The vacuum specialists J. Schmalz GmbH in 72293 Glatten present an addition to their established vacuum clamping system VC-Innospann for CNC woodworking centres - the modular system of suction blocks for slotted machine table with the types Mini-Plate-R, Quad-Base-R and Mono-Base-R. With these components for slotted tables, the vacuum clamping system VC-Innospann, which is already widely used in many different sectors, is extended to cover almost all imaginable applications. Several systems are currently available, namely the versions Mini-Plate-R, Quad-Base-R and Mono-Base-R as flexible bases, together with various mechanical clamps and vacuum-actuated stops (pop-up pins). Depending on the requirements, these can be equipped with various suction cups to form complete clamping units which can then be placed directly on the slotted machine table, providing an amazing degree of flexibility.

The slotted-table suction blocks are designed for use on CNC machining centres equipped with tables with 5 x 5 or 7 x 7 mm slots spaced 50 x 50 or 30 x 30 mm apart. Installation is very simple: the blocks are simply inserted in the slots of the table. Adaptation to the surface quality of the workpiece or to the machining requirements is achieved by placing special suction cups on the blocks, and the system is ready for use. If a cup or its sealing lip is accidentally damaged during machining, it can be replaced very quickly and easily without having to shut the machine down for a long period.

In particular, the slotted-table suction blocks permits machining or shaping of all edges of the workpieces, regardless of their size, which means that all machining of a workpiece can be done automatically with the workpiece clamped in one position (or, at least, with very few repositioning operations). Different overall workpiece heights for complex all-round machining operations can be achieved quickly and easily by inserting standard spacer rings on the Mini-Plate-R, Quad-Base-R and Mono-Base-R. These rings are available ex stock as accessories, as are the other components and the complete suction blocks. The mechanical clamps can be used to clamp very narrow workpieces or frame elements which cannot be clamped with vacuum because they have only small areas which are suitable for this. The vacuum-actuated stops (pop-up pins), which can be positioned freely on the machine table, were designed to provide additional stops.

The slotted-table suction blocks make the use of protective MDF sheets or expensive templates unnecessary, since even curved workpieces can be clamped directly with the suction blocks and cups. This not only saves the time otherwise needed for making the templates, but also saves space, as no additional storage area for the templates is needed.

All in all, this vacuum clamping system makes CNC machining centres more flexible and universal in their applications and this, in turn, permits far better utilisation of the available machining capacity.