Clamping Cylinders
System Considerations
Swing cylinders and hydraulically advancing work supports are very sensitive to the oil flow rate supplied. To ensure safe and reliable operation of these elements, the maximum oil flow rate indicated in the catalog and the instructions must not be exceeded. If there is a risk of high flow rates, use flow control valves to adjust the flow rate.
It must be ensured that during the clamping sequence work supports will operate only after the workpiece is firmly positioned and clamped against locators and datums. However, if a cylinder is clamping directly over a work support, the work support should be brought to full pressure before the clamp cylinders operate. This can be done by means of a sequencing valve.
The clamp arms used to transmit force from the swing cylinder to the workpiece are available in a variety of lengths, and users can also machine their own configurations based on supplied dimensions. Because of the cantilever nature of a swing clamp arm, the longer the arm, the less force it can transmit without risk of damage to the arm or cylinder. Put another way, the longer the arm, the lower the permissible hydraulic pressure. Product literature includes graphs of allowable pressure vs. arm length and allowable clamping force vs. arm length for each arm design.
When details such as these are attended to, hydraulic workholding is an extremely reliable and efficient way to accomplish positioning, supporting, clamping, and release of a workpiece.
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