Data processing: generic control systems or specific application – Specific application – apparatus or process – Product assembly or manufacturing
Reexamination Certificate
1998-05-19
2001-07-31
Grant, William (Department: 2121)
Data processing: generic control systems or specific application
Specific application, apparatus or process
Product assembly or manufacturing
C700S180000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06269283
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method of specifying a machining limit area in which movement of a tool is permitted in manual feed using a numerical control unit, and to a manual feed machining method using the machining limit area.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In a numerical control unit for controlling a machine tool such as a general-purpose milling machine and a lathe to perform machining, an automatic operation mode for controlling the machine tool by executing a machining program and a manual feed mode for feeding a tool by manual operation can be selected. In the manual feed mode, it is possible to perform a manual-continuous feed to continuously drive a machine tool by manual operation through jog feed or the like, a fine adjustment feed for driving the machine tool by operating a manual pulse generator, or an increment feed for moving a tool by a predetermined distance each time a switch is depressed.
In case of performing machining in a desired shape by the manual feed as described above, since a conventional numerical control unit is not equipped with means for preventing excessive cutting, interference or the like in the manual operation, it is necessary for an operator to make machining by paying attention to the excessive cutting, interference or the like. In high-speed machining, since machining is performed at high speed, it is particularly necessary to pay attention to the excessive cutting, interference or the like. Thus, machining takes a long time and requires a skill, so that every operator could not perform machining manually with ease.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to easily perform machining in a desired shape by the manual feed.
A method of specifying a machining limit area of the present invention comprises the steps of: defining a desired machining shape by shaping data or a combination of the shaping data on an X-Y plane; and specifying a machining limit area in which movement of the tool is permitted in machining, based on the defined machining shape. Further, a manual feed machining method of the present invention utilizes the machining limit area specified by the above specifying method to perform machining by feeding a tool on condition that movement of the tool is limited within the machining limit area.
The machining limit area of the present invention means an area in which the movement of the tool is permitted in machining, and may be specified based on a desired machining shape. The specified machining limit area may include a machining limit area in an X- and/or a Y-axis direction and a machining limit area in a Z-axis direction.
In specifying the machining limit area on the X-Y plane, a desired machining shape is determined by shaping data or a combination of some shaping data on the X-Y plane at a predetermined Z-coordinate, and the desired machining shape determined by the shaping data is specified as a machining limit area in which the tool can be moved on the X-Y plane in manual machining using a numerical control unit. A circular-arc or straight-line may be used as the shaping data to define the shape of the machining limit area.
In the case where the shape on the X-Y plane varies in a Z-axis direction, the shaping data on the X-Y plane may be specified by means of a function using a Z-coordinate value as a parameter. Thus, the machining limit area on the X-Y plane at different Z-coordinate values can be defined by specifying the machining limit area on the X-Y plane by the shaping data according to the above method, and varying the shaping data using the above function using the Z-coordinate value as a parameter. As the result, the shape initially specified on the X-Y plane at the predetermined coordinate position is reduced or enlarged in the Z-axis direction.
In specifying the machining limit area in the Z-axis direction, a desired machining shape is determined by shaping data or a combination of some shaping data on the X-Y plane and a function using the Z-coordinate value as a parameter. Then, this function is converted into an inverse function using an X- or a Y-coordinate value as a parameter, to obtain a function for specifying the Z-coordinate value of the tool with respect to the coordinates of the machining limit area on the X-Y plane.
The specified machining limit area in the Z-axis direction may be set in accordance with the depth of cut, i.e., the maximum depth of cut in the Z-axis direction in one cutting process of the tool. Thus, it is possible to prevent the excessive cutting which may be caused by the alteration of the depth of cut.
Further, in a machining method using a numerical control unit of the present invention, machining is performed by manually feeding a tool in accordance with the specified machining limit area, i.e., the machining limit area in the X- and/or Y-axis direction and/or the machining limit area in the Z-axis direction depending on a direction in which the machining limit area is to be specified.
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Nagayama Susumu
Shinozaki Satoru
Fanuc Limited
Grant William
Rapp Chad
Staas & Halsey , LLP
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