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Clean-Connection Accessories: Protect Investments and Increase Performance
A clean connection from the machine spindle and the part relies on each element in between. This includes the spindle taper, clamping bores and, in the case of BIG-PLUS tooling, both the taper and flange mating surfaces of the dual-contact system. Each point of contact must be kept clean to maintain performance and avoid scrap or poor finishes resulting from misalignment or chatter. Because precision matters at the cut, cleaning these surfaces completely is a must. Here are a few of the affordable accessories that can make cleaning easier and more effective.
Tooling Cleaners
Properly cared for and maintained tool holders make a difference in all shops. While a tool may not put in as much time as a spindle over its usable life, it interacts more closely with coolant and chips, making them susceptible to dust and ambient contamination. Tool cleaning is essential to sustained performance.
Bore Cleaners
Bore cleaners are designed to remove chip particles, grease, oil and coolant from the hard-to-reach clamping bores of milling chucks, hydraulic chucks and shrink fit holders. Made of injection molded plastic, these cleaners are designed to resist corrosion. Our TKC Cleaners are best for larger holders and the Alpha Wiper Cleaner is ideal for smaller holders helping ensure the highest and most concentric gripping possible. You can find out more about bore cleaners here.
Taper Cleaners
The bore cleaner’s cousin serves a similar purpose at the other end of the tool, ensuring clean clamping into the machine spindle. They are made in the same resilient style, with cleaning strips at the ideal intervals to remove even large particles. In addition to HSK versions, we offer cleaners made especially for dual-contact BIG-PLUS tooling that clean both the flange and taper. Learn more about taper cleaners here.
Spindle Cleaners
In a cutting environment, it’s inevitable that particles find their way into a machine tool spindle. This not only makes it harder to dial in cuts and harms tool life, but it can also damage spindles over time—and that’s not an inexpensive problem. These spindle cleaners are meant to make it easier to avoid these issues. Ideally spaced and positioned cleaning strips remove particles, as well as grease and oil residue, in HSK, BIG CAPTO, ISO and Morse tapers. Learn more about spindle cleaners here.
Pro tip: If you use shrink fit tooling, we highly recommend using a combination of taper and spindle cleaners. The intense heating and cooling cycles can essentially bake contaminants onto components making for difficult-to-diagnose disruptions in your assemblies.
Maintaining a rigorous cleaning schedule will extend the life of your tools and maintain consistency. These accessories can help you and the team perform those chores quickly, easily and successfully every time.
There are many accessories that can help improve operations and maintain your equipment. Learn about powerful machine tool accessories to improve performance here and stay tuned for more accessories to improve productivity in your shop.
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