Gear cutting – milling – or planing – Milling – Work support
Reexamination Certificate
1998-02-13
2001-01-16
Pitts, Andrea L. (Department: 3722)
Gear cutting, milling, or planing
Milling
Work support
C269S021000, C269S043000, C269S099000, C409S164000, C409S174000, C409S197000, C409S218000, C409S219000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06174114
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
Subject matter of the invention is a draw-in nipple and its securement in a palette or clamp-on plate.
2. Description of Related Art
Such draw-in nipple and its securement are known for example through the subject matter of DE 41 35 418.4 by the same applicant.
The disclosure content of this prior publication is intended to be fully included by the present disclosure.
In the prior configuration the draw-in nipple is attached fixedly to a clamp-on plate or palette on the underside or top side of the palette and therefore has substantially no motion play. Such palettes in connection with draw-in nipples serve for the purpose of clamping the palette in a working center wherein the draw-in nipples engage rapid-action clamping cylinders which, by means of spring-resilient force or by means of other media, draw the draw-in cylinder in the direction of its longitudinal axis into this rapid-action clamping cylinder in order to connect in this way the palette or clamping plate fixedly with the rapid-action clamping system. In a manner known per se the palette or the clamping plate supports mountings for clamping in workpieces to be worked.
In the following for the sake of simplicity only one palette is discussed, but by it is understood that a rapidly exchangeable clamping plate also be implemented so as to be turnable so that it can be clamped in at different orientations into a rapid-action clamping system.
In the prior patent application the disadvantage existed that the particular draw-in nipple was fixedly screwed on plane-parallel surfaces of the clamp-on plate with the aid of screws and accordingly was fastened on the plate virtually immovably. Due to the installation this known draw-in nipple was provided with a clearance of approximately 2 to 3/1000 mm in order to attain a favorable mounting on the palette. This clearance is moreover still required in order to attain the ready removal of the entire palette from the rapid-action clamping system. For the palette must be tilted by a few thousandths mm in order to make possible the highly favorable pulling out of all draw-in nipples from the associated rapid-action clamping cylinders.
But in many cases such clearance is undesirable and should be eliminated in particular in the case of the palette tightly clamped in the rapid-action clamping system since it leads to fabrication inaccuracies.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is therefore based on the task of further developing a palette with fastening of draw-in bolts of the above cited type in such a way that with draw-in nipples locked in the rapid-action clamping system the palette is connected free of clearance with the draw-in nipples and that during the detachment of the palette from the rapid-action clamping system the nipples have clearance.
Of importance in the present invention is that the clamping of the palette in a rapid-action clamping system takes place in such a way that the rapid-action clamping cylinders always exert a tension force substantially perpendicularly to the plane of the palette onto the associated draw-in nipples in the clamped state such that these nipples are always prestressed in the direction of their longitudinal axis.
According to the invention the securement of the draw-in nipples in associated pocket bores of the palette is now implemented so that due to this tension force acting in the longitudinal direction of the draw-in nipples the lateral clearance (leading to the swiveling of the draw-in nipples) is eliminated if a tension force acts onto the draw-in nipples and is retained while, if the tension is no longer active, to the draw-in nipples a swivel play [clearance] is again assigned so that during the detachment of the rapid-action clamping cylinders the palette with its draw-in nipples can be readily tilted again and therefore can se readily removed from the rapid-action clamping system.
Consequently, the essence of the invention is that a condition-adapted clearance release is assigned to the draw-in nipples, i.e. the clearance is eliminated if the draw-in nipples are under tension force and the clearance is again assigned to the draw-in nipples if the tension force is removed.
In a first preferred embodiment this is attained thereby that the draw-in nipple is held in a pocket bore in the region of the palette with the aid of a conical ring, which conical ring is disposed, in turn, in a mounting flange.
Between the draw-in nipple and the conical ring in the direction of tension on the draw-in nipples (in the longitudinal direction of the draw-in nipple) conical surfaces are disposed at an angle in addition to this which lead to the fact that upon the action of a tension force onto the draw-in nipples these conical surfaces shift radially outwardly and thereby displace the conical ring radially outwardly and herein simultaneously a displacement force directed radially outwardly is exerted onto the mounting flange adjoining the conical ring radially outwardly.
It is herein important that the fitting face which ensures the full seat (clearance-free seat) of the draw-in nipple in the rapid-action clamping cylinder is disposed on the radially outer circumference of the mounting flange. This outer circumference extends into an associated fitting bore in the rapid-action clamping cylinder and comes to rest clearance-free on the inner circumference of this associated fitting bore.
Therewith the technical teaching according to the present invention is fulfilled that under the action of a tension force which acts in the longitudinal direction on the draw-in nipple the conical ring is displaced radially outwardly and it the conical ring simultaneously displaces radially outwardly the mounting flange, disposed radially outward, and expands it so that it mounting flange with its fitting bore rests completely clearance-free and secured all-around in the fitting bore. Therewith the draw-in force is also substantially increased because the mounting flange extends virtually force- and form-fittingly into the fitting bore and a very good oversized draw-in force exists between the draw-in nipple and the associated clamping cylinder.
In another embodiment of the present invention it is provided that, instead of the use of conical surfaces which are implemented obliquely in the direction toward the draw-in direction of the draw-in nipple, circular-profile spherical surfaces are used which also lead to a radial expansion of a mounting flange which consequently also comes to rest force- and form-fittingly on the inner circumference of the associated fitting bore when the draw-in nipple is clamped tightly.
This draw-in nipple is supported substantially so as to carry out swivel motions, i.e. in the resting state it is afflicted with such clearance that it can carry out a swivel motion about its longitudinal axis wherein the center of the swivel is approximately in the region of the palette. But as soon as a corresponding draw-in force is exerted onto this draw-in nipple, it becomes stabilized in its seat due to the spherical surfaces and the associated conical surfaces in the region of the mounting flange, which cooperate in order to displace in this way the mounting flange radially outwardly and to bring the fitting faces disposed on the radially outer circumference into force- and form-fit engagement on the inner circumference of the fitting bore of the clamping cylinder.
In a third embodiment the draw-in nipple is supported in a spring-resilient element which, in turn, is fastened in a fitting bore of the palette, for example via a ring. But here any other suitable form of fastening can also be used.
The contact faces between draw-in nipple and spring-resilient element are at least partially conical or spherical.
With a tension force onto the draw-in nipple the spring-resilient element becomes deformed so that the draw-in nipple is fixed free of clearance on the palette.
The previously cited fitting faces for centering in the clamping cylinder in this embodiment are disposed preferably dir
Lackenbach Siegel Marzullo Aronson & Greenspan P.C.
Pitts Andrea L.
Smith Monica
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