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1. Safety Requirements and Rules and Regulationsfor the Use of Machine Vices

The following requirements must be met before the machine vice is put into operation: The personnel charged with duties related to the machinevice must have read the operating instructions and in parti-cular the chapter entitled ” Safety Requirements ” .When machining parts, safety largely depends on properuse and workmanlike handling of the clamping tool.Unworkmanlike handling and machining may impair thefunction of the machine vice. Inadequately clamped work-pieces may be flung out of the machine and cause injuriesto personnel.
1.Proper mounting, operation and maintenance are essen-tial requirements.2.A machine vice which is not handled correctly constitutesa potential source of danger.3.The operator must satisfy himself of the perfect conditionof the machine vice before putting it into operation.4.Any operation which is not perfectly safe must be avoided.5.Any changes affecting the safety of work with the ma-chine vice must be immediately reported by the operator.6.Changes or conversions affecting the safety of the ma-chine vice are not permitted.7.Only the manufacturer ’ s original space parts may beused for repairs or reconditioning work. All repairs must be carried out by skilled personnel.8.The codes of practice and rules for the prevention of accidents in force in the country of use must be observed.9.The applicable European or national regulations for machinery must be complied with.10.The general, legal and other mandatory regulations forthe prevention of accidents must be observed in addition to the operating instructions.11.The information and recommendations contained in the operating instructions must be strictly observed.12.Unless specified otherwise, the work must be always beclamped by turning the handcrank clockwise. If the hand-crank is turned anti-clockwise, the work is no longer heldsecurely and constitutes a hazard for personnel and themachine vice.13.The vice must always be mounted on a stable basewhich is not easily deformed.14.The clamps and mounting bolts must be fitted as descri-bed in the operating instructions.15.If the vice has not been used for a prolonged period oftime, it must be checked for proper functioning before it is put into operation. As a rule, this should include acheck of the clamping force and capacity range. 16.The clamping force must be checked with the aid of asuitable instrument, such as a hydraulic load cell or an electronic measuring device. The clamping forcemeasured should not be less than 80% of the specifiedmaximum clamping force.17.For machine vice with jaws that can be shifted, sufficientresidual clamping travel must be available in the finalposition.18.If the primary energy of hydraulic machine vices requiring a pressure intensifier or hydraulic unit should fail, the clam-ping force must be maintained at least until the machine can be stopped or until the tool can be removed from the working area.19.Hydraulically operated machine vices may not be clamped mechanically.20.The hydraulic supply lines for the workholding fixturemust be rated for the maximum operating pressure andprotected against mechanical destruction.21.If the hydraulic machine vice is disconnected from thehydraulic supply line, such as when working with pallets,for example, the hydraulic system must be checked forleakage in the disconnected condition before the vice is put into operation. The pressure must be maintained atleast for the duration of the machining operation.22.When clamping the parts to be machined, special caremust be taken to assure full contact of the clamping surfaces. If this is prevented by excessive errors of angularity or parallelism, for example, suitable jaws from the range of accessories offered, such as floating jaws or special clamping jaws, will have to be used forcompensation.23.Flexible workpieces and insufficient clamping forces maycause injuries if insecurely held parts are flung out of themachine.The machine vice may only be used for clamping rigidworkpieces.24.The following precautions must be observed when machine vices are used which are equipped for independent force multiplication as a function of travel:Workpiece stacks or deformed, i.e. not perfectly level parts, or parts with heavy burr must be mechanicallypreclamped (without force multiplication) until they are nolonger resilient before the highpressure force is applied.25.Extra high or extra long workpieces must be secured withthe aid of suitable auxiliaries, such as stops or pads.Special clamping jaws or clamping at several points maybe necessary to avoid vibrations.

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