To resolve these issues, workholding specialist Hainbuch has developed an automation solution that makes the end user more productive, more independent and more flexible. 

The company has created a stocking and changing station placed on the workpiece feeder belt of a vertical lathe. To setup the system, the spindle passes with the chuck over the combination of clamping head and end-stop to be changed and it is swapped within seconds by a pneumatic pulse. The workpiece to be clamped is then directly grabbed from the next changing station and clamped. The design demands no additional automation.

According to Hainbuch, the system makes the machine tool very flexible. Using a clamp check with air sensing, the efficiency can be increased even further. This simple solution is suitable for a variety of machines because the changing station can be installed directly beside an industrial robot or gantry.