Abrading – Precision device or process - or with condition responsive... – Controlling temperature
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-10
2003-07-01
Morgan, Eileen P. (Department: 3723)
Abrading
Precision device or process - or with condition responsive...
Controlling temperature
C451S010000, C451S011000, C451S450000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06585564
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a machine tool system and a machining liquid supply device thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to a machine tool system and a machining liquid supply device thereof capable of most properly achieving the removal of chips and the cooling of a workpiece with a machining liquid by always spouting it from an optimal position, and in an optimal direction, relative to a part of the workpiece being machined during the machining of the workpiece with a tool. The present invention also relates to a machine tool system and a machining liquid supply device capable of spouting a machining liquid in an optimal machining liquid supply mode on a part of a workpiece being machined in accordance with the diameter and machining condition of a tool having peripheral working elements, such as a grinding wheel or various milling cutters, and in accordance with the variation of the positional relation between the tool and the workpiece when machining the workpiece with the tool.
BACKGROUND ART
Especially in the case where a metal workpiece is machined by a tool of a machine tool system, it is essential to supply a machining liquid over the part of the workpiece being machined in order to ensure a satisfactory cooling action for removing the heat generated in the part of the workpiece being machined and to promote the smooth machining action of the tool by removing the chips generated by the machining.
A conventional machining liquid supply device used in a conventional machine tool can be, for example, a grinding liquid supply device disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication (Kokai) No. 61-124366, which is hereinafter referred to as a first prior art. This publication discloses what may be called a manually operated type of machining liquid supply device, in which a machining liquid nozzle disposed in alignment with a tangent to a grinding wheel at a grinding point is supported on a wheel guard so as to be movable in directions perpendicular to the same tangent to the grinding wheel, so that the machining liquid can be spouted in a direction tangential to the grinding wheel at the grinding point by the operator operating an adjust handle regardless of a change in the diameter of the grinding wheel. The machining liquid supply device according to the first prior art, however, is not perfectly satisfactory because, when the grinding point is changed during a process of grinding a workpiece with a grinding wheel, the machining liquid cannot be spouted in a direction tangential to the grinding wheel at a changed grinding point.
A second prior art is a method of controlling a position of a grinding liquid spouting nozzle which is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 1-146662. More specifically, this patent publication discloses a method in which a grinding liquid spouting nozzle is disposed in such a manner as to be capable of being turned for indexing about a spindle holding a grinding wheel during a contour grinding process with the grinding wheel, and the grinding liquid spouting nozzle is controlled in position to direct it toward a grinding point according to a program for controlling the movement of the grinding wheel during the grinding process. In this conventional method of spouting the grinding liquid according to the second prior art, however, the spouting direction of the grinding liquid is adjusted by turning the grinding liquid spouting nozzle about the spindle when the grinding point where the grinding wheel grinds a workpiece is displaced, and therefore the grinding liquid spouting nozzle is not allowed to move radially with respect to the center of the grinding wheel. Thus, the second prior art teaches nothing about a method of correctly adjusting the grinding liquid spouting direction of the grinding liquid spouting nozzle when the grinding process is performed with a grinding wheel of a different diameter held on the spindle.
A third prior art is a water spouting device for a machining center disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 6-31582. This water spouting device for a machining center is capable of versatilely spouting water either in a horizontal direction or vertical direction through a water spouting nozzle to a machining point where the tool of the machining center cuts a workpiece to allow water to be spouted always toward the machining point. This water spouting device is configured such that the water spouting nozzle can be moved about a spindle holding a tool by rotation of a gearing, and when the machining point moves horizontally, the water spouting nozzle can move following the moving angle to spout water toward the machining point. When the machining point changes in height, on the other hand, the base portion of the water spouting nozzle is rotated to move the tip thereof vertically, thereby allowing the water spouting nozzle to spout water toward the machining point.
The water spouting device for a machining center according to the third prior art, however, is not configured to be movable radially with respect to the center of the tool held on the spindle. Therefore, when the diameter.of the tool changes, the water spouting direction of the water spouting nozzle, disadvantageously, cannot be adjusted with respect to the machining point with sufficient accuracy.
A fourth prior art is a grinding machine provided with a wheel guard for a grinding wheel, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,619,078. In this known grinding machine, this wheel guard covers the grinding wheel held on a spindle and carries a machining liquid supply nozzle, which is configured to be turnable about the spindle together with the wheel guard and to be movable radially with respect to the spindle in accordance with the diameter of the grinding wheel, thereby supplying the machining liquid to the contact point between the grinding wheel and the workpiece. Specifically, the machining liquid supply nozzle is turned together with the wheel guard so that the wheel guard and the workpiece do not interfere with each other and, in response to reduced diameter of the grinding wheel due to wearing, the nozzle is adjusted with respect to the wheel guard by driving a motor, thereby to adjust the direction in which the machining liquid is supplied, or to move the wheel guard in a radial direction of the grinding wheel.
The fourth prior art, however, is a special machine tool, such as a surface grinder, and the wheel guard for covering the grinding wheel is an essential component. As a result, an attempt to mount a tool detachably on the spindle by an automatic tool changer such as in a machining center leads to the problem that the automatic tool changing operation cannot be achieved because the wheel guard interferes with the tool changing operation of the automatic tool changer. The disadvantage of this prior art, therefore, is the lack of versatility of applicability to the machining portions of various machine tools other than the surface grinder. Furthermore, the known grinding machine does not have any axis about which the workpiece is rotated, and can feed the workpiece only linearly along three axes, i.e., X-, Y- and Z-axes. Consequently, it has the problem that some workpieces of a particular shape interfere unavoidably with the wheel guard, or that the machining liquid cannot be properly supplied to the machining area if the interference between the workpiece and the wheel guard is avoided. Also, there is no specific disclosure of a structure or an arrangement for rotating or radially moving the wheel guard, or the machining liquid supply nozzle associated with it, in response to the driving force from the motor. Therefore, the utility of this prior art is insufficient in view of practical use.
In addition, the fourth prior art is not provided with any tool measuring means for measuring the diameter of the grinding wheel and nothing is disclosed with regard to techniques of automatically adjusting the radial position of the machining liquid supply nozzle relative to th
Hiramoto Kazuyuki
Tada Keigo
Makino Milling Co., LTD
Morgan Eileen P.
Paul & Paul
LandOfFree
Machine tool device and its working fluid feed device does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Machine tool device and its working fluid feed device, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Machine tool device and its working fluid feed device will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3104609