2/3/06 - Collet tray

The collets came in a foam tray that didn't last long. (See the bottom of page 1) Finding the right size in a drawer full of other tooling became a chore. A left over piece of 1" thick 6061 aluminum proved to be the answer, and the mill proved to be the machine. Each hole for the collets is tapered to exactly the same angle as the collets - about 4 degrees. The collets fit fine, and the tray can be moved with ease. The collets are grouped according to fractions. All the 64ths in one group according to size, 32nds in another group, 16ths etc. There are several duplicates in common sizes - 1/2, 5/8 etc.

Programming to cut the holes was a snap too. One hole was designed and cut a specific distance from point 0, 0 at the bottom left of the part. The programming for that hole was repeated at specific distances 6 times along the X axis with a couple of keystrokes. Then the line of holes was repeated 7 times along the Y axis. Again very few key strokes. Then it was - sit back and watch.

The first hole was cut by hand so to speak. The cutter was moved until the hole was the right size. Then the numbers from that hole were copied into the program for the next 6 holes and then to the remaining 50 holes.