Spindle unit and processing apparatus
AssigneeDisco Corporation
InventorHiroyuki Watanabe
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A spindle unit includes a spindle having a processing tool fitted to a distal end of the spindle; and a spindle housing having a thrust bearing and a radial bearing configured to support the spindle by air in a rotatable and noncontact manner, the thrust bearing including an air supply portion configured to supply air to a gap between an outer surface of the spindle, the outer surface being in a direction orthogonal to an axial direction of the spindle, and an inner surface of the spindle housing, and an adjusting unit capable of adjusting a distance of the gap in a direction perpendicular to the outer surface of the spindle.
Claims12
A spindle unit comprising:
- a spindle having a processing tool fitted to a distal end of the spindle;
- and
- a spindle housing having a thrust bearing and a radial bearing configured to support the spindle by air in a rotatable and noncontact manner;
- the thrust bearing including
- an air supply portion configured to supply air to a gap between an outer surface of the spindle, the outer surface being in a direction orthogonal to an axial direction of the spindle, and an inner surface of the spindle housing, and
- an adjusting unit including an actuator for adjusting a distance of the gap in a direction perpendicular to the outer surface of the spindle, the actuator configured to adjust an air pressure of the thrust bearing within the gap.
A processing apparatus for processing a workpiece by a processing tool, the processing apparatus comprising:
- a spindle unit including a spindle having the processing tool fitted to a distal end of the spindle and a spindle housing having a thrust bearing and a radial bearing configured to support the spindle by air in a rotatable and noncontact manner;
- a holding unit configured to hold the workpiece;
- a pressure measuring unit configured to measure pressure of air;
- and
- a voltage control unit configured to control a voltage of direct-current power,
- the thrust bearing including
- an air supply portion configured to supply air to a gap between an outer surface of the spindle, the outer surface being in a direction orthogonal to an axial direction of the spindle, and an inner surface of the spindle housing, and
- an adjusting unit including an actuator capable of adjusting a distance of the gap in a direction perpendicular to the outer surface of the spindle, the actuator configured to adjust an air pressure of the thrust bearing within the gap;
- the pressure measuring unit measuring the air pressure within the gap;
- the voltage control unit controlling the voltage of the direct-current power supplied to the piezoelectric actuator, to adjust the distance of the gap such that a pressure value measured by the pressure measuring unit becomes a value set in advance.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.