When it comes to work holding equipment in CNC industrial applications, steady rests are predominantly considered as the best solution for keeping the workpiece stable while performing various operations of the piece.
Interestingly, for different applications such as grinding, crankshaft turning, heavy duty work etc. special types of steady rests are used.
Basically, there are five main types of steady rests namely
- Crankshaft Turning Steady Rests – Used For Turning of Crankshaft.
- Grinding Steady Rests – Used For Grinding Applications.
- Heavy Duty Steady Rests – Employed in case of heavy workpiece holding.
- Side Mounted Steady Rests – Used when the parts of machine interfere with the hydraulic cylinder of steady rest.
- Turning Steady Rests – Used For Turning Workpieces.
In this blog post, New Karwal Engineering Works, with their 40+ years of experience in this industry will explain each variety of steady rest one by one.
Different Classes of Self Centering Steady Rests
These are types of self centering steady rests that we manufacture at New Karwal Engineering Works. If you would like to know more about our work then get a free quote from us.
1. Crankshaft Turning Steady Rests
These kinds of steady rests are specially used for crankshaft turning applications. The type and size of steady rest used for crankshaft turning depends on different aspects. However, there are two types of self centering crankshaft turning steady rests – one in which the cylinder is rear mounted and another has side mounted steady rests. They are employed in locomotive applications such as – automotive, heavy railway and marine.
The use of crankshaft turning steady rests in lathe and CNC machines has clearly illustrated an increase in efficiency and precision in output of these machines.
2. Grinding Steady Rest
Self centering Grinding Steady Rests of New Karwal are specifically designed to hold the large cylindrical jobs. Since, we manufacture only hydraulic steady rests, so our products are widely compatible with manual as well automatic grinding machines and also with the CNC machines.
In addition to this, grinding steady rests are used in applications such as machining of long slender shafts, workholding devices in various machines and other grinding applications. If the grinding steady rest is manufactured as per the industry standards, it aids in improving the efficiency and quality of the final grinded work piece.
3. Heavy Duty Steady Rest
As the name suggests, the heavy duty steady rests are particularly designed for heavy duty machines. They have double guided arms which are helpful in holding the workpiece more rigidly and accurately while working with heavy machines.
Since the load on the piece in the scenario of heavy machine grinding, milling, boring etc. is high, the heavy duty self centering steady rests are specially manufactured to bear this load and perform the machining process effortlessly. Another purpose of using self centring heavy duty steady rests is to prevent the deflection of slender when heavy operation like heavy cuts and threading.
4. Side Mounted Steady Rest
Usually, the hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder in steady rests are mounted at the rear side but in some machines, this rear mounting of the cylinder may interfere with the normal working parts of the machine.
In this situation, the side mounted steady rests are used. The cylinder is mounted at the side so that it does not affect the working of the machine. These types of steady rests are highly customizable as per the requirements of the customer.
5. Turning Steady Rests
Whether you are looking to turn heavy metallic workpieces or larger wood, the turning steady rests are the must have tool because they prevent the deflection of the job and hence, the final product is of premium quality and also ensure the safety of the worker.
Furthermore, the main difficulty faced while using steady rests is that the centering of the workpiece takes longer than usual and if done incorrectly can deteriorate the entire workpiece. To resolve this issue, New Karwal steady rests come with a hydraulic self centering mechanism which automatically adjusts the workpiece towards its centre and facilitates faster operations.
The Bottom Line
As there are other varieties of steady rests but the above mentioned steady rests are commonly used in industry. Surprisingly, the main purpose behind using all types of steady rest is as a workholding equipment that enhances the performance of the machine. The quality of steady rest also determines its performance as if high grade material is used to manufacture steady rests then they can withstand higher amounts of loads and varying pressure in diverse conditions without breaking down as compared to steady rests that are manufacturers using low quality material.