Gear cutting – milling – or planing – Milling – Cutter spindle or spindle support
Patent
1991-09-26
1993-04-13
Bilinsky, Z. R.
Gear cutting, milling, or planing
Milling
Cutter spindle or spindle support
279900, 408239R, B23B 3100, B23C 526
Patent
active
052016218
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to shanks for retaining tools in the socket of, for example, a spindle of a machine tool.
Typically, a socket in a machine tool spindle has a frusto-conical shape. Known shanks for retaining tools in such spindles have a corresponding frusto-conical shape. The grinding of such a frusto-conical shank is a difficult and expensive process, since the shank must be accurately ground to the correct shape in order to prevent jamming of the shank in the socket. Furthermore, because the shank has a frusto-conical shape, the position of the shank within the socket of the head is not precisely repeatable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an elongate shank for retaining a tool or probe in a socket of a machine tool spindle, the socket being defined by a frusto-conical wall, and the shank comprising an axis parallel to the direction of its length; the shank having at one end means providing at least three relatively rigid areas of surface for bearing against the wall, thereby to locate said one end of the shank in the socket, and at the other end means providing at least three further areas of surface for bearing against the wall, thereby to locate said other end of the shank in the socket characterised in that: at least one of said further areas of surface is resiliently moveable relative, and in a direction radial to said axis.
Preferably, three areas of the surface are provided at each end of the shank, thereby providing a kinematic location of the shank in the socket.
In one preferred embodiment three further areas of surface are provided, and only one of said further areas of surface is resiliently movable in said radial direction.
Preferably the shank will be provided with a pull-up stud, by which a gripper inside the socket of the spindle can pull the shank into the spindle. The pull-up stud will preferably be supported on a block shaped to bear against the socket wall and the block is preferable resiliently connected to the shank so that the total pulling force with which the gripper pulls the pull-up stud is not transmitted to the shank.
Such a shank may be used to retain either a tool used to machine a workpiece, or a touch probe which is used to measure the workpiece after machining. A second aspect of the present invention lies in the appreciation that a shank used to retain a touch probe in the socket of a machine tool spindle is, as a consequence of the function of the probe, subject to significantly lower forces and stresses than a shank used to retain a tool in such a spindle, and therefore need not be constructed to withstand forces and stresses such as are normally present in a machining operation.
According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a shank for retaining a probe in a machine tool spindle socket, the shank being made of a material selected from the group consisting of: ceramics, plastics or aluminium. Such materials may be cast or extruded into an appropriate shape, typically a frusto-conical shape.
Preferably the ceramic material is of Aluminium Oxide. The plastics material may for example be fibre reinforced plastics material, such as carbon fibre reinforced polyoxymethylene.
Typically a shank of ceramic or plastic material will be provided with a pull-up stud supported on a block shaped to bear against the socket wall, which is resiliently connected to the shank. As stated above this reduces the load on the shank when it is engaged in the socket of the spindle.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 shows a section through a first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 shows a section on II--II in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 shows a partial section through a second embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a section on IV--IV of FIG. 3; and
FIG. 5 shows a partial section through a third embodiment of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED E
REFERENCES:
patent: 4135418 (1979-01-01), Cray et al.
patent: 4197771 (1980-04-01), Heaton et al.
patent: 4292866 (1981-10-01), Kaczynski
patent: 4714389 (1987-12-01), Johne
patent: 4726721 (1988-02-01), Heel et al.
patent: 4747735 (1988-05-01), Erickson et al.
McMurtry David R.
Willis Peter C.
Bilinsky Z. R.
Renishaw plc
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