# US 12,214,413 B2 · Processing unit and processing machine for processing a workpiece wall of a workpiece, and method for producing such a processing unit

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- Number: US 12,214,413 B2
- Document ID: US12214413B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/602,914
- Filed: 2020-04-28
- Published: 2022-06-16
- Granted: 2025-02-04
- Earliest claimed: 2019-05-14
- Assignees: FELSS Systems GmbH
- Applicants: FELSS Systems GmbH
- Inventors: Udo Trautz; Alexander Muthny; Matthias Kluge
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12214413B2

## CPC

- B21J 5/12: Forming profiles on internal or external surfaces (making screw-thread by forging, pressing, or hammering B21K)
- B21J: FORGING; HAMMERING; PRESSING METAL; RIVETING; FORGE FURNACES (rolling of metal B21B; making particular products by forging or pressing B21K; cladding or plating B23K; finishing surfaces by hammering B23P9/04; compacting surfaces by blasting with particulate material B24C1/10; general features of presses, presses for consolidating scrap B30B; furnaces in general F27)

## Abstract

A processing unit for processing a workpiece wall of a workpiece with a forward stroke carried out by the processing unit in a forward stroke direction of the processing unit towards the workpiece, and with a backward stroke carried out by the processing unit in a backward stroke direction of the processing unit away from the workpiece, wherein the workpiece and the processing unit move relative to each other along a working axis of the processing unit. A processing machine for processing a workpiece wall of a workpiece contains the processing unit.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A processing unit for processing a workpiece wall of a workpiece (7), with relative movement of the workpiece (7) and the processing unit along a working axis (8) of the processing unit, with a forward stroke carried out by the processing unit in a forward stroke direction (9) of the processing unit towards the workpiece (7), and with a backward stroke carried out by the processing unit in a backward stroke direction (10) of the processing unit away from the workpiece (7), the processing unit comprising:
a machine tool (3) for processing the workpiece wall, wherein the machine tool (3) is in contact with the workpiece (7) during the forward stroke and during the backward stroke of the processing unit,
a tool support (4) which is provided for the machine tool (3), and which has a forward stroke bearing surface (11) pointing in the forward stroke direction (9), and a backward stroke bearing surface (13) which is spaced apart on the tool support (4) from the forward stroke bearing surface (11) of the tool support (4) in the backward stroke direction along the working axis (8) of the processing unit and which faces away from the forward stroke bearing surface (11) of the tool support (4) and points in the backward stroke direction (10), wherein the machine tool (3) is arranged in front of the forward stroke bearing surface (11) of the tool support in the forward stroke direction (9) and lies opposite the forward stroke bearing surface (11) of the tool support (4) along the working axis (8), wherein the machine tool (3) is supported on the forward stroke bearing surface (11) of the tool support (4) in the opposite direction of the forward stroke direction (9) during the forward stroke of the processing unit, and
wherein the tool support (4) has a threaded bolt (21) on the end of the tool support (4) positioned in the backward stroke direction (10) which threaded bolt (21) is provided with an external thread (20) and protrudes along the working axis (8), a clamping device (5) configured for clamping the machine tool (3) along the working axis (8) against the forward stroke bearing surface (11) of the tool support (4) and against the backward stroke bearing surface (13) of the tool support (4),
wherein the clamping device (5) comprises a tension element (14) which is structurally separate from the tool support (4), which extends along the working axis (8), and which is connected along the working axis (8) to the machine tool (3) on one end, and on the other end has an adjusting thread (19a) with which an adjusting element (15) of the clamping device (5) is in threaded engagement,
wherein, the adjusting element (15) of the clamping device (5) is opposite, along the working axis (8), the backward stroke bearing surface (13) of the tool support (4) facing away from the forward stroke bearing surface (11) of the tool support (4),
wherein the machine tool (3) is supported on the backward stroke bearing surface (13) of the tool support (4) in the opposite direction of the backward stroke direction (10) during the backward stroke of the processing unit via the tension element (14) and the adjusting element (15),
wherein the tension element (14) of the clamping device (5) can be subjected to tensile preload along the working axis (8), by means of a tensioning device (23) that comprises a tension member (27) and a support (25) having a threaded bore (24) with an internal thread,
wherein the tension element (14) of the clamping device (5) can be subjected to tensile preload along the working axis (8),
by loading the tension member (27) of the tensioning device (23) which tension member (27) is coupled to the tension element (14) of the clamping device (5) in the backward stroke direction (10) by means of a coupling device while the tool support (4) is supported on the support (25) of the tensioning device (23) in the backward stroke direction (10) by the internal thread of the threaded bore (24) of the support (25) of the tensioning device (23) being in threaded engagement with the external thread (20) of the threaded bolt (21) of the tool support (4),
by moving the adjusting element (15) into a target position on the tension element (14) along the working axis (8) by rotary actuation while the tension member (27) of the tensioning device (23) is loaded in the backward stroke direction (10), and
by cancelling the loading of the tension member (27) of the tensioning device (23) in the backward stroke direction (10) when the adjusting element (15) is arranged in the target position and thereby loading the backward stroke bearing surface (13) of the tool support (4), facing away from the forward stroke bearing surface (11) of the tool support (4), by the adjusting element (15) of the clamping device (5) along the working axis (8) in the direction of the machine tool (3),
and
wherein, when the tension element (14) of the clamping device (5) is preloaded along the working axis (8), the machine tool (3) is clamped along the working axis (8), against the forward stroke bearing surface (11) of the tool support (4) and against the backward stroke bearing surface (13) of the tool support (4), by means of the adjusting element (15) and the tension element (14) of the clamping device (5) subjected to tensile preload.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The processing unit according to claim 1, wherein a coupling thread (19b) is provided as the coupling device of the tension element (14) for producing a threaded connection to the tension member (27) of the tensioning device (23).

