News And Updates

to Leader’s workholding range

The Orange Vise range of high quality precision vices from America is now available in the UK exclusively from workholding specialist, Leader Chuck Systems. Thoroughly engineered to deliver maximum clamping force and repeatability with quick-change features throughout, the vices are designed and manufactured in the USA to achieve the ideal balance of performance and longevity. Every vice is covered by a lifetime warranty against defects in materials and craftsmanship.

The range includes 4 and 6 inch dual station, and 6 by 16 inch single station vices. The 4 inch dual station vices offer a compact footprint while the larger vice is available in 17.5 and 20 inch lengths. Every dual station model features independent jaw stations, so dissimilar sized workpieces can be clamped with equal force.

Managing Director, Mark Jones, says: “These precision machining vices are produced to exceptionally high levels, which is why they carry a lifetime warranty on materials and workmanship. This quality comes as standard and the range is very competitively priced, so there is no cost penalty for any workshop selecting the best solution.” 

Machined from a solid billet of Dura-Bar iron rather than cast to shape there are no rough sand cast surfaces, every surface of the vice it is either machined or ground and then selectively powder coated. The screw is sealed so that no threads are ever exposed to chip or swarf ingress.

Dual station vices can also be quickly converted into single station vices without any additional hardware. This flexibility is also applied to the 6 by 16 inch single station vice as double station conversion kits are available. Similar in design to the dual station vices but without a centre jaw, the ?xed jaw is held down securely with an angled wedge from underneath, rather than cap screws from above. This allows unobstructed machining of optional soft jaws.

Available in steel or aluminium the optional low-cost soft jaws feature a greater machinable volume than most other jaws on the market. For additional capacity XL stepped jaws can increase the jaw opening from 12 inch to as much as 18.5 inches on the 6 inch dual station vice. Made of cast iron and compatible with all 6 inch vices, the XL Stepped jaws are said to be far more rigid and repeatable than outboard jaw plates used on typical vice setups.

Long and thin workpieces require additional support to prevent tool chatter and workpiece flex. Orange Vise produce extra wide machinable jaws that provide the solution. Available for all 6 inch vices they are offered in standard widths of 8, 10 and 12 inch.

Cost-effective, machinable vice pallets can be directly clamped to the vice body, using dowel pins and carriers for locating and hold down. No bolts are required, which frees up the entire surface of the plate for holding parts and clamps. Pallets are available in a variety of standard and custom sizes.

To secure irregularly shaped workpieces the sliding jaws can be machined down to just 13 mm from the vice bed, enabling users to remove a signi?cant amount of the material to hold challenging workpieces. This large amount of machinable volume adds a level of ?exibility that is typically only seen in dedicated ?xturing setups at just a fraction of the cost.

Quick-change jaw plates with 3-axis locating ability are included with every vice, with bolt-hole patterns to industry standard to ensure compatibility with existing jaw plates. While cast iron, steel, and aluminium sub-plates are available in a variety of sizes and can be customised to ?t any machine table.