Shaft collar

From Team 449 Wiki

Shaft collars are placed on shafts to serve as a mechanical stop. They keep the shaft from moving from its designated location. They use a hex-headed bolt, which can be tightened or loosened using an allen wrench.

Variations

Set-screw collar
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A set-screw collar
Tool Information
Uses: Hold shaft in place
One-piece clamp collar
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A one-piece clamp collar
Tool Information
Uses: Hold shaft in place
Two-piece clamp collar
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A two-piece clamp collar
Tool Information
Uses: Hold shaft in place

Set-screw collar

A set-screw collar uses a hex-headed bolt to hold onto the shaft. The collar is slid onto the shaft from one of the shaft's ends to its desired position. When the bolt is tightened into the shaft, it grips it very well. To do this, however, it damages the shaft, leaving a small dent in it with a protruding perimeter. Additionally, it sometimes gets stuck and requires a special tool, such as a mallet, to be removed. Once it is removed, the shaft is often too damaged to be used again.

One-piece clamp collar

A one-piece collar is an improvement on the set-screw collar. This collar is slid one the shaft from one of the shaft's ends to the collar's desired position, just like the set-screw collar. Instead of the bolt being tightened into the shaft itself, it is instead tightened into a threaded part of the collar, closing the gap between the head of the bolt and the threaded area. This collar does not damage the shaft, and also has a much stronger grip on the shaft than the set-screw collar. This collar only has one piece, which means that it is not dependent on a counterpart, which could be lost, to be useful. This is the collar which we use most often due to its convenience and availability.

Two-piece clamp collar

A two-piece clamp collar is an alternative to the one-piece clamp collar. It has two separate pieces, each half of the entire ring. One half has two hex-headed bolts. The two pieces can be tightened together using these bolts in a way very similar to how a one-piece clamp collar can be tightened. Unlike the set-screw and one-piece clamp collars, which has to be slid on from an open edge of the shaft, the two-piece clamp collar can be placed anywhere on the shaft. This is useful when there are already other shaft collars attached to the shaft, and another one must be added between them. The two-piece clamp collar also has the strongest grip on the shaft of any of the other collars. The disadvantage of the two-piece shaft collar is that either pieces is useless on its own, and one of the pieces can be lost, making the other completely useless.