Anyone have experience with Tormach ER16 collets? I currently run ER32 and have a LOT of tooling for that, but want something smaller for tight clearance situations. Anyone with thoughts on 16 vs 20? I’m thinking 16 to be a small as possible.
The main question I have is the run out on the ER 16 collet set (22 pc PN: 31688) - They spec individual collets sold on the webstore at .008mm, but there is no spec listed on the collets in the set, and I’ve been bit by China enough to worry. Anyone own the set? quality?
Haas tooling has decent prices for ER collet sets. 10 Piece metric set is $78 bucks right now and the 10 piece standard is $105. That’s about 2x the price as Tormach’s but I’m betting you get what you pay for here.
FWIW, those are Chinese too. I have some and they are ok, but so are the Tormach ones also.
ER16 is a good choice for smaller tools (there are even smaller ER sizes). You can also get small-size ER16 nuts and holders for more clearance (note you can’t just put a small nut onto a regular ER-16 holder since the threads are different).
The smaller the tool the more it will flex because of limited mass. I have every size of er collet holder and complete sets for them all. My 20k spondle has a proprietary er16 collet. Machining is a dynamic not a static process. I guarantee you will not have issues with any of the er sets.
Thanks to everyone for the replies - I don’t mind that they (Tormach collets) are Chinese, my issue is that they don’t have a runout spec listed for collets in the set. The Haas and others have .0002" TIR or something listed which allows me to make a claim if they are out of tolerance. I like the number of collets included in the Tormach set, but just wanted confirmation they are the same spec as the individual collets (.008mm TIR).