Metal working – Plural diverse manufacturing apparatus including means for... – Multiple-tool holder
Patent
1998-08-31
2000-06-06
Briggs, William
Metal working
Plural diverse manufacturing apparatus including means for...
Multiple-tool holder
29 26A, 409202, 409212, B23Q 504, B23C 110
Patent
active
060703121
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention concerns the field of machine tools for removing material, and refers more particularly to a multiple operator station suitable for such machines and equipment in order to be able to handle milling, turning, drilling and grinding operations in the direction of predetermined axes, by means of a series of operator units.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
An operator station of this type is currently obtained by superimposing or mechanically linking several parts, of which each can move in the direction of one axis only of the orthogonal trio of Cartesian coordinates and/or perform rotary movements, all such traversing and rotation movements being necessary to impart the various advance, working and adjustment movements of the various tools and/or workpieces.
This of necessity means that each superimposed part forming the station has to be constructed in such a way as to afford sufficient rigidity and enable the required working precision, thus entailing massive, heavy structures.
In addition, as the parts that have to traverse in relation to each other along the required direction are interconnected by a sliding guide system, these guides must be very carefully constructed to ensure that the machining tolerances and play between the parts forming the guides of the various parts that are suprimposed or interconnected with each other to form the operator station, do not compromise the required degree of machining precision, when all the effects of their imprecisions and vibrations are combined.
A final disadvantage that cannot be overcome with operator stations as per the present state of the art lies in the fact that, when carrying out a grinding operation, the minute fragments of abrasive of the (grinding wheels*) used inevitably tend to fall onto the parts of the machine below, penetrating the sliding guides between the parts or between these and the base support, with the obvious results of serious damage to these parts. These stations thus cannot normally be used to handle grinding operations as well, unless there are expensive complex mechanical devices to prevent the action of minute grinding fragments as described above.
In summarizing the above disadvantages, it can be seen that multiple operator stations according to the present state of the art are more expensive and cumbersome, with relative difficulty in achieving working precision, and with the limitation of not normally being able to handle grinding work amongst other tasks.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The inventor of this invention has designed a multiple operator station that is light and simple to construct, in which the various component parts are positioned and coordinated in such a way as to substantially reduce the disadvantages and limitations described above.
To this effect, in fact, the inventor has designed the subject of this invention, which consists of a multiple operator station for machine tools with chip removal for turning, milling and grinding operations along several axes, characterized by the fact that it consists of several independent operator units suitable for connection equally to either a tool or workpiece, and to impart a machining and/or advance movement to each respectively, these units being fitted on a bearing structure that is curved in shape, with the concave part facing downwards, and positioned in such a way that, below the zone in which the part is positioned during any machining phase, there are no functional parts of the machine subject to movement in relation to each other.
A more detailed description is now given of a preferred form of construction of the operator station as per the invention in which all of the achievable advantages can be seen.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the description, reference is also made to the attached drawings, which represent the following:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred form of construction of a multiple station as per the invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bearing structure only at "C" on the station
REFERENCES:
patent: 3668971 (1972-06-01), Dever
patent: 4730373 (1988-03-01), Senoh
patent: 4856178 (1989-08-01), Salvagnini
patent: 4858301 (1989-08-01), Galarowic
patent: 5314397 (1994-05-01), Mills et al.
patent: 5943750 (1999-08-01), Koren et al.
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