Why I Built This Clamping Force Calculator
Every time I was sizing a clamp for a fixture I ended up doing the same back of envelope calculation three times just to feel confident about it. Toggle clamp angle, bore area, back pressure losses, none of it is complicated individually but keeping track of everything at once while also checking the safety factor is annoying when you just want a quick answer.
The toggle angle especially catches people off guard. Near zero degrees the mechanical advantage looks huge on paper but the mechanism gets unpredictable. Pneumatic and hydraulic are more straightforward but the back pressure and seal losses add up in ways that matter when you are right at the edge of your required clamping force.
I wanted one page that covers all three clamp types with actual diagrams, shows the formulas being used, and flags when your safety factor is too low without having to open a textbook or a separate spreadsheet for each one.
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— Vaibhav Dhokpande, Developer · TaskJunction