Machine tool controller employing microprocessor system for controlling Z axis

In a machine tool having motion control means for controlling two axes of movement of said machine tool, a controller separate from said motion control means adapted to control a third axis of said machine tool, said third axis being aligned with the axis of a tool-holding spindle, said controller comprising a transducer associated with said machine tool for producing a train of pulses in response to movement of said spindle along said third axis, a position counter connected to receive said pulses for incrementing or decrementing in accordance with the direction of movement of said spindle, a microprocessor dedicated to said axis for controlling operation of movements of said spindle along said third axis, said microprocessor having a memory unit for storing, at a pluraity of storage locations, data representative of a pluraity of distances associated with a single machining operation of said machine tool and manually operative means for entering data from said position counter into said memory unit at a selected storage location for each of said distances.

In a controller for a machine tool adapted to control movement of a tool-holding spindle about three independent axes, the combination comprising an N/C control unit for controling operation of said machine tool about two axes, and a microprocessor system for controlling operation of said machine tool about a single third axis, said microprocessor system having means for inhibiting operation of said N/C control unit, means for interconnecting said N/C control unit and said microprocessor system, incorporating a memory unit having a plurality of storage locations for storing data representative of a plurality of parameters associated with an individual machining operation, and means operative in response to a signal supplied by said N/C control unit to said microprocessor system for causing said machine tool to execute a machining operation in accordance with said parameters.

A method of controlling operation of a machine tool in a single axis parallel to the axis of a tool-holding spindle, said machine tool having independent motion control means for controlling two axes of movement of said machine tool independent from said single axis, comprising the steps of providing a dedicated microprocessor having a memory, entering, at each of a plurality of storage locations of said memory, data representative of a plurality of parameters associated with control of said single axis during single machining operation extracting said data representations from said storage locations individually, during machining operations of said machine tool, providing a position counter, under control of the microprocessor for manifesting a representation of the current position to said spindle along said single axis, comparing said representation with said extracted data, and controlling said machine tool in accordance with the result of said comparison.

In a machine tool having a numerical control for two axes normal to the axis of a tool holding spindle, a method of controlling a third axis parallel to the axis of said tool holding spindle in accordance with data which is independent of said numerical control, comprising the steps of providing a microprocessor system for said third axis, providing a control panel for said microprocessor for the manual entry of data into said microprocessor system, and for the selective display of data which has been entered into said microprocessor system, connecting said microprocessor system with the drive mechanism for said third axis, for controlling movement of said spindle along said third axis and for monitoring such movement, and controlling said microprocessor system in conjunction with said numerical control during a machining operation, whereby said numerical control controls relative movement between said spindle and work to be machined in two axes and said microprocessor system controls movement of said third axis.