Super K05 Chuck Grease ®
IMPORTANT MAINTENANCE BULLETIN
Quick Jaw Change Chucks are made by several manufacturers with models such as UC2, THW, KNCS, etc. These all have a similar “wedge bar” design that uses two different wedges, compared to common chucks with a single wedge. This design provides several advantages, including the long jaw stroke necessary for the quick jaw change feature. However, these chucks require more frequent lubrication and cleaning to deliver the required jaw grip force than do common single wedge chucks. Premium KO5 grease is essential for top performance.
- Only K05 grease should be used. (Unsuitable lubricants can reduce the clamping force by more than 50%). The chuck should be greased each 24 hours of operation.
- All surfaces that require lubrication must be reached. The close fits of mating parts require a high injecting pressure. For this reason, a high-pressure grease gun should be used. Check the manual for your brand of chuck. Some require the chuck to be fully open or closed when grease is injected so that internal lubricant passages are properly aligned and lubricant will reach all critical surfaces.
- To ensure good grease distribution, inject one shot of grease into each of the grease fittings, actuate the chuck full stroke several times, and then inject a second shot of grease into each of the fittings. Check the clamping force with a grip force gauge.
- After each 50 clamping strokes it is advisable to actuate the chuck several times without gripping a workpiece so that the chuck is stroked to its extreme limits. When this is done, lubricant that has been displaced is returned to the pressure surfaces and the clamping force is retained for a longer period of time without re-lubrication.
- Depending on the application and the workpiece materials being machined, the chuck will periodically need to be disassembled and cleaned. After cleaning, all internal parts must be coated with a film of KO5 grease. Check the manual for your brand of chuck for further instructions; some require internal pockets to be filled with grease but others absolutely cannot allow this.
- Wedge Bar Quick Jaw Change Chucks are designed primarily for JIT applications with frequent jaw changeover. Most have no grease fitting ports to lubricate the jaw guideways. Whenever jaws are changed, inspect the chuck guideways for cleanliness and put a film of grease on the sliding surfaces of the master base jaws before inserting them into the chuck. For high volume production applications when jaws aren’t changed frequently, the jaws should be removed once per shift (depending on machining cycle time), cleaned and re-lubricated.
- It is recommended that the clamping force be checked using a grip force gauge before beginning a new production batch and between maintenance checks. Only regular checks can guarantee safety.
