Electrical discharge machining device and method
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsRenwei Yuan, Lei Li, Yuanyuan Guo, Peng Hu, Nouman Usmani
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Abstract
The present disclosure relates to an electrical discharge machining (EDM) device, and a method for machining a workpiece by the EDM device. The EDM device includes a spindle, a guide structure including a plurality of guideways, and a plurality of electrodes, the electrode coupled to the spindle via a flexible link, and slidably engaged with a respective one of the plurality of guideways.
Claims18
An electrical discharge machining (EDM) device, comprising:
- a spindle assembly that is rotatable about a longitudinal axis;
- a guide structure comprising a plurality of guideways;
- wherein the spindle assembly comprises a spindle and a carriage and the carriage is arranged in parallel relation to the plurality of guideways;
- and
- a plurality of electrodes, each of the electrodes coupled to the carriage via a flexible link, and slidably engaged with a respective one of the plurality of guideways;
- wherein each of the electrodes is installed on a slider configured to slide along the respective one of the plurality of guideways, each slider being coupled to a corresponding flexible link, each of the plurality of guideways extending radially in an extending direction outward from the longitudinal axis;
- wherein the plurality of electrodes are placed adjacent to an outer face of a workpiece and the machining is from the outer face towards an inner face.
A method for machining a workpiece by an electrical discharge machining device that comprises a rotating spindle assembly rotatable about a longitudinal axis, a guide structure comprising a plurality of guideways, the spindle assembly comprising a spindle and a carriage and the carriage being arranged in parallel relation to the plurality of guideways, a plurality of electrodes being coupled to the carriage via a plurality of flexible links respectively and slidably engaged with the plurality of guideways respectively, each of the plurality of guideways extending radially outward in an extending direction from the longitudinal axis, the method comprising:
- installing the workpiece to a supporting element;
- fixing the guide structure relative to the supporting element;
- moving the rotating spindle assembly to slide each of the plurality of electrodes on a slider along respective one of the plurality of guideways, each slider being coupled to a corresponding flexible link;
- wherein the plurality of electrodes are placed adjacent to an outer face of a workpiece and the machining is from the outer face towards an inner face;
- machining the outer face of the workpiece.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.