# US 10,480,124 B2 · Machining unit for a machine tool and such a machine tool

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- Number: US 10,480,124 B2
- Document ID: US10480124B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/544,184
- Filed: 2016-01-15
- Published: 2018-01-11
- Granted: 2019-11-19
- Earliest claimed: 2015-01-16
- Assignees: Deckel Maho Pfronten GmbH
- Applicants: Deckel Maho Pfronten GmbH
- Inventors: Florian Garbarsky
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10480124B2

## CPC

- D07B 7/14: for coating or wrapping ropes, cables, or component strands thereof (applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces in general B05; wrapping elongated cores in general B65H81/06)
- B23Q 1/0009: {Energy-transferring means or control lines for movable machine parts; Control panels or boxes; Control parts (control handles for driving or feeding mechanisms B23Q5/54)}
- B23Q 1/52: a single rotating pair
- F16G 13/16: with arrangements for holding electric cables, hoses, or the like
- H02G 3/0475: {formed by a succession of articulated units}
- H02G 11/006: {using extensible carrier for the cable, e.g. self-coiling spring (extensible conductors or cables H01B7/06)}
- B23Q 2220/006: Spindle heads
- H02G 11/00: Arrangements of electric cables or lines between relatively-movable parts
- D07B: ROPES OR CABLES IN GENERAL (joining ropes or cables to one another or to other objects B65H69/00, F16G11/00; {mountaineering ropes A63B29/02}; mechanical finishing or dressing of ropes D02J; {braiding D04C}; decorative ropes or cords D04D; suspension cables for bridges E01D19/16; specially adapted for driving, or for being driven by, pulleys or other gearing elements F16G9/00; electric cables or joints insofar as electrical aspects are essential H01B, H01R)
- B23Q: DETAILS, COMPONENTS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR MACHINE TOOLS, e.g. ARRANGEMENTS FOR COPYING OR CONTROLLING (tools of the kind used in lathes or boring machines B23B27/00); MACHINE TOOLS IN GENERAL CHARACTERISED BY THE CONSTRUCTION OF PARTICULAR DETAILS OR COMPONENTS; COMBINATIONS OR ASSOCIATIONS OF METAL-WORKING MACHINES, NOT DIRECTED TO A PARTICULAR RESULT
- F16G: BELTS, CABLES, OR ROPES, PREDOMINANTLY USED FOR DRIVING PURPOSES; CHAINS; FITTINGS PREDOMINANTLY USED THEREFOR
- H02G: INSTALLATION OF ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES, OR OF COMBINED OPTICAL AND ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES

## Abstract

A machining unit for use on a machining tool has a head carrier that is attachable to the machine tool and has a head carrier housing, a swivel head that is provided to swivel relative to the head carrier about a swivel head rotation axis and has a swivel head housing, a spindle head that is attached to the swivel head and has a working spindle, and a cable run that extends inside the head carrier housing to the swivel head and has a plurality of members that are arranged in succession along the cable run and are connected movably together. Adjacent members are in this case able to rotate and swivel relative to one another and each member has a central piece and a sheathing spaced apart therefrom. The central piece is connected to the sheathing via one or more connection elements.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A machining unit for use on a machining tool, the machining unit comprising:
a head carrier that is attachable to the machine tool, the head carrier having a head carrier housing;
a swivel head that is provided to swivel relative to the head carrier about a swivel head rotation axis, the swivel head having a swivel head housing;
a spindle head that is attached to the swivel head, the spindle head having a working spindle; and
a cable run that extends inside the head carrier housing to the swivel head, the cable run including a structure having a plurality of structural members that are arranged in a chain succession, adjacent structural members of the plurality of structural members being movably connected together so as to rotate and swivel relative to one another,
wherein each structural member of the plurality of structural members has a central piece and a sheathing spaced apart from the central piece, the central piece being connected to the sheathing via one or more rib connection elements, which extend from the central piece to the sheathing.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The machining unit according to claim 1, wherein one or more cables are arranged in the cable run and respectively run along the plurality of structural members between the central piece and the sheathing.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The machining unit according to claim 1, wherein connecting surfaces of the sheathing of each of the adjacent structural members are movable relative to one another.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The machining unit according to claim 1, wherein the central pieces of respective adjacent structural members are connected to one another via a hinged connection, the hinged connection is configured to enable the respective adjacent members to be rotated and/or swiveled relative to one another via the hinged connection.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The machining unit according to claim 1, wherein the cable run is configured to be attached to the head carrier and the swivel head via one or more respective flanges, the head carrier and the swivel head being configured to be rotatable towards one another by a rotation angle ranging at least from +180° to −180°, the cable run being attached via the one or more flanges follows rotary motion of the swivel head as a result of movement of the structural members.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The machining unit according to claim 5, wherein at least one of the one or more flanges is arranged on a side of the swivel head in such a way that an axis of the at least one flanges of the one or more flanges is arranged parallel to the swivel head rotation axis.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The machining unit according to claim 1, wherein the cable run includes at least N structural members which are hingedly connected to one another, ends of the cable run are configured to be rotatable towards one another by a rotation angle ranging at least from +180° to −180°.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The machining unit according to claim 7, wherein in the case of N structural members, two connected structural members are configured to be rotated by more than 360°/N.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The machining unit according to claim 1, wherein the adjacent structural members of the cable run are respectively configured to be swiveled towards each other by a swivel angle ranging at least from +10° to −10°.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The machining unit according to claim 1, wherein the central piece of each structural member of the plurality of structural members is connected to the sheathing via at least three separate rib connection elements.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The machining unit according to claim 1, wherein the central piece of each structural member of the plurality of structural members has a hinge ball and a hinge socket for the connection to the respective adjacent structural members.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The machining unit according to claim 1, wherein the central piece of each structural member of the plurality of structural members has a channel configured to receive a flexible cable and so as to connect respective central pieces of the adjacent structural members via the flexible cable.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The machining unit according to claim 1, wherein the sheathing of each structural member of the plurality of structural members includes a swiveling segment, the swiveling segment being configured to be swiveled in a radial direction.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The machining unit according to claim 13, wherein the swiveling segment is detachably arranged on one of the one or more connection elements.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The machining unit according to claim 13, wherein the swiveling segment is connected to one of the one or more rib connection elements via a hinge attached to an end region of the respective rib connection element.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The machining unit according to claim 1, wherein the sheathing of each structural member of the plurality of structural members at least partly encases one or more cables, and the structural members overlap in such a way that a region enclosed by the sheathing, opposite a region outside the sheathing, is configured to be sealed.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The machining unit according to claim 1, wherein surfaces of the sheathings of the adjacent structural members overlap at least partly.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The machining unit according to claim 1, wherein the one or more rib connection elements extend from the central piece in a radial direction to the sheathing.

### Claim 19 (depends on 1)

A machine tool having the machining unit according to claim 1.