The Cannock-based clamping specialist Hainbuch UK Ltd (www.hainbuch.com) is now offering users of its Mini Series (as well as the earlier Toplus or Spanntop chucks) a pneumatic ejector that pushes the workpiece from the chuck automatically.

The Vario Flex joins the Vario Part and Vario Quick end-stop systems already in the company’s product portfolio.

With this latest device, the workpiece ejector depth can be adjusted by means of a novel retaining mechanism. Moreover, the Vario Flex can also be used as a basic end-stop for coolant wash or air flush.

This is achieved by removing the pneumatic spring and attaching a feed tube. Hainbuch says this “optional workpiece-specific end-stop with holes for the wash and air-flush can then be mounted directly on this flexible interface”.

The company also says valuable time can be saved using the standardised end-stops. “Set-up times are drastically reduced, and the user always has the right end-stop ready to hand; and whether to use Vario Quick or Vario Part is a matter of preference.”

For precise rigid clamping, Hainbuch recommends the Vario Part, as it works on the same principle as a gauge block, with its height adjusted in 1mm steps via gauge discs; and with an axial run-out of less than 0.02mm at the part of the end-stop that touches the workpiece, this system is recommended for machining finished parts.

The Vario Quick variant, which is intended for fast flexible clamping, has a precise trapezoidal screw thread that allows the clamping length to be adjusted quickly.

A half-turn is equivalent to an axial adjustment of 1mm.