Lathe Chucks System

On a lathe machine, duty of the chuck is to hold the rotating workpiece to be machined. Some of the characteristics of the lathe chucks are Holding force, Geometrical tolerances and clamping diameter range also adjustability of it to the lathe machine.

Self-centering lathe chucks also known as universal chucks or scroll chucks are the most popular chucks in lathe machining.

Independent lathe chucks with independently movable jaws let the machinist control and adjust the part centricity so they need longer setup time. They are also good choice for irregular parts.

3 jaw or 4 jaw power chucks or Hydraulic power chucks are suitable for CNC lathe machines with much more gripping force.

Lathe collet chuck

Is also a type of self-centering chuck which uses the concept of a collet holder and provides better self-centering accuracy than a Lathe chuck and provides easy clamping on a CNC lathe.
Direct mount lathe chucks mount directly on the spindle nose and each of them is adaptable to one specific type of spindle nose. Plane back lathe chucks use adaptor plates to mount on different types of machines.
Hard lathe jaws directly slide into chuck body slot and have serrated surfaces to grip the part and are made of case hardened steel. They provide higher rigidity in machining and are good choice for roughing. But they take long time to be replaced.

Soft lathe jaws

Are made of soft materials such as mild steel or aluminum. They get machined to precise size and shape to accurately align the clamped workpiece while turning and with maximized contact surface. They are good choices for fine machining. These jaws sit on other sliding part know as master jaw. The matching surfaces between the two are serrated with 1.5mm pith and 60 degree teeth. The master jaws and soft jaws are coupled together by a middle part named as tee nut and set of hex head screws.

Soft jaw forming rings are used to hold soft jaws stable and free of vibration while being under turning machining.