With the vacuum clamping system INNOSPANN, the vacuum specialists J. Schmalz GmbH in 72293 Glatten round off their wide product range of workpiece clamping technology for CNC woodworking machines. Schmalz now offer five different systems and INNOSPANN is particularly suitable for retrofitting on existing CNC machines.

The modular concept permits very individual clamping solutions for one-off and small-batch production, regardless of the manufacturer and the model of the CNC machine. The problem is a familiar one: a CNC woodworking machine was purchased some years ago and still operates reliably and precisely. However, as time goes by, the user's demands with respect to productivity and flexibility increase and these primarily concern the handling of the workpieces and the reduction of the non-productive machine times. The machine and its tools provide the necessary performance, but it takes too long to change the workpieces or to set up the machine for a different workpiece.

INNOSPANN offers a practical solution for such problems, since it is based on a compete modular system for the easy and fast creation of workpiece-specific and universal clamping devices. Tests have shown that the set-up times can be reduced by up to 50% with this system, and the time saved can be used for productive work.

With the aid of the four basic elements "Steel-Plate", "Mini-Plate", "Adapter-Plate" and "Quad Base-G" and the three clamping elements "Quad Base", "Mono Base" and "Standard Vacuum Cups", it is possible to build almost any conceivable clamping system configuration in a very short time. Depending on the applications, the appropriate basic elements are first mounted on the machine table, console table or sliding consoles and the various clamping elements are mounted on them.

"Steel-Plate" is a sheet of stainless steel, only 3 mm thick, with magnetic sealing plugs for the vacuum apertures. The clamping elements Quad Base and Mono Base can be positioned as desired on the Steel-Plate and the Standard Vacuum Cups are placed on top of them.

"Mini-Plate" is a smaller base plate. One or more of these can be mounted on the machine table and each is capable of holding one Quad Base clamping element or four Mono Base clamping elements.

"INNOSPANN Adapter-Plate"

- for SCHMALZ consoles with one or two vacuum circuits:

The Adapter-Plate can accommodate both Quad Base and Mono Base elements and can be mounted directly on SCHMALZ console systems with one or two vacuum circuits. It is particularly suitable for the clamping of narrow and curved workpieces.

"INNOSPANN Quad Base-G"

– clamping system with hose connections for use on smooth machine tables:

The Quad Base-G has two vacuum connections, The first is used to fix the Quad Base-G on the smooth machine table to prevent it from moving as the workpiece is positioned. The second vacuum connection is then used to clamp both the workpiece and the Quad Base-G securely and precisely.

Last but not least, the "Standard Vacuum Cups" are selected to match the workpiece and the machining requirements and are simply placed on top of the clamping elements Quad Base, Quad Base-G and Mono-Base. The modular INNOSPANN range also includes integrated stops, distribution bocks and switching systems for the supply and activation of the vacuum, together with various accessories and quickly replaceable parts subject to wear (gaskets, etc.). The user can thus purchase everything he needs for retrofitting a machine with vacuum clamping technology from s single source.