US 4,583,432 AGranted

Supercentering workpiece holder

AssigneeAMP Incorporated

InventorMichael W. Bricker

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Abstract

Tooling holds a workpiece for the performance of a work step thereon or thereby, which supercenters the workpiece relative to a concentrically rotatable cylinder of an apparatus. A method of supercentering a workpiece utiliezs the tooling of the invention. The tooling has a workpiece clamping subassembly which is substantially centerable with respect to a centering member and then secured thereto forming a centering subassembly. The centering member has a centering projection which is supercenterable with respect to a holder by means of several axially normal adjustment screws engaging side surfaces of the centering projection. The holder has a cylindrical arm to be clamped in a collet chuck of the rotatable cylinder of the apparatus. The method utilizes slowly rotating the cylinder, thereby rotating the tooling and the clamped workpiece, and determining eccentricity of rotation thereof, and making appropriate incremental adjustments using the adjustment screws. Work steps may then be performed on or by the workpiece.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A tooling assembly for securing an article to a concentrically rotatable cylinder of a work apparatus for the performance of a work step associated with said article and centering a concentric cylindrical work portion of said article with respect to said rotatable cylinder, said work portion defining a longitudinal central axis of said article, said article having a peripheral longitudinal reference surface parallel to said central axis, and at least a portion of said reference surface being remote from said work portion, said assembly comprising:

a centering subassembly means securing at a forward end thereof said portion of said reference surface of said article remote from said work portion and said subassembly means being axially referenced with said reference surface of said article, said work portion of said article extending forwardly from said forward end of said subassembly means, said centering subassembly means of having a centering projection means at a rearward end thereof having a central axis axially referenced to said reference surface of said article and having a plurality of outwardly facing flat adjustment surface portions which are disposed in respective planes about said central axis which planes are parallel to said central axis;
an adjustable holding means to which said centering subassembly means is securable at a forward end thereof in an axially referenced relationship, said holding means having an adjustment portion, a plurality of adjustment means circumferentially disposed about said adjustment portion, and a rearwardly extending clamping projection coaxial with a central longitudinal axis of said adjustable holding means for being grippingly secured by a cooperating holding means at a work end of said rotatable cylinder of said apparatus, wherein said adjustment portion is circumferentially disposable about said centering projection means of said centering subassembly means, each of said adjustment means extends inwardly through an associated cooperating hole means of said adjustment portion to engage a respective adjustment surface portion of said centering projection means, said plurality of adjustment means capable of cooperating to firmly secure said centering projection means against axially normal motion, each of said adjustment means having an operator-accessible head portion to enable incremental adjusting movement along said inward direction;
and a securing means securing said centering subassembly means to said adjustable holding means against axially parallel movement and permitting axially normal movement of said centering subassembly means with respect to said adjustable holding means.

A method of centering an article relative to a concentrically rotatable cylinder, said article having a concentric cylindrical work portion defining a longitudinal axis and a peripheral axially parallel reference surface, at least a portion of said reference surface being remote from said work portion, comprising the steps of:

securing said remote portion of said reference surface of said article in a forward end of a tooling assembly having a forward centering subassembly and a rearward adjustable holding means such that said work portion extends axially forwardly from said forward end, said adjustable holding means having a rearwardly extending clamping projection coaxial with a central longitudinal axis of said holding means for being grippingly secured by a cooperating holding means of said rotatable cylinder, said adjustable holding means also including an adjustment portion at a forward end thereof circumferentially disposed around a center projection means extending axially parallel rearwardly from said centering subassembly, said adjustment portion having a plurality of inwardly extending adjustment means in engagement with associated adjustment surface portions of said centering projection means, which adjustment means have operator-accessible head portions to enable incremental adjusting movement;
securing said clamping projection centrally within said rotatable cylinder;
slowly rotating said rotatable cylinder;
determining the maximum deviation from concentricity of a side surface of said work portion of said article;
adjusting a selected combination of said adjustment means to engage said associated surface portions of said centering projection means to move said centering projection means in an appropriate axially normal direction an incremental amount equal to one-half of said determined maximum deviation, whereby said work portion of said article is correspondingly moved into at least substantial concentricity with said rotatable cylinder.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.