Machine tool
AssigneeSiarto Machine & Tool Co., Inc.
InventorAndrew V. Siarto
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A machine tool has a support with a gear movable thereon and connected to a plurality of spaced workpiece supporting pallets with rollers movably mounted between a plurality of work stations upon a pair of rails, one rail having a cam surface. A plurality of abutments are mounted on the support at each work station and supportably engage a pallet when at such station, the pallet being anchored to the abutments for machining of a workpiece. The pallet is lifted off the rails when at a work station and solely supported by the abutments. As the pallet leaves a work station, on advancing of the gear, the cam rail lifts one side of the pallet upwardly to a transfer position above the abutments, with the other side of the pallet lowered for engagement with the other rail.
Claims23
In a machine tool, a support having an upper support surface;
- an annular gear overlying and being spaced from said support surface;
- a plurality of rollers carried by said support and engaging the undersurface of said gear to support the gear for rotation about a vertical axis;
- first and second annular rails on said support surface, one rail on each side of said gear;
- said first rail having a cam surface;
- a pallet for supporting a workpiece and movable through a pluraltiy of work stations;
- means interconnecting said pallet to said gear for rotational movement, yet accommodating limit relative vertical and horizontal movement therebetween;
- first roller means carried by the underside of said pallet and engageable with said first rail;
- second roller means carried by the underside of said pallet and engageable with said second rail;
- a plurality of abutments carried by said support and engageable with said pallet when at a work station whereby said pallet is supported solely by said abutments and not by said gear, with said first and second roller means being spaced from said rails a small vertical distance;
- clamping means carried by said support engageable with said pallet for clamping the pallet to said abutments when at a work station;
- indexing means on said support for rotating said gear and thereby moving said pallet between work stations, whereby said first rail cams said first roller means upwardly thereby lifting the corresponding edge of said pallet to a transfer position and lowering said second roller means to engage said second rail, and said pallet being lifted out of engagement with said abutments, resulting in the pallet and its workpiece carried by said rails and not by said gear, as said gear is rotated to move said pallet to the next work station.
In a machine tool, a support having an upper support surface;
- an elongated gear overlying and being spaced from said support surface;
- a plurality of rollers carried by said support and engaging the undersurface of said gear to support the gear for longitudinal movement;
- first and second parallel rails on said support surface, one rail on each side of said gear;
- said first rail having a cam surface;
- a pallet for supporting a workpiece and movable through a plurality of work stations;
- means interconnecting said pallet to said gear for longitudinal movement, yet accommodating limited relative vertical and horizontal movement therebetween;
- first roller means carried by the underside of said pallet and engageable with said first rail;
- second roller means carried by the underside of said pallet and engageable with said second rail;
- a plurality of abutments carried by said support and engageable with said pallet when at a work station whereby said pallet is supported solely by said abutments and not by said gear, with said first and second roller means being spaced from said rails a small vertical distance;
- clamping means carried by said support engageable with said pallet for clamping the pallet to said abutments when at a work station;
- indexing means on said support for advancing said gear and thereby moving said pallet between work stations, whereby said first rail cams said first roller means upwardly thereby lifting the corresponding edge of said pallet to a transfer position, said second roller means engaging said second rail, and said pallet being lifted out of engagement with said abutments, resulting in the pallet and its workpiece being carried by said rails and not by said gear, as said gear is advanced to move said pallet to the next work station.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.