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The processing unit according to claim 1, wherein the tension element (14) is designed as a pull rod.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The processing unit according to claim 1, wherein the tool support (4) is designed as a hollow body, and has a receptacle (16) for the tension element (14) extending along the working axis (8).

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The processing unit according to claim 1, wherein the tension element (14) is connected to the machine tool (3) with a form fit.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The processing unit according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting element (15) of the clamping device (5) is designed as an adjusting nut, and has an outer contour adapted to an operating tool.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The processing unit according to claim 1, wherein the tool support (4) is limited in the backward stroke direction (10) by the backward stroke bearing surface (13) of the tool support (4).

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The processing unit according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit comprises a coupling element (29) which is arranged on the side of the tool support (4) pointing in the backward stroke direction (10), and is connected, to the tool support (4), and wherein the coupling element (29) is designed to connect the processing unit to a processing drive (34) by means of which the relative movement of the workpiece (7) and the processing unit along the working axis (8) can be generated.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The processing unit according to claim 8, wherein the tool support (4) and the coupling element (29) are functionally connected to each other in a form-fitting manner along the working axis (8), wherein the tool support (4) has a stop surface (22) on a side facing the coupling element (29), extending transversely to the working axis (8),
wherein the threaded bolt (21) is stepped back transverse to the working axis (8) relative to the stop surface (22) of the tool support (4), protrudes along the working axis (8) towards the coupling element (29), and forms, on an end face pointing in the backward stroke direction (10), the backward stroke bearing surface (13) of the tool support (4),
wherein the coupling element (29), on a side facing the tool support (4), has a bolt receptacle (32) extending along the working axis (8), provided with an internal thread for the threaded bolt (21) of the tool support (4), and also a stop surface (33) of the coupling element (29) which stop surface (33) projects transverse to the working axis (8) relative to the bolt receptacle (32), and
wherein the tool support (4) and the coupling element (29) are screwed together, with mutual loading of the tool support (4) and the coupling element (29) along the working axis (8) on the stop surface (22) of the tool support (4) and on the stop surface (33) of the coupling element (29).

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

A processing machine for processing a workpiece wall of a workpiece (7), having a processing unit (1) and having a processing drive (34) by means of which the workpiece (7) and the processing unit (1) can be moved relative to each other along a working axis (8) of the processing unit (1), with a forward stroke executed by the processing unit (1) in a forward stroke direction (9) of the processing unit (1) towards the workpiece (7), and with a backward stroke executed by the processing unit (1) in a backward stroke direction (10) of the processing unit (1) away from the workpiece (7), wherein the processing unit (1) is designed according to claim 1.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

A method for producing a processing unit (1) according to claim 1, comprising:
functionally supporting the tool support (4) of the processing unit (1) on the support (25) of the tensioning device (23) in the backward stroke direction (10) by providing a threaded engagement between the external thread (20) of the threaded bolt (21) of the tool support (4) and the internal thread of the threaded bore (24) of the support (25) of the tensioning device (23),
connecting the tension element (14) of the clamping device (5) to the tension member (27) of the tensioning device (23) on the side pointing in the backward stroke direction (10),
subjecting the tension element (14) connected to the tension member (27) of the tensioning device (23) to tension in the backward stroke direction (10) by means of the tension member (27) of the tensioning device (23) loaded the backward stroke direction (10) when the tool support (4) is supported in the backward stroke direction (10) on the support (25) of the tensioning device (23) and when the tension element (14) is supported by the machine tool (3) on the forward stroke bearing surface (11) on of the tool support (4) in the backward stroke direction (10),
moving the adjusting element (15) into a target position on the tension element (14) along the working axis (8) by rotary actuation when the tension element (14) is subjected to tension in the backward stroke direction (10) by means of the tension member (27) of the tensioning device (23), and
cancelling the tensile load subjected to the tension element (14) by the tension member (27) of the tensioning device (23) when the adjusting element (15) is arranged in the target position, and thereby loading the backward stroke bearing surface (13) of the tool support (4) by the adjusting element (15) of the clamping device (5) along the working axis (8) in the direction of the machine tool (3), and clamping the machine tool (3) along the working axis (8) against the forward stroke bearing surface (11) of the tool support (4) and against the backward stroke bearing surface (13) of the tool support (4), by means of the adjusting element (15) and the tension element (14) of the clamping device (5) subjected to a tensile preload.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method according to claim 11, wherein the tension member (27) of the tensioning device (23), by means of which the tension element (14) of the clamping device (5) is subjected to tension in the backward stroke direction (10), is hydraulically loaded in the backward stroke direction (10).