Small-Part Live Centers

Riten Extra-Light live centers are designed to turn or grind parts weighing as little as 2 oz., which are commonly found in the medical and aerospace industries, according to a recent news release from Riten Industries Inc., Washington Court House, Ohio.

"Parts of this size are often too light or too flimsy to turn the larger bearings found in typical live centers," the company reported. "This is a common problem, resulting in galling or excessive wear on the tip of the live center and/or damage to the part when the center fails to turn with the part."

The Riten Extra-Light live center.

The Riten Extra-Light live centers can turn parts at speeds up to 8,000 rpm while holding concentricity of ±0.00005". This is achieved by using miniature precision angular contact bearings graded and matched at the factory to obtain the proper fit necessary to hold concentricity in highspeed applications.

The small bearing head diameter and long spindle provide exceptional clearance for small work pieces, which is said to make the center ideal for high production machine tools running light parts, according to Riten. The products are available from stock in 1, 2, 3 and 4 Morse Tapers, with customized designs quickly quoted by using the "Design Your Own" feature at www.riten.com .