Development of vacuum vice system for practical connection of workpiece to machine tools

In this thesis, a vacuum holder system was designed and manufactured to enhance production efficiency during machining process and the advantages and disadvantages of the vacuum vise system in production process compared to the traditional clamping method were analyzed. In the first phase of the study, static and quasi-static analyses were performed to evaluate the resistance of the three dimensional designed vacuum vise under maximum cutting forces it would be subjected to on CNC machining center. Later, to produce vacuum vise system whose final design was obtained according to the analysis, 7000 series aluminum material with dimensions of 300x200x30 mm was machined on CNC machining center. In order to increase wear and impact resistance of the machined material, its surfaces were subjected to anodized coating process. Machined vacuum vise was tested with parameters such as part holding capacity, vibration, pressure, surface contact and surface roughness. Relying on the data obtained from the surface contact and part holding tests, improvement works were carried out. In these works, by increasing the roughness of the contact surface and using soft seals, part holding ability of the vacuum vise was significantly improved. In the final section, surface roughness and vibration data obtained from machining the workpieces held by vacuum vise and normal vise on CNC machining center were compared. It was indicated that the results obtained with the vacuum vise were approximately 7-10% better than those with the normal vise. Obtained findings showed that using vacuum vise shortens production time and improves product surface quality. In summary, it was concluded that vacuum vise can be used as a workholding device in almost all industries and applications and is more efficient option compared to the traditional vise.