Automotive Archives - Northfield

Northfield Model 620W Autolube Chuck (0.0001” TIR) with special top tooling

Brief

Our customer is a manufacturer of high precision pistons. They require a way to hold the irregular surface on the outer diameter of their ‘as-cast’ piston for turning the piston’s crown.

Solution

To meet this challenge, we came up with a set of Subjaws, permanently mounted to the chuck’s master jaws (T-shaped in the photo). These contain Changeable Serrated Insert Pads. The toothed serrations slightly bite into the part’s OD, allowing them to grip the piston very securely as they perform their first machining operation on this part.

Northfield Model 620W Autolube Chuck (0.0001” TIR) with special top tooling

Extra Features

The center of this chuck has a locating pad (not shown) secured with a screw. This locates the upper inside cavity of the piston for a repeatable stop surface.

This chuck is also an “Autolube” chuck, a setup that includes a remotely located oil reservoir tank and hardware. This facilitates a guaranteed way to keep the chuck automatically lubricated.

This feature can be added to almost all our chucks on request.

Do you have a unique part that requires a custom workholding solution? Then give us a call.

Contact Northfield – Northfield

in Air Chucks, Automotive

Air-Detect Chuck with Custom Top Tooling

Customer

This customer is an integrated technology group supplier to the global automotive industry and a leading provider for security technology.

Brief

To customize a wet air chuck that guarantees speed and accuracy during changeover and machining operations.

This application is used to hold pistons (not shown) crown-side-down for machining the opposite side.

Solution

Shown here is a Northfield Precision Model 650W Sliding-Jaw Air Chuck (0.0001” TIR) with custom top tooling.

The custom precision solution has an extra air-detect function. The three 3 small holes exit through the top of the Axial Locator mounted to the chuck face. This senses proper seating of the pistons prior to machining. Reducing changeover time and facilitating more accurate results.

This chucking setup is capable of .0001” TIR total accuracy/repeatability on all critical surfaces that interface with the part.

More info here – 6 Inch Model 650W Air Chuck with coolant through body – Northfield

or reach out online – Contact Northfield

in Air Chucks, Automotive, Balancing

Custom Balancing Workholding

Our customer provides Dynamic Balancing Machines and Services. Inspecting and balancing: torque converters and rotating driveline parts up to 10,000lbs.

Brief

The request is for a chuck that can expand to grip the inner diameter of female splined shafts, while it rotates on their balancing machine.

The challenge is to improve their previous solution. They were previously using a “homemade” fixture. It had a slip-fit without the expanding capability to grip the inner diameter of the part.

Custom Northfield Model 450 Sliding-Jaw Air Chuck (0.0001” TIR)

Northfield Solution

Shown above is our Northfield Model 450 Sliding-Jaw Air Chuck (0.0001” TIR) with special ID-gripping Top Jaws. Additionally, an integral Axial Locator increases the speed of part change over and accurate part seating before starting the operation.

Result

This chucking arrangement solves their problem. It provides a reliable and repeatable method for them to grip their parts while accommodating the part’s tolerance variations.

If you have a similar custom project, reach out to our team. Contact Northfield

in Air Chucks, Automotive

No need to regrind - Long Lasting Custom Jaws

Our customer is a precision manufacturer of engine and fuel injection systems.

The Challenge

is to solve the problem of extreme wear on the grip area on the jaws. Northfield Chucks can be customized with a variety of top tooling options. Here is one of our standard 4” sliding-jaw chucks (Northfield Model 450). Especially modified for our customer.

Solution

To solve this, we developed a custom set of jaws containing brazed carbide for the grip lands of the jaws. The result, the jaws last approximately 3 times as long, before requiring a regrind.

Could this kind of modification to a standard work holding chuck help you solve a problem?

Then get in touch with the team.

Contact Northfield – Northfield

Or call: (516) 431-1112

in Automotive, Collet Chucks, Drilling

Internally Gripping - Automotive Drilling

Custom automotive drilling work holding A drilling solution custom designed for the automotive industry. Based on hydraulically actuated, internal grip collet chucks.

Eight of these chucks mount on a pallet in a vertical machining centre, gripping automotive parts for drilling. The chucks are 76mm in diameter but deliver up to 544 kg. of draw force.

Custom automotive drilling work holding

Northfield Collet Chucks repeat to 1/10,000 T.I.R and pull the part onto the centre hard stop.

Does this sound like something that you would be interested in? Get in touch to discuss your next project with Northfield.

in Automotive, Balancing, Collet Chucks

Internal Spline C.V. Chucks

Recently at Northfield we produced a custom internal grip collet chuck for balancing drive shafts.

Custom_Internal_Grip_Collet_Chuck

The collet on this chuck grips the pitch diameter of splined C.V. joints of a driveshaft assembly.

The ‘cone’ has multiple stop pads for axial location.
Tapped holes balance the chuck assembly prior to production.
The chuck repeats to less than 0.005mm total indicator reading (T.I.R.).

Northfield is the world’s premier manufacturer of ultra-precision balance chucks for prop shafts, with chucks that weigh less than half of our competitors. We are also the only chuck supplier recommended by major balance manufacturers.

Northfield Balancing Chucks Feature

Highest accuracy
Highest RPM
Shortest hung mass
Fastest & most accurate change over

Interested to know more? Reach out…