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ANCA New Tooling System Chuck

A New Tooling System for Woodworking Blade Profiles on FX Machines

ANCA machine innovation and software combine for a complete package for producing woodworking tools, reducing set-up times 

By Simon Richardson, Product Manager
ANCA is well known for offering standard and special custom solutions for our customers. When ANCA designs a custom solution, we give our customers tailored and diverse options with shorter set-up times. In an increasingly challenging market, companies grinding tools are always looking at innovative products and diversifying into different sectors using existing or new machinery.

Woodworking BladeANCA recently developed a new product which provides more flexibility and capability while enhancing the FX machine range. The product is a tooling system used on FX5 and FX7 machines which offers the ability to easily interchange between woodworking profile blades and cylindrical (shank) tools.

This means companies grinding woodworking tools can grind blade profiles and then quickly change to cylindrical shank tools, such as compression routers. In addition, companies focusing predominantly on engineering tools can consider adding woodworking blade profiles to their product portfolio.

This tooling system comes as a package. The package includes a workholding adaptor (blade chuck) to hold flat profile blades and a blade gripper head fitted to the robot loader to load woodworking blades or cylindrical tools without any mechanical changes. This means the robot head does not need to be changed. A blade gripper is used to load and unload blades and gripper fingers for loading cylindrical tools. Optional pallets are available for both blades and shank tools.

The blade chuck works with a pull stud clamping mechanism. Switching between the blade chuck and standard collet adaptor (for cylindrical tools) is done in minutes. Automatic loading and grinding of blade profiles with a smallest size of 20 x 20mm (0.78”) and largest size of 80 (3.14”) x 30mm (1.18”) is possible. This system is also retrofittable to existing FX5 and FX7 machines.

The blade chuck work holding has an adjustable insertion depth between 8 (5/16”) and 28mm (1.10”). The chuck can accommodate blades on or between 0.5 (0.019”) to 4mm (0.15”) thick using different size datum blocks. When manual loading, the chuck can hold blades up to 120mm (4.72”) long. Blades with a bevelled edge can also be supported. An air blast operates during the clamping and unclamping cycles to ensure the chuck is free of any contaminants. Digitizing of the top, side and bottom of the blade along with notches or datum features is possible. The chuck can also rotate for blades with an undercut feature, so the profile can be ground normal to the blade surface.

In addition to the tooling system for blades, ANCA has a dedicated software package for grinding varied and multiple blade profiles. The user-friendly software enables quick programming and short set-up times. The user can easily define the workholding, blank and profile or import a DXF. The blades themselves are mounted into tools used on different woodworking machinery for cutting profiles into solid wood furniture and components such as skirting boards and architraves.

When grinding blade profiles, the depth of the profile can be quite deep, and a lot of stock needs to be removed. Slice Roughing is a method of removing large amounts of stock from the blade very aggressively, meaning shorter cycle times. Slice Roughing repeatedly plunges the roughing wheel downwards into the blade from the top of the blank to the finish stock amount specified by the user. When grinding blade profiles with ANCA software, it’s possible to control the wheel pivot and relief angles along the profile which is important for blade grinding. This flexible tooling system combined with blade software, offers a complete package for producing woodworking tools.

Simon Richardson is one of ANCA’s Product Managers, looking after the technical development and commercialization of a range of machines and technology. Simon has 25 years of experience in the grinding industry, building an extensive understanding of market needs, trends and opportunities. Simon uses his intimate knowledge of ANCA products and grinding in general to offer the industry and customers a range of insights, tips and expertise to enable everyone’s ongoing success.  A well-known figure amongst grinders, Simon joined ANCA in 2003 in the UK as a Sales Manager before emigrating to Australia in 2007.


For further information, please contact:
Sepideh Zandieh
PR and Communications Manager, ANCA
M: +61 439 316 131
Sepideh.Zandieh@anca.com

ANCA is a market leading manufacturer of CNC grinding machines. It was founded in 1974 in Melbourne, Australia where the company still has its global headquarters. ANCA has offices in the UK, Germany, China, Thailand, India, Japan, Brazil and the USA as well as a comprehensive network of representatives and agents worldwide.

ANCA CNC grinders are used for manufacturing precision cutting tools and components across a diverse range of competitive industries including cutting tool manufacture, automotive, aerospace, electronics and medical.