How to Choose an Appropriate Tool Holder to Improve Work Efficiency

As an important "bridge" connecting machine tools and cutting tools, TOOL HOLDER is related to the quality of processing accuracy, tool life, processing efficiency, and ultimately affects the processing quality and cost. Therefore, it is very important to choose a proper tool handle. Because the requirements of various processing are different, the Tool Holder of different clamping methods should correspond to it. Here, the general characteristics of various tool holders are briefly introduced.

(1) Spring handle
Working Principle: The tapered spring jacket is gradually contracted in the process of axial movement (locking) to realize clamping tool.
Scope of application: drills, reamers, finishing end milling cutters, etc.
Features: Large clamping range;
It has good versatility and high accuracy (limited to some manufacturers).
Key points: Whether the spring jacket can shrink perfectly and evenly is one of the key factors to determine the runout accuracy; bearing nuts can greatly reduce the torque of the jacket when locking.

(2) Hydraulic tool holder
Working Principle: Use hydraulic pressure to shrink the inside diameter of the tool handle to clamp the tool.
Scope of application: High precision machining of end milling cutter, cemented carbide bit, diamond reamer, etc.
Features: Easy to operate, only one T-wrench can be tightened, belonging to the simplest clamping method in all tool shanks;
The accuracy is stable, and the torsion force does not directly affect the clamping part. Even the new operators can clamp stably.
Completely waterproof and dustproof;
The anti-interference performance is good. Some slender hydraulic tool holders on the market are comparable to the anti-interference performance of heat shrinkage tool holders.

(3) Heat-shrinkable tool holder
Working Principle: Using the difference of thermal expansion coefficient between tool handle and tool, clamping tool is realized.
Scope of application: Processing occasions with high interference requirements.
Features: good anti-interference; small clamping range, can only clamp a size of cutting tools; good initial runout accuracy (with the increase of heating times decline faster); need special heating and cooling device, poor safety, high requirements for operators.

(4) Powerful milling handle
Working Principle: The tool holder is clamped by compressing the tool holder body with nuts to shrink.
Scope of application: heavy cutting of end milling cutter.
Features: High rigidity; strong clamping force, is the largest clamping force of all clamping tool holders.
The interference resistance is not good. (Recently, some manufacturers have introduced a strong milling tool holder with a nut outer diameter of only 32 mm.)
The runout accuracy is generally below 0.02mm, but some manufacturers have achieved 5-10um.
Points: Whether the elastic deformation is uniform or not, and whether the shrinkage is enough. (The chuck thickening design can increase rigidity and withstand heavy cutting of end milling cutter.)
Typical case: Powerful milling tool shank made by Japan BIG company adopts a very unique slit structure, which can make the chuck uniformly deformed, has a strong clamping force and stable runout accuracy.

(5) Side-fixed tool holder
Principle: As its name implies, the blade is locked by side fixing screw.
Scope of application: It is used for rough machining of drills, milling cutters and so on.
Features: Simple structure, large clamping force, but poor accuracy and versatility.
The above is an introduction to the main handle.