Collet chuck adapter

Claim 2

A collet chuck adapter for supporting and actuating a collet member, comprising in combination: a hollow body adapted for receiving therewithin the collet member; first means fixed with respect to said body for tightening said collet member upon axial movement of said collet member with respect thereto; second means fixed with respect to said collet member and located within said body for resiliently limited axial movement of said collet member with respect thereto; a ramp and ramp supporting means axially located within said body for resiliently opposed movement in a direction having a component parallel to said ramp and means accessable externally of said body for moving said ramp supporting means in such direction; motion transfer means disposed between and contacting said ramp and said second means for axially moving said second means in response to movement of said ramp supporting means in said direction; whereby such adjustment of said accessable means results in a tightening of said collet member to enable same to grip a workpiece.

Claim 3

The device of claim 1 in which said first means comprises a ring having a tapered opening and secured to one end of said hollow body and communicating with the interior thereof, said collet member having a head with a correspondingly tapered peripheral surface, whereby axial motion of said head with respect to said tapered opening results in tightening or loosening of the collet member.

Claim 4

The device of claim 1 in which said second means comprises a mounting ring slideably received within said hollow body and fixedly securable to said collet member, said second means further comprising resilient means for resiliently backing said mounting ring with respect to said body and for resiliently limiting axial movement of the mounting ring with respect to the body in a direction corresponding to tightening of said collet member.

Claim 5

The device of claim 3 in which said resilient means comprises an elastomeric O-ring seated in an annular groove in the interior of said hollow body on one side of said mounting ring, said hollow body defining a shoulder on the other side of said mounting ring, said mounting ring being snugly sandwiched between said shoulder and said O-ring.

Claim 6

The device of claim 4 in which said mounting ring is provided with a radially outwardly opening and axially extending groove in the periphery thereof, said body being provided with a pin extending into said groove for preventing unintended rotation of said mounting ring with respect to said body.

Claim 7

The device of claim 4, in which said mounting ring is provided with a plurality of circumfereNtially spaced, axially arranged portions facing said O-ring for minimizing the area of contact between said mounting ring and said O-ring to reduce the resilient resistance of said O-ring to movement of said mounting ring thereinto.

Claim 8

The device of claim 1 in which said ramp supporting means comprises a cam ring located within a chamber within said body in substantially fixed axial relation with said body but for limited radial motion with respect to said body, said cam ring having a pair of said ramps thereon, said ramps being sloped with respect to a radial plane of said cam ring and body and facing said second means, said ramps being substantially coplanar.

Claim 9

The device of claim 7 in which said means accessable externally of said body comprises a threaded element radially adjustably supported on said body in radial opposition to said cam ring and having an outer end accessable through an opening to the exterior of said body and an inner end capable of bearing against the periphery of said cam ring for moving same radially of said body upon threaded movement thereof, said ramp supporting means further including a pin substantially diametrically opposed to said threaded means and radially slideably connecting said cam ring and body and means cooperating with said pin and interposed adjacent thereto between said body and said cam ring for resiliently resisting radial movement of said cam ring induced by said threaded means, the axes of said pin and threaded means substantially paralleling the radial component of the length dimension of said ramps, said threaded means and pin being substantially equally circumferentially spaced from each of said ramps.

Claim 10

The device of claim 1 in which said motion transfer means comprises a rod axially aligned with said body and slideably carried thereby, said rod extending from said second means to said ramp, the end of said rod adjacent said ramp being sloped to correspond to the slope of said ramp and being adapted to contact said ramp for relative sliding motion therebetween whereby movement of said ramp supporting means in one direction induces relative sliding motion between said ramp and adjacent rod end to move said rod axially of said body away from said ramp whereby said rod causes a corresponding movement of said second means and collet member axially of said body and away from said ramp for tightening said collet member.

Claim 11

The device of claim 1 in which said hollow body has a central opening therethrough and radially enlarged front and rear recesses at the ends thereof coaxial with said central opening, said first means comprising a plate secured to the front end of said body, said plate having a central opening therein coaxially aligned with said central opening in said body and tapered to converge rearwardly, said collet member being extendible into said central openings and having a head portion at the forward end thereof with a tapered periphery engageable with a wedging action within said opening in said plate for tightening said collet member upon axial movement thereof, said second means comprising a mounting ring snugly receivable in said rear recess, said mounting ring being internally threaded for fixedly receiving therein the rearward end of the collet member, said second means further comprising a resilient O-ring disposed in a groove in said rearward recess and coacting with the end wall of said rear recess to sandwich said mounting ring therebetween, said mounting ring having rearwardly facing, spaced segments adjacent its periphery engageable with said O-ring for exerting substantial pressures thereon when moved rearwardly with respect thereto, said O-ring thereby resiliently allowing limited rearward movement of the mounting ring and collet member, said second means further including means preventing rotation of said mounting ring, said ramp support means comprising a cam ring held for limited radial movement within said front recess by said plate, said collet member passing loosely through saId cam ring, said cam ring having a substantially diametrically, opposed pair of rearwardly facing, coplanar sloped ramps, said ramp supporting means further including guide means diametrically opposed to and cooperating with said externally accessable means for limiting motion of said cam ring in said front recess to a single diametral path substantially coaxial with said guide means, said ramps being evenly circumferentially spaced from said diametral path on opposite sides thereof, said ramp supporting means further including a resilient member associated with said guide means for resiliently resisting movement of said cam ring along said diametral path away from said externally accessable means, said externally accessable means comprising a set screw threadable into said front recess to engage said cam ring., said motion transfer means comprising a diametrically spaced pair of rods extending axially of said body and supported for sliding longitudinal movement in passages of said body outboard of said central oening therein and communicating with said recesses, said rods being engageable with the opposed surfaces of said mounting ring and ramps on said cam ring for causing rearward movement of said mounting ring and collet member with respect to said body upon radial movement of said cam ring along said path in response to threading of said set screw into said body whereby to tighten said collet member.