let alone completely. Flexible solutions from other areas usually do not meet the requirements regarding permanent stability under operating conditions.

The DK program "Joint Systems" includes five programs of 3D-flexible clamping joints for the positioning of machine vision components:

• Strongline: for simple applications such as lighting positioning.
• Varioline: higher stability for demanding holding tasks
• Turnstopline: holds as if welded after manual tool-free locking of the central joint
• Chrom Line: radius up to 800 mm, if the camera has to be placed far away from a mounting option
• Hygienicline: Partial or full stainless steel program for clean zones and clean room areas as well as for adverse aggressive environmental conditions

Measurement fixturing systems for filigree test parts

What to do when test parts are so delicate and sensitive that even smooth-running manual chucks run the risk of applying too much force to the workpiece or of introducing a different force into the part with each new clamping, so that the measurement result is not reliable?

DK offers two solutions for such applications: The first is pendulum jaws on the system manual chucks that double the contact or clamping points on deformation-sensitive parts and reduce the force per contact point required for secure holding. The compensating pendulum motion of the jaws further reduces the risk of polygon formation.

The second solution is a torque wrench for manual chucks, which solves the problem that different users, or even the same user, always tighten the jaw chuck to different degrees when successive tensions are applied: The optimum clamping force for the respective test part becomes repeatable with the torque wrench and the overall process becomes more reliable.