Unilock options make addressing common workholding challenges simple

While most can’t invest in transformative capital equipment without months of planning and of course extensive cost, workholding is a different story. Zero-point workholding systems like Unilock don’t impose nearly the burden, yet can dramatically simplify and expedite jobs in ways that directly impact the bottom line.

Unilock easily adapts to existing pallets, fixtures and workpieces and can increase quality and throughput with repeatability of 0.0002″ or better with quick and accurate changeovers. What customers exploring the idea of Unilock often don’t realize is that there are options available that make the system even more customizable to individual jobs and easier to use. Let’s quickly discuss few of them and the valuable solutions they offer.

Achieving higher clamping forces
Unilock works by using spring pressure to drive wedges against tapered clamping knob. Air pressure is used to compress the springs, releasing the wedge lock. With the Turbo option, clamping forces can be multiplied from a few hundred pounds all the way to several thousand pounds, drastically expanding the range of work that can be performed and allowing for more consistent accuracy.

Setup peace of mind
Being able to quickly see and be absolutely sure about a chuck’s state, open or closed, is critical to efficient setup and getting the job done right the first time. With the Confirmation option, a sensor that’s installed into each chuck visually indicates if the chuck is open or closed and ready for work. This is available for our popular ESM138 and ESM176 chucks.

Simplified maintenance
As with any workholding setup, keeping the connections clean is of the utmost importance, not only for consistent and accurate performance, but also for extending the life of the investment. Unilock chucks are a mechanical device all their own, making maintenance even more important. This is made simple with the Air Blast option. With Air Blast, a modification is made to the back cover of the chuck that allows air to clean the knob as it enters the chuck, reducing manual labor and maintenance intervals.

Numerous chuck designs
With Unilock, there are chucks of all shapes and sizes. The applications are endless, and are limited only by your imagination. Chucks can sit on top of tables, they can be incorporated into tombstones/tables/plates, used as a 5-axis solution – basically in any configuration and in almost any process. You can even incorporate them into your EDM machine, your CMM or as a robot interface!

Investment protection
Heavy and elaborate parts that require creative fixturing can be difficult to handle, which introduces the risk of damaging a workholding system or the material. Understanding the value of these investments, we thought it was important to help lessen the risk of damage. Guide Pins and Lockout options prevent miss-loadings and damage to the chuck and knobs by helping to ensure the part is fixtured in a controlled and accurate way.

Check out the new Unilock catalog to learn more about how these options and the entire Unilock system work. You’ll find detailed specifications and easy-to-digest visuals that will help you understand how it all may fit into your floor and improve your operation.