A new centring vice from Leader Chuck Systems Ltd, Tamworth (www.leaderchuck.com), has been specifically designed to enhance the productivity of multi-axis machines.

Part of the company’s ZeroClamp range, the 80mm centric vice can be accurately secured to a machine tool table or any other work-holding interface, using either the serrated multi-point clamping rail or the zero-point clamping facility that uses HSK-like face-and-taper contact.

Moreover, specially developed forms on the jaws avoid jaw lift; they pull down, applying up to 17kN of clamping pressure to the workpiece. At this pressure, most materials can be securely held without any ‘stamping’ or preparation of the raw material.

Vices are available with hard and soft jaws. Furthermore, the precise centre of the vice can be adjusted to ±0.02 mm; the vice can also be quickly rotated through 90deg with just a few easy steps.

Leader’s managing director, Mark Jones, says: “This function makes even further use of the flexible machining capability of five-axis cutting technology. While the simultaneous movements of a machine’s axes can provide exceptional cutting performance in one set-up, the geometric form of some components will not allow the machine to approach all five faces. With the ability to rotate the vice jaws at a right-angle, engineers can gain clear access to machine every design feature required.”