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MISSION: Powerhold strives to maximize its customer's machine tool investments by providing engineered, cost effective, workholding solutions.
Company History
On January 2, 1958 the stockholders met to adopt the original By-Laws following the Articles of Association to establish PowerGrip, Inc. Bill Manchester was appointed President and Treasurer; Charles Siegel, Vice President and Chief Engineer; and Cecil Bedford, Vice President and Sales Manager.
These three gentlemen had been co-workers during their employment at Union Manufacturing Company in New Britain, Connecticut where they each held key positions in purchasing, engineering and sales. Charles Siegel developed on the drawing board the original air operated collet actuator following many discussions with Bill Manchester about the need for such a piece of equipment in manufacturing and production.
The company started with the three men working in Bill Manchester's garage and breezeway, but shortly outgrew the facility. In March 1963, the name "PowerGrip, Inc." was changed to "PowerHold Products, Inc."
After 15 years of sucessful growth in sales and staff of Powerhold Products a new CEO was appointed by the Board of Directors. In December 1979, Richard C. Spooner was elected President of the Corporation.
In 1981 the company moved to a new facility that could provide office and shop areas for the current and foreseeable future. This move took the company from Rockfall to Middlefield, CT.
During these years Powerhold grew their offering of Powerhold standard products as well as distribution products. With a staff of talented engineers, Powerhold was able to expand and offer custom workholding solutions for customers across North America.
In 2005, R. Chadwick Spooner was appointed President of Powerhold. A graduate of Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, MA, Chad joined Powerhold in 1995. Prior to becoming President, Chad held positions in the engineering and sales departments.
Powerhold is top rated in the industry for high quality engineering and manufacturing boasting more than a dozen patents since its founding. Powerhold is also among the founders of the Advanced Workholding Technology (AWT) group of A.M.T.
Today the company occupies a 15,000 sq. ft. modern manufacturing facility that utilizes the latest in CNC machining, AutoCAD and 3D drawing. Powerhold is proud to offer custom and standard products made in the USA. In addition, strategic global alliances allow Powerhold to supply North America with some of the finest products from around the world.
Workholding Firsts
- 1957- Powerhold patents the first thru-hole pneumatic chuck and collet actuator for lathes.
- 1958- Louis Gamet of Paris, France patents in the US, the first thru-hole hydraulic chuck actuator.
- 1959- Powerhold introduces the first thru-hole chucking system for both bar and chuck work.
- 1963- Gamet patents the distribution of hydraulic oil through the machine headstock bearings to a self-contained chuck.
- 1966- Gamet patents first 2+2 power chuck which is two 2-jaw chucks in one chuck body allowing each pair of 2-jaws to operate independently of each other.
- 1969- Powerhold produces the first power chuck system for clamping oil well pipe at both the front and back ends of the machine tool spindle.
- 1974- Gamet introduces high-speed, thru-hole counterweighted chucks for first and second operations.
- 1975- Powerhold introduces an inexpensive jaw force analysis gauge for dynamic testing of jaw forces.
- 1979- Gamet introduces a complete range of ultra high-speed hydraulic chuck actuators with standard accessories such as stroke control, coolant collectors and safety check valves.
- 1980- Powerhold introduces large hole, ultra high-speed chucks up to 10" diameter featuring .0005" accuracies and maximum jaw force loss of 30%.
- 1984- Powerhold becomes the licensed manufacturer of RINGSPANN Workholding in North America, a provider of precision mandrels and chucks.
- 1985- Powerhold designs and builds a 5.5" diameter 3-jaw power chuck to operate at 10,000 RPM.
- 1986- Powerhold designs and installs the first automatic offset chuck featuring a 6" diameter, 3-jaw chuck with automatic offset of up to .300" and automatic balance compensations.
- 1988- Powerhold designs and installs precision gear chucks with positive pullback and counterweights for high speed.
- 1990- Powerhold receives patent on new universal spindle liner which eliminates the need for several spindle liners for bar feed applications.
- 1991- Powerhold receives patent on air-operated actuator with force multiplier, which can duplicate hydraulics at low air pressure.
- 1992- Gamet introduces first high/low chucking system, utilizing the "Delta" chuck.
- 1993- Powerhold produces first prototype of dead length 5C collet chuck which uses the pulling force of a draw tube to push.
- 1996- Powerhold President Richard Spooner named Chairman of TC-11 Committee of Chucks and Chuck Jaws U.S. Standards.
- 1997- Powerhold develops a tool free adjustment for draw tubes on 5C collet actuator.
- 1998- Powerhold designs and builds a bar feed within the machine tool draw tube with multiple stop positions.
- 2000- Powerhold President and C.E.O., Richard Spooner, named Chairman of the Association of Manufacturing Technology's Workholding Product Group.
Global Partnerships
In cooperation with our Global Partners, Powerhold Inc. has comprised a wide variety of products to provide to our North American customers. Our Global Partners include: Gamet precision, Karl Bruckner GmbH, RINGSPANN GmbH, Effecto Group SPA, and Nikko Precision.
Gamet precision, of Paris, France is a manufacturer of a wide variety of jaw chucks, as well as hydraulic and pneumatic actuating cylinders. Among their many design achievements, is the world's first thru-hole hydraulic actuating cylinder, and their latest achievement, the Delta Chuck, which redefines high-speed chucking.
Bruckner GmbH, of Weinstadt, Germany is a leading manufacturer of standard and custom Live Centers, Dead Centers and Face Drivers. With nearly 100 years of manufacturing experience, Bruckner has become a world leader in quality and innovation, which has made the name "Bruckner" synonymous with the term "Perfection."
RINGSPANN GmbH, of Bad Homburg, Germany is the manufacturer of the unique RINGSPANN workholding system. RINGSPANN workholding systems offer clamping accuracy and repeatability to 0.0004" T.I.R. or better with high gripping force for greater metal removal and positive pull-back for reduced scrap and improved quality. The RINGSPANN system is invaluable in solving many customers specialized workholding challenges.
Effecto Group SPA, of Castelleone, Italy is a manufacturer of hydraulic and pneumatic 2-jaw, self-contained, self-centering, stationary power chucks. These devices are typically used on Tombstone and Fixture Workholding.
Powerhold Inc. is the licensed U.S. repair and rebuild facility for the suppliers mentioned above, as well as Nikko Precision -- a power chuck and actuator builder from Japan. This partnership offers Nikko customers a domestic source for components and repair services.
Powerhold Inc. is proud to offer a wide variety of products to our North American customers. For more information regarding these alliances or any of their products, contact our sales team at (800) 349-1044.
