We live in an age of dramatic and constant change. In the past, generations lived from birth to grave with little noticeable difference in lifestyle. Today as you well know, we live in a spectacularly different world. If you buy the latest, fastest, and most powerful computer you can, in just a few years, you will have trouble surfing the web with it.
Ask someone of 50 years ago what they would think of a phone that you could carry in your pocket wherever you went, took pictures, sent telegrams, made movies, reminded you of birthdays, woke you up in the morning, or told you your position anywhere on earth to within a few feet.
A month ago or so, I was out in the middle of a state park taking wildlife photographs when my cell phone rang. I had forgotten to turn it off. It was a telemarketer calling me from halfway around the world. I was amazed. It was probably an internet phone call made for mere pennies from 8 or 9 time zones away. Change seems to be the way of life. I read just yesterday of a new toilet just on the market that talks to you! But is increasing complexity always better?
A pillar of my design philosophy is an acronym: KISS. This stands for Keep It Simple Stupid. I do not know who originally came up with that little phrase, but in designing work holding devices, I do not believe that there is any better guiding principle than this.
Every aspect of a chuck’s function is adversely effected by complexity. Accuracy: a chuck with fewer components is always more accurate. Rigidity: a chuck with fewer parts is always stronger. A chuck with fewer parts costs less, has less to go wrong with it, is easier to manufacture, is easier to maintain, is able to be delivered in a shorter period of time, is easier to operate. . . In short, I know of absolutely no disadvantage to designing as simple of a device as possible.
I have actually had customers at times criticize designs for being too simple. When that was first said to me, I did not know what to say or how to react. It just baffled me. No mention that the design wouldn’t work well, not that it was too expensive, but it was seen as too simple. . . . I’m sorry to disagree, but simpler is always better!
I would like to review a number of chucking devices. I have ranked them in rough order from the simplest to the more complex. Let us take a brief look at how they function, and some of their characteristics. Want to learn more? CLICK HERE!
Keeping It Simple