Turning – Lathe – With tool turret
Patent
1997-10-27
2000-01-25
Pitts, Andrea L.
Turning
Lathe
With tool turret
82136, 82159, 82905, 408 35, 29 40, B23B 2924
Patent
active
060167297
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a turret device to be used in a working machine such as an NC lathe.
BACKGROUND TECHNOLOGY
There has been recently an increasing demand for an NC lathe provided with a turret device since a machining apparatus, particularly, a lathe is able to realize automatic machining operations at high speed and can cope with a computer-integrated flexible manufacturing system.
The turret device is structured such that a rotary table called a turret which is provided on a tab base table (tool slide), and has normally 5 to 12 indexing positions, is indexed while rotated (hereinafter referred to as simply indexed). Tool mounting portions are formed on an outer periphery or end surface of the turret, and various tools such as turning tools and drills are mounted on these tool mounting portions wherein an appropriate tool is selected from the various tools depending on the type of machining process desired so as to index the selected tools in machining positions. Such an indexing of the turret is performed by the driving force from an indexing actuator.
The turning tools and drills can be frequently mounted on the tool mounting portions of the turret, wherein machining such as drilling a hole into a workpiece can be performed by driving the turning tools mounted on the tool mounting portions.
Since the indexing, positioning and fixing of the turret in the conventional turret device have been performed by a hydraulic cylinder as a driving source, a large-sized power unit comprising a hydraulic pump, an electric motor for driving the pump, an oil tank, etc. has been needed.
An arrangement using an electric motor for indexing a turret has been known wherein the positioning and fixing of the turret has been performed by the hydraulic cylinder, which is indispensable to the power unit.
Even if the indexing of the turret is performed by the electric motor, the motor for driving the turning tool is provided in addition to the motor for indexing the turret, whereby the turning tool is driven and turned by a driving force of the motor for driving the turning tool, thereby performing the machining of the workpiece.
However, since it is not necessary that the indexing of the turret and the driving of the turning tool be performed at the same time, it is possible to reduce the cost of the parts and to perform an easy control if the indexing of the turret and the driving of the turning tool can be achieved by a common electric motor.
Further, if the driving source for positioning and fixing the turret comprises the electric motor, the reduction of components and the easy control are further enhanced.
Since the present invention has been made in view of the above concept, it provides a turret device capable of achieving the indexing of the turret and the driving of the turning tool by a common electric actuator, thereby eliminating the power unit.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
To achieve the above object, a first aspect of the invention is characterized in comprising the following construction in a turret device comprising a base table, a turret which is indexed about a given rotary center relative to the base table, and positioning engaging members which are provided between the base table and the turret so as to be engageable with or disengageable from each other for preventing the turret from turning when they engage with each other. The turret device further comprises: the electric actuator to the turret; electric actuator to turning tools mounted on the tool mounting portions; and engage with or disengage from each other, permitting the clutch members to engage with each other while interlocking with the disengagement between the positioning engaging members, and permitting the clutch members to disengage from each other while interlocking with the engagement between the positioning engaging members.
According to the invention having the aforementioned construction, the indexing of the turret and the driving of the turning tool can be performed by one electric actuator. That is,
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patent: 4413539 (1983-11-01), Ishizuka et al.
patent: 5007314 (1991-04-01), Hafla et al.
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patent: 5632075 (1997-05-01), De Bernardi et al.
patent: 5657523 (1997-08-01), Lin et al.
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Co-pending U.S. Patent Appln. 08/945,339 filed on Oct. 27, 1997.
Pfeifer Wolfgang
Shinohara Hiroshi
Sugimoto Kenji
Citizen Watch Co. Ltd.
Pitts Andrea L.
Tsai Henry W. H.
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