Patent ID: 6257595
Filing Date: 2001-07-10
Classification: B23B,Y10T

Abstract:
A collet chuck assembly for holding a tool or workpiece on a spindle of a turning machine, said collet chuck assembly comprising:a mount having a front end and a rear end adapted to be connected to the spindle and further including cap engaging structure adjacent said front end, said mount having an axial opening extending therethrough;a collet assembly disposed within said axial opening of said mount and including a tubular collet structure having a front end and a rear end for holding a tool or workpiece, said collet assembly having operatively interacting cam surfaces and being constructed and arranged to permit relative movement between said cam surfaces whereby relative movement between said cam surfaces in one direction closes said collet structure to hold the tool or workpiece and relative movement between said cam surfaces in an opposite direction opens said collet structure to release the tool or workpiece;an annular cap secured to said front end of said mount and engaging said front end of the collet structure to maintain said front end at a fixed axial position with respect to said cap and said mount during the relative movement between the cam surfaces of the collet assembly in the one direction or the other direction, said cap including mount-engaging structure constructed and arranged to coact with said cap engaging structure of said mount to prevent relative axial displacement between said cap and said mount when said cap is in a cap-locked position with respect to said mount, said cap being placed in said caplocked position by coupling said cap to said mount with said mount-engaging structure of said cap disengaged from said cap-engaging structure of said mount and then rotating said cap less than one revolution with respect to said mount to interengage said mount-engaging structure of said cap with said cap-engaging structure of said mount; anda cap anti-rotation mechanism located within said mount and constructed and arranged to releasably link said cap to said mount to prevent relative rotation between said cap and said mount in two relative rotational directions after said cap has been rotated into said cap-locked position with respect to said mount.