Feed system for a rotating cutting tool

Details Feed system for a rotating cutting tool Feed system for a rotating cutting tool

1999-10-13

2001-11-13

Howell, Daniel W. (Department: 3722)

Cutting by use of rotating axially moving tool

Processes

Bit detachable

C082S001400, C408S154000, C408S173000, C408S178000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06315503

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a feed system for a rotating cutting tool in accordance with the preamble of claim
1
.
2. Description of Related Art
Feed systems of this kind are used in the series manufacture of case components, for instance of engine/transmission cases. The respective machining stations, for example transfer machines, fine-boring units, special machines, horizontal boring machines or machining centers are equipped with a feed system for boring tools in which the cutting tool is coupled with a work spindle of the machine tool via the feed system.
The feed system permits to compensate defects occurring during manufacture which may occur, for instance, due to the wear of cutting edges, cutting edge tolerance, adjusting errors or dimensional variations, caused by temperature changes of the machine, etc. Moreover the feed systems permit to form cylinder bores having most narrow tolerances or having bores the radius of which is variable in response to the boring depth (e.g. forming of chamfers, radii, recesses, convex, concave or tapered circumferential walls).
In the known system the cutting tools may be formed on different tool holding fixtures, for instance boring bars, so-called eccentric spindles or feeding heads.
In
FIG. 1
, which is referred to already in this place, a known feed system distributed by the applicant by the name “eccentric spindle” is shown. In this feed system a tool holding fixture
2
is arranged coaxially at an eccentric spindle
4
which, in turn, is rotatably supported in a work spindle
6
. The axis of the eccentric spindle
4
is offset vis-á-vis the axis of the work spindle
6
by the measure e. I.e. by rotating the eccentric spindle
4
a cutting tool (not represented) held in the tool holding fixture
2
can be radially offset vis-á-vis the axis of the work spindle
6
and thus a feed motion can be performed.
In the known feed system the adjusting movement of the cutting edge with respect to the work spindle
6
is effected by means of a comparatively complex drive system the principal components of which are briefly described hereinafter.
The known drive system includes a servomotor
8
the output shaft
10
of which is connected to a circulating ball spindle indicated by the reference numeral
12
in FIG.
1
. By the circulating ball spindle
12
the rotation of the servomotor
8
is converted into an axial movement by which an adjusting slide
14
is movable in axial direction, i.e. in parallel to the axis of the work spindle
6
, in response to the control. In the adjusting slide
14
a connecting member
16
coupled to a connecting bar
18
is rotatably supported. The connecting bar
18
is guided to be axially movable in the work spindle
6
. Between the end portion of the connecting bar
18
on the side of the tool holding fixture and the adjacent end portion of the eccentric spindle
4
guided in the work spindle
6
there is disposed a lift-off rotary transformer
20
via which the axial movement of the connecting bar
18
can be converted into a rotation and thus a rotation of the eccentric spindle
4
with respect to the work spindle
6
can be realized.
For the adjustment the servomotor
8
is appropriately driven so that the adjusting slide
14
is moved free from play along its axial guide via the circulating ball spindle
12
and thus the connecting bar
18
immerses into the work spindle
6
. The axial movement of the connecting bar
18
is converted into a rotation of the eccentric spindle
4
by the lift-off rotary transformer
20
so that, in response to the control of the step motor
8
, the eccentric spindle
4
is adjusted so that the tool cutting edge is adjustable with respect to the work spindle
6
.
The work spindle
6
is driven via a pulley
22
indicated by a dot-dash line, so that the cutting tool held in the tool holding fixture
2
—for instance a boring tool—is rotated. As the components required for adjusting the cutting edge are substantially supported in the work spindle
6
or are connected with the same, considerable efforts have to be made to ensure the desired transmission free from play of the adjusting movement of the servomotor
8
to the eccentric spindle
4
.
The system represented in
FIG. 1
moreover has a very complex structure, because a multiple conversion of translatory movements into rotary movements is required. The moved masses are relatively large in the case of this feed system so that also the support of the work spindle and the motors required for the drive of the work spindle
6
have to be adequately designed.
In GB2130937A a feed system is described in which the cutting edge if fixed to an eccentric adapted to be rotated vis-á-vis a work spindle. The eccentric is adjusted by an adjusting shaft connected to a servomotor via a planetary gear. The transmission ratio of the planetary gear is selected to be such that the adjusting shaft automatically rotates with the work spindle in the basic setting. By driving the servomotor the adjusting shaft can be rotated via the planetary gear vis-á-vis the work spindle so that a feed motion is effected.
What is a drawback with this design is that a considerable expenditure in terms of apparatuses is necessary to couple the adjusting shaft via the planetary gear with the servomotor and to convert the motion of rotation of the adjusting shaft in the tool holding fixture into an adjustment of the eccentric.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In contrast to this, the object underlying the invention is to provide a feed system for a rotating cutting tool in which a precise feed is permitted with a minimum expenditure in terms of apparatuses.
This object is achieved by a feed system comprising the features of claim
1
.
In the feed system according to the invention an eccentric spindle and an operating shaft are synchronously driven, each via a separate drive. The feed motion is effected by adjusting a difference in speed between the eccentric spindle and the operating shaft guided in the eccentric spindle via an eccentric portion.
It is an essential feature of the invention that an adjusting means effecting the feed motion is driven via an operating shaft which is adapted to be driven via a separate feed motor alternatively synchronously with the spindle or at a predetermined difference in speed with respect to the speed of the spindle. In the first case, i.e. when the operating shaft and the spindle are driven at the same speed, no feed motion of the adjusting means is effected, because a transmission element of the adjusting means maintains its relative position with respect to a control surface of the adjusting means. In the latter case, i.e. when the spindle and the operating shaft are driven at different speeds, a feed motion is effected, because the control surface is moved with respect to the transmission element as long as the difference in speed is maintained. As soon as the tool holding fixture-supporting the cutting tool is moved into the desired position, the speed of the operating shaft is again brought to the speed of the spindle (or vice versa) so that no further relative movement between the control surface and the transmission element occurs—the feeding operation is completed. The control surface is usually formed at the outer circumference of a shaft portion connected to the operating shaft and can be designed, for instance, in the form of an involute or as an eccentric surface with respect to the rotation axis of the spindle.
An essential advantage of the feed system according to the invention resides in the fact that substantially only rotating components are used for effecting the feed motion so that the expenditure in terms of apparatuses can be considerably reduced vis-á-vis the conventional solutions in which translatory motions had to be converted into motions of rotation.
The use of rotation-symmetrical components moreover permits extremely high speeds both for the spindle and for the operating shaft so that high machining outputs can be realized.
By an appropriate selection of th

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