[lukahr]

I finally had the chance to assemble the entire tool-release with everything and test it out. And it works!


So the whole problem is my height-contraint, otherwise i'd used a pneumatic cylinder. I also had to center the push-ring on the spindle AND make space for the coolant-through-spindle adapter on the end of the spindle. All while pushing 40.000N/4000kgf on the spindle. I was concerned that the push-ring would drag on the spindle so i built a "tower" to make the whole assembly more ridig and i added fixtures to the push-arm to keep it in line with the spindle...

But i think i nailed it and i'm very pleased with the result :banana:

....on to the next problem :-)

Great solution! With a smaller reservoir, you would likely achieve even faster and smoother unlocking. Where did you acquire this pump, and how much did it cost?
I have a similar issue with my machine, as it also features a hydraulic unlocking mechanism, but lacks the necessary hydraulic system.

[badhabit]

Where did you acquire this pump, and how much did it cost?
I have a similar issue with my machine, as it also features a hydraulic unlocking mechanism, but lacks the necessary hydraulic system.

The pump is an "air to hydraulic pump" from https://www.amf.de/en/ with article no. 6904-25, you'll also need a valve to release it, i chose 6904-52. Finally you need a cylinder that matches the required stroke and pressure. I chose 6926-78-002 for my application, but it all depends on your setup, so you'll need to do your own calculations on this...

I'm pretty happy with the result. The speed of the release matches what my calculations say, around 1,5-2seconds. I'd like it to be faster, but then it would get A LOT more expensive since i have to use another type of pump(actually two electric pumps!) to get it faster at the pressure i need. Or i should add more pneumatic pumps, but then i run out of air.....in the perfect world the hydraulic release mechanism should have been integrated into the spindle, this would have required a lot less space and been much more effecient/"clean" and likely a lot faster too... but my world isn't perfect and i have to work with what i got ;-)

Pricing is a bit hard to say since "i know a guy", but AMF isn't exactly cheap. I think the listprice would be somewhere around 2.000Euro for the lot, but check with your local reseller. Or maybe look for cheaper alternatives for similar components...

/Thomas