Turning – Lathe – Vertical
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-10
2001-02-20
Tsai, Henry W. H. (Department: 3722)
Turning
Lathe
Vertical
C082S138000, C082S149000, C029S035500
Reexamination Certificate
active
06189427
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a lathe such as a vertical lathe for boring and turning a work. The present invention in particularly relates to a lathe wherein the axis line of a head stock is oriented in the vertical direction and the head stock is movable or fixed, and further relates to a machining system entailing a combination of lathes.
PRIOR ARTS
A lathe, such as a vertical lathe has a head stock which has a main spindle, the axis of which is oriented in the vertical direction. A single work to be cut rotates with its being held by a work holding chuck. Works to be cut are automatically or manually inserted, and the cut works are also automatically or manually discharged.
The inventor provided a machining system disclosed in Japanese Disclosure (laid-open) No. Heisei 2-46321, wherein a head stock is movably provided with a slant type of bed body without any robot or any loader. The main spindle of the head stock of such a type of machine tool has a work holding chuck, by which works are inserted from a works stocking means, and discharged thereinto.
Such a type of lathe is inefficient in terms of discharging, because cut materials such as chips stay on the slant type of bed body. As the main body of the machine, the bed body is deformed due to the thermal energy which is brought about from the bearing and the cut materials. Such thermal deformation or distortion leads to the deformation of the guiding surfaces on which the movable bodies, such as supports and tables are guided, thereby, a decreased precision in dimension results. It is desirable that deformation of the bed is avoided.
Such a known lathe has a head stock, the axis line of which is inclined. The axis line of the works on the work stocker needs to be inclined so that the axis lines of the works are parallel with the axis line of the head stock. A work inclining means or a work supporting means may be provided in order to stabilize the works. Without any work inclining means or work supporting means, works are not smoothly inserted into the head stock from the work stocker, and are not placed on the work stocker in an stabilized means.
Further, in such a known lathe, the guiding portion of the machining sphere which forms a machining sphere and the guiding portion of transferring which forms a transferring sphere is formed as one bed body. Such a formation of the one bed body necessarily makes the one bed body larger in dimension, therefore it is difficult to make the area of the floor for placing the bed smaller. The one body formation wastefully requires the transferring guiding portion to have too much rigidity. Because of such a formation, the machine is too large in dimension in comparison with the maximum size of the works, thereby requiring the space for placing the machine to be too big.
Another art which is disclosed in Japanese Patent Disclosure No.Heisei 60-249501, shows a NC lathe wherein an opening-and-closing chuck is provided with a head stock, the axis line of the main spindle of which is oriented in the vertical direction. Such a known NC lathe has a structural formation wherein a head stock is supported by a gate-like frame or a horizontally extruding beam, and cut materials are accumulated on the bed, and the cutting oil flowing on the bed. Such a formation generates thermal deformation.
There has not been any idea with respect to increasing accuracy for the works in dimensions, these works dimensions having a decreased precision due to thermal deformation, which brings out a relative displacement between the head stock and the tools of a tools stocking support or a tools rest fixed with a bed. Further, there has not been any idea concerning a decrease in the work space area.
The head stock is moved toward a works stocking means in the horizontal direction so that works are automatically provided to and discharged from the works stocking means. The head stock is provided with a bed body so that the head stock is moved in the direction until it reaches the position of the works stocking means, wherein the bed body has a long horizontally guiding surface for moving the head thereon. As a result, the horizontally guiding portion for moving, which does not need more rigidity since the force put upon it by the cutter during machining is weak, is formed in a body with the bed body. Such a particularly rigid structure, wherein the size of the bed body is so much larger in dimension in comparison with the maximum size of the machined work, is wasteful. It is desirable that there be provided such a vertical lathe wherein the space for the lathe is smaller, so that the production cost is lower and the production efficiency is higher. It is further desirable that there be provided such a vertical lathe which is available in connection with another vertical lathe.
In a lathe according to such a known art, where the axis line of a main spindle is inclined against a vertical surface, the problem of needing to incline a work when the work chucking means holds and removes the work is an avoidable one. Still further, the known art has an idea that it is used as single machine tool, but has no idea of its being used in combination with another lathe in correspondence to the number of processings and the kind of processing.
It is further desirable that there be provided a lathe wherein the number of machine tools, the location or formation of machine tools and so on are freely chosen in combination as not known in the known arts.
There has been no idea of using a multiple of lathes mutually related or connected in operation. It is further desirable that a multiple of lathes are relatively or mutually operated with correspondence to processing or machining, wherein the number and position of machines are voluntarily chosen.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a lathe used as a unit wherein a free combination of the units is available so that the combination of units is able to be used as a single machining system.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a machining system of a multiple of lathes which comprises a minimum number cell units, wherein the formation thereof is simple.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a machining system having a multiple number of units of lathes which are able to provide works automatically without any work providing means such as a robot or a loader.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a lathe or a pair of lathes, wherein both sides of one work are processed by a single machine thereof
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a lathe wherein there is little thermal deformation and distortion due to thermal energy, thereby minimizing the negative effect thereof on precision.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a lathe which is of small size, and variously used with a movable or transferring support moving beyond a bed body.
A lathe or a machining system of a lathe according to the present invention is freely available for a single vertical lathe or a machining system formed of a multiple number of units of vertical lathes. Such a unit of lathe operates as a minimum number of units of machining cells, the structure of which is simple. A machining system of a lathe according to the present invention can automatically provide and discharge works without any loader or any robot.
A lathe according to the present invention comprises a bed body. The bed body has a vertical surface, on or to which a turret or a turret support is attached or mounted. The bed body, which is identical with the body of the lathe, includes a horizontally guiding rail. The horizontally guiding rail is mounted on the bed body. The lathe comprises a movable support, which is movably mounted on or attached to the horizontally guiding rail. A vertically guiding rail is mounted on or attached to the movable support. The lathe comprises a head stock, which is movably mounted on the vertically guiding rail. The head stock includes a main
Kosho Akira
Miyagawa Keiichi
Oiwa Kazuhiko
Togawa Satoru
Armstrong, Westerman Hattori, McLeland & Naughton
Hitachi Seiki Co., Ltd.
Tsai Henry W. H.
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