Apparatus using an axially moving continuous elongated tool

An apparatus for shaping a workpiece with an axially moving continuous elongated tool, comprising:

• a supply reel for continuously feeding said continuous elongated tool at a predetermined rate of axial displacement in the range between 0.1 and 5 meters/minute;
• a take-up reel for winding up said continuous elongated tool under tension;
• a pair of guide members disposed across a cutting region between said supply and take-up reels in the path of said continuous elongated tool for guiding the same;
• means for successively storing under tension said continuous elongated tool through a first zone between said supply reel and one of said guide members and a second zone between the other guide member and said take-up reel;
• means for reciprocating said continuous elongated tool between said guide members at a predetermined rate of axial movement in the range between 5 and 30 meters/second and with a stroke determined within the storage stored by said storing means;
• drive means including a pair of pulse motors (PM5, PM6) controlled by a numerical controller for displacing said workpiece in an X-Y plane relative to said reciprocating continuously moving continuous elongated tool incrementally with an increment of displacement of 1 to 5 microns and along a predetermined path in said plane to machine a correspondingly shaped contour in the workpiece, and
• subsidiary drive means associated with one of said guide members and constituted by a pair of pulse motors (PM7, PM8) controlled by said numerical controller for effecting displacement of said one guide member in an X'-Y' plane transverse to the axial direction of said moving elongated tool and substantially in parallel with said X-Y plane to permit a taper cutting of the workpiece, said guide members comprising a pair of guide rollers adapted to be driven by a pair of pulse motors (PM3, PM4), respectively, and synchronously in one and the other directions alternately.

An apparatus for shaping a workpiece with an axially moving continuous elongated tool, comprising:

• a supply reel for providing said continuous elongated tool;
• a first pulse motor (PM2) for pulsively driving said supply reel to continuously unwind said continuous elongated tool thereon at a predetermined feed rate;
• a take-up reel;
• a second pulse motor (PM1) for pulsively driving said take-up reel to continuously wind up said continuous elongated tool under tension at a predetermined take-up rate;
• a pair of guide members disposed across a cutting region between said supply and take-up reels in the path of said continuous elongated tool for guiding the same;
• means for successively storing under tension said continuous elongated tool through a first zone between said supply reel and one of said guide members and a second zone between the other guide member and said take-up reel;
• and
• means for reciprocating said continuous elongated tool between said guide members at a rate of axial movement which is higher than that of said take-up movement of said elongated tool and with a stroke determined within the storage stored by said storing means, said guide members comprising a pair of guide rollers driven by a third and fourth pulse motor (PM3, PM4), respectively, constituting said reciprocating means and adapted to be driven synchronously in one and the other directions, alternately, said storage means including at least a pair of movable and fixed rollers provided in the path between one of said supply and take-up reels and one of said guide rollers, said stroke in the axial reciprocation of said tool being determined by the maximum distance between said movable and fixed rollers, said storage means including in said first zone a first movable roller and a first fixed roller associated therewith and in said second zone a second movable roller and a second fixed roller, said first and second movable rollers being coupled together by an arm at its opposite ends with said arm rotatable on a hinge provided on its center, said continuous elongated tool fed from said supply reel by means of said first pulse motor (PM2) being runningly wound on said first movable and fixed rollers and then past said guide members being runningly wound on said second movable and fixed rollers prior to take-up by said take-up reel by means of said second pulse motor (PM1).

An apparatus for shaping a workpiece with an axially moving continuous elongated tool, comprising:

• a supply reel for providing said continuous elongated tool;
• a first pulse motor (PM2) for pulsively driving said supply reel to continuously unwind said continuous elongated tool thereon at a predetermined feed rate;
• a take-up reel;
• a second pulse motor (PM1) for pulsively driving said take-up reel to continuously wind up said continuous elongated tool thereon under tension at a predetermined take-up rate;
• a pair of guide members disposed across a cutting region between said supply and take-up reels in the path of said continuous elongated tool for guiding the same;
• means for successively storing under tension said continuous elongated tool through a first zone between said supply reel and one of said guide members and a second zone between the other guide member and said take-up reel;
• means including a third and fourth pulse motor (PM3, PM4) for reciprocating said continuous elongated tool between said guide members at a rate of axial movement which is higher than said take-up rate of said elongated tool with a stroke determined within the storage stored by said storing means;
• and
• drive means for displacing with a fifth and sixth pulse motor (PM5, PM6) said workpiece relative to said reciprocatingly axially moving continuous elongated tool incrementally with an increment of displacement of 1 to 5 microns, said guide members comprising a pair of guide rollers driven by said third and fourth pulse motors (PM3, PM4), respectively, constituting said reciprocating means and adapted to be driven synchronously in one and the other directions alternately, said storage means including at least a pair of movable and fixed rollers provided in the path between one of said supply and take-up reels and one of said guide rollers, said stroke in the axial reciprocation of said tool being determined by the maximum distance between said movable and fixed rollers, said storage means including in said first zone a first movable roller and a first fixed roller associated therewith and in said second zone a second movable and fixed roller being coupled together by an arm at its opposite ends with said arm rotatable on a hinge provided on its center, said continuous elongated tool fed by means of said first pulse motor (PM2) from said supply reel being runningly wound on said first movable and fixed rollers and then past said guide members being runningly wound on said second movable and fixed rollers prior to take-up by said take-up reel by means of said second pulse motor (PM1).