The primary purpose of any bonding clamp is to apply pressure to the surface of the brake lining at a rate of approximately 100 lbs of pressure per square inch to ensure a quality bond. This may be accomplished in a variety of ways, but the best way is to load the clamp using a loader table with an air cylinder. The second purpose of the clamp is to provide some type of spring in the clamp that will allow the clamp to expand as the thickness of the adhesive shrinks during the cure. This may be done with spring bars or washers or may be built into the design of the clamp. Once a clamp is selected, the quality of the bond should always be inspected prior to installation on the vehicle.
Grigg Bonding Clamp
This is a very popular clamp commonly called a wire-form-clamp. It is made of heat treated spring steel and has excellent follow up characteristics. In addition it has the ability to form to the underside of the brake shoe while under pressure therefore accommodating slight variations in the diameter of the shoe and still remain in total contact. It is available in standard sizes of 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 inches.
Grigg Universal Clamp
Universal clamps minimize the number of clamps required to bond shoes of varying diameters. Usually only two clamps are required: one for the small shoes (7 to 9 inches in diameter and one for the larger shoes (10 to 12 inches in diameter). This clamp achieves it’s follow up by two parallel spring steel plates. The balance of the clamp is made of aircraft quality aluminum castings. Available in two sizes.
Conklin Parallel Plate Clamps
These are size specific clamps made of two parallel 3/16 laser cut steel plates. They are usually used in OE applications where it is important that the underside of the shoe is totally supported. These clamps are custom made for a specific shoe. Follow-up is provided by a stack of spring washers on both ends of the clamp.
Conklin Universal Clamp
This clamp is made in two sizes. One for the 7 to 9 inch diameter shoes and one for the 10 to 12 inch diameter shoes. They are constructed of allow spring steel, formed and grooved to support the shoe during the bonding operation on the underside of the table of the shoe. Follow-up is provided by a stack of spring washers on both ends of the clamp. This clamp has a knurled inner nut and is designed to be either stacked on a wire belt oven or inserted into clips on a Permafuse type oven.
Conklin OEM Clamps
These clamps were designed in response to the need of the OE manufacturer to ensure that the shoe had total support underneath the table of the shoe during the bonding operation and had the capability to center the lining side to side on the shoe. This minimized the necessity to remove the excess adhesive that might have extruded our the side of the shoe during the curing process and interfere with the fit of the finished shoe on the backing plate of the vehicle.
These clamps are constructed of steel investment castings precision machined to factory specifications. Follow-up is provided by a custom designed spring bar.
Conklin Universal Truck Clamp
Light trucks usually use a brake shoe ranging in size from 12 to 14 inches in diameter and up to 3 ½ inches wide. In this same range are also many off-road brake shoes designed for fork lifts and other non-automotive applications where a heavier clamp is required. Two styles of this clamp are supplied. Both are made of spring steel and have the follow-up designed into the clamp