Hardinge Inc. has a talented group of workholding engineers with more than 300 years of combined engineering experience. These hands (and intelligent minds) are ready to improve accuracies, reduce setup times, reduce costs, add flexibility to a machine, develop new workholding concepts and solve gripping problems.
There isn’t a shop worldwide that can say they’ve never had a problem gripping a part. “It’s an odd shape, it’s slipping, it’s too delicate, it’s getting scratched, there is not enough gripping surface, or it’s threaded.” The list goes on and on. Before sinking hours into experimenting and creating a pile of scrap metal, the logical, fail-safe move would be to put these frustrating gripping problems in the hands of experience, where the end result will be safe, accurate and reliable.
Hardinge and their engineers hold several active patents for new and improved workholding products. As a company, Hardinge supports the Society of Manufacturing Engineer’s local chapter 24, with several of their engineers as members. SME Chapter 24 is active in promoting a skilled workforce in the Twin Tiers of New York and Pennsylvania, USA. Joe LaRussa, SME Membership Director, states that SME members are exemplary individuals who are on the leading edge of manufacturing knowledge. “Our members of Elmira 24 are great examples of the 21st-century workforce, contributing daily to the success of their companies. Hardinge and SME both benefit from the synergies between our organizations,” says Joe.
Who is Hardinge?
When it comes to workholding, Hardinge is the world’s largest manufacturer of collets, feed fingers, and pads. According to Matt Roberts, engineering manager, Hardinge Workholding, they offer more than 40,000 standard products and have completed more than 200,000 custom product designs. Hardinge workholding products grip parts to be turned, milled, ground, welded, assembled or positioned in the small-to-medium parts machining industry. Hardinge is an ISO 9001:2008-certified company with name brands including Hardinge, Bridgeport, Kellenberger, Jones & Shipman, Hauser and Tschudin. Hardinge is well known for their Super-Precision CNC lathes with collet-ready spindles and their ingenuity in precision workholding solutions. Hardinge recently received recognition for 50 years of membership in the Precision Machined Products Association. Michael B. Duffin, Executive Director of PMPA, recently presented the award to representatives of Hardinge at a chapter meeting in Rochester NY. Duffin notes, “Hardinge is a respected member of our association with a reputation for high quality products and services. Representatives from Hardinge contribute greatly to our programs and committee activities.”