Detecting breakages in machine tools and the like
OwnerStephen Collinsinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a CNC lathe, a workpiece in the form of a longitudinally extending bar 12 is rotated about a longitudinal axis 14 and a cutter 16 is moved initially in the direction of arrow A and along a path, indicated in broken lines at 18, to machine the bar 12. The lathe runs unmanned, so any breakage of the cutter 16 results in scrap and possibly damage. To prevent this, a fixed sensor 20 is positioned, along the path 18, at a point where the CNC system brings the cutter 16 to rest. The sensor 20 comprises a probe 24 connected to a microswitch 22 in turn connected to the start control of the lathe. The process cycle restarts only if the cutter 16 engages the probe 24 to indicate that it is not broken.
Claims19
A control system for apparatus in which an object is movable along a path to carry out a process on a workpiece, the apparatus having start means and stop means, which control system comprises a fixed sensor engageable by the object at a position on said path where the object comes to rest and check means operatively associated with the sensor and arranged so that the object stays at its rest position unless the object engages the sensor thereat.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.