Metal working – Plural diverse manufacturing apparatus including means for... – Type of machine
Patent
1990-01-22
1991-10-01
Bishop, Steven C.
Metal working
Plural diverse manufacturing apparatus including means for...
Type of machine
82120, 82121, 82142, 82149, 82162, 409166, 409134, B23B 1100
Patent
active
050520890
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention lies in the field of machine tools intended for the machining of parts by removal of material and its object is more particularly a multi-function machine which makes it possible to carry out machining operations such as turning, milling and drilling on pieces which may be of rather large length.
The object of the invention is to propose a machine tool of the said type which, on the one hand, can be used either as a parallel lathe or as a milling machine or as "machining center", that is to say with a succession of stationary or rotating tools, and, on the other hand, permits complex machining (along at least two axes, one of which is an axis of revolution) of relatively long workpieces (L/D>3), in which L designates the length and D the diameter of the workpiece.
There are known, first of all, so-called parallel lathes in which a piece to be machined is supported by a work-holder spindle called a mandrel, the rotation of the workpiece taking place around an axis of revolution C which is generally horizontal, while a stationary tool can move in two directions (X, Y), perpendicular to each other, of a plane parallel to the axis C; generally, but necessarily when there are concerned workpieces the dimension L of which along the C axis is greater than about three times the transverse dimension (D), a rotating center which is coaxial to the mandrel is used.
French Patent 2,581,907 (WIRTH & CRUFFAT) discloses a particularly modern lathe adaptation in which the workpieceholding spindle is mounted in slideable manner on guides while a toolholder can support stationary tools as well as rotating tools. There are also known so-called vertical lathes in which the axis of revolution of the workpiece holder is vertical; vertical lathes are not provided with a center and they are, in general, reserved for the working of heavy massive pieces.
Secondly, milling machines are known in which the piece to be machined is fastened on a table which can be moved along three orthogonal axes; the workpiece to be machined is presented to a rotating tool (mill) supported by a rotary spindle and mounted facing the table, the axis of rotation of the tool being generally perpendicular to one of the axes of displacement of the table.
Thirdly, more complicated machine tools are known which utilize the principle of operation of milling machines in which the piece to be machined is supported by a stationary table while a rotary tool is moved along three orthogonal axes; generally these machine tools, known as machining centers, are provided with automatic means for the loading of the tool-holding spindle as well as digital control means for the loading and displacing of the tool. The machining centers are well adapted to effect a series of operations on one and the same piece, which is generally large, such as an engine block; the replacement of the tools is effected by an attached machine known as a tool changer which complies with a general control program; undoubtedly the automatic replacement of the tools takes up a certain period of time of the operation of the machine but the high degree of automation of these machines compensates for this drawback; it will be noted, however, that, in view of the complex nature of the programming of their operation, machining centers are reserved for mass production.
Machine tools are also known of the type comprising the functional organization of vertical lathes but with three axes of displacement of the tool with respect to the piece to be machined and, for some of them, the possibility of using rotary tools. It will be noted that the downward drilling and sometimes the milling of the horizontal upper faces raises the problem of the evacuation of the chips.
The first example of this type of machine tool is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 346,435 (H. HUCKS et al.); however, the machine of that patent is of the "interrupted bench" type; furthermore it has only a single tool spindle, which can, however, be oriented.
A second example of a machine of this type is disclosed in French
REFERENCES:
patent: 1881147 (1932-10-01), Thoma
patent: 3618432 (1971-11-01), Briese
patent: 3878742 (1975-04-01), Lahm
patent: 4571796 (1986-02-01), Sellner et al.
patent: 4683787 (1987-08-01), Link
patent: 4777713 (1988-10-01), Kitamura
patent: 4936174 (1990-06-01), Holy et al.
Gadaud Andre
Gagnal Michel
Bishop Steven C.
Somab, S.A.
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