The cam operated collet closer is a basic tool. The collet is actuated by turning the cam sixty five to seventy degrees. The collet is stationary during operation approximately while a closing sleeve is moved upwards around the collet by the cam.
Since the collet is stationary the height of the part being held remains constant. The collet in inserted into the closer from the top. The cam is rotated to the lowest position. The collet is threaded into the fixture until it contacts the closing sleeve.
Now it is time to place a part into the collet.
With the part in the collet rotate the cam until the collet contacts the part. If the collet does not contact the part the collet needs to be threaded further into the fixture. If the collet contacts the part before the cam has rotated sixty five to seventy degrees the collet must be unscrewed from the fixture. When the proper tightness is achieved the cam will feel solid when clamped on the part.
The next step is to find the three locking screws near the base of the collet fixture.
With the collet adjusted to the proper holding tension release the collet and use the locking screw nearest to the collet keyway. Recheck the collet tension after inserting the screw into the collet keyway. You will use only one locking screw to lock the collet in position. When adjusting the locking screw turn the screw into the keyway until it bottoms out. Then back off the screw about one quarter turn. It is not necessary to lock the screw solid against the collet. Locking the screw solid will push all play in the collet threads in one direction and could cause the collet to run out of concentricity.
Because the collet is actuated with a cam the locking position of the cam can be in either direction. This is helpful depending on the setup. You can set the cam to open on the down stroke if it is more convenient to load the part. The normal way to lock the collet would be to push down on the cam wrench to lock and lift up to loosen the collet.
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