SIKO KP09P clamping plate for the pneumatic locking of machine axes

Pneumatic, low-cost, locked!

New SIKO KP09P clamping plate for the pneumatic locking of machine axes

SIKO clamping plates with manual locking lever have been trusted in mechanical engineering for many years for arresting adjustment axes. Today, SIKO GmbH takes into account the issue of increasing degrees of automation with its new KP09P pneumatic clamping plate. Thanks to a new patented clamping mechanism, the KP09P is an outstandingly low-cost machine element for the automated and monitored fixing of shafts on production machines.

The pneumatic KP09P clamping plate features a robust zinc die-cast housing with the external contours of the mechanical DA09S position indicator that is in use on countless machines worldwide. This allows the clamping plate to be integrated into existing machines without mechanical modifications being required. With its hollow-shaft design the KP09P is simply inserted into the machine axis and fixed to the machine housing by two fixing screws.

For rotational movements

Clamping is achieved via a rubber element positioned in the through-hole. When pressure is applied this inflates, nestles around the shaft and fixes this in the relevant position. The clamping plate is optimised purely for rotational movements. Since the rubber element stretches only a few tenths of a millimetre, even frequent changes of load do not affect its useful life.

The holding torque of the pneumatic clamping plate is a function of the operating pressure of the compressed air supply and of the cleanliness of the shaft surface. At the maximum permitted pressure of 6 bar, a holding torque of 3 Nm is achieved. The KP09P is available with either M5 or R1/8” thread for connecting the compressed air supply.

Increased productivity

The benefits of the pneumatic clamping plate can be clearly seen. During a change of format, all the adjustment axes of a machine are released by a control command to the compressed air supply. Once positioning is completed, all axes are then fixed in position again at the press of a button. Manual loosening and fixing using a locking lever is thus dispensed with altogether. The time saved directly increases productivity for the machine in question.

Improved quality thanks to process monitoring

Monitoring the pneumatic clamp provides a process control during production. Where the operating supply pressure is stable, no clamp will loosen and thus no unwanted change in the set format will occur. The KP09P pneumatic clamping plate thus offers an option for process monitoring in order to assure the quality of the end product.

Variable shaft diameters

Owing to its large 30 mm through-hole the KP09P clamping plate is suitable for many shaft diameters that are common in mechanical engineering. To adapt to a smaller shaft diameter, an adapter sleeve is available as an accessory. This is fixed by means of grub screws to the adjustment axis before the clamping plate is fitted. The rubber element of the KP09P then grips directly onto the outer circumference of the adapter sleeve.

This design offers two main advantages. On the one hand, the same clamping plate can be used for shaft diameters from under 10 mm to a maximum of 30 mm by simply using different adapter sleeves. On the other, the holding torque is always equally high and independent of the shaft size, since the rubber element of the KP09P always grips onto a girth surface of 30 mm diameter.

Can also be used as a pneumatic brake for actuating drives

Designed as a free-standing machine element, yet compatible with many SIKO position indicators and actuators, the KP09P is capable of being used in the widest range of combinations. It can be used as an independent clamping element on a rotational axis as well as in combination with a mechanical or electronic position indicator. Thanks to its dimensional compatibility with the SIKO actuators AG03 and AG05, the KP09P can even be used as a low-cost pneumatic brake.

There are scarcely any boundaries to the use of the KP09P as an automated clamping unit. In a diversity of applications, such as on packaging machines, on wood processing machines or on special-purpose machines, the SIKO pneumatic clamping plate increases machine efficiency, process reliability and product quality.