Method and apparatus for aligning cutting tools

A method of forming aligned bore holes in opposite side walls of a part by two separate cutting tools mounted in two separate spindle carriers adjacent the opposite side walls of the part including:

• positioning one of the two separate cutting tools on one of the two separate spindle carriers at a position at which it is to form a bore hole in one of the opposite side walls so that the longitudinal axis of the one cutting tool is aligned with the location of the center of the bore hole to be formed in the one side wall;
• positioning the other of the two separate spindle carriers having the other of the two separate cutting tools at a position adjacent a zero point at which a laser on a first of the two separate spindle carriers is aligned with a laser target on a second of the two separate spindle carriers along an axis parallel to the longitudinal axes of the one cutting tool and the other cutting tool;
• moving the other spindle carrier in one direction along a first axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the one cutting tool and the other cutting tool from the position adjacent the zero point;
• activating detector means that detects when the one of the laser and the laser target on the other spindle carrier is at a predetermined position prior to the zero point when the other spindle carrier is moving in the opposite direction along the first axis with activation of the detector means occurring when the other spindle carrier is at a selected distance past the zero point during movement of the other spindle carrier in the one direction along the first axis;
• moving the other spindle carrier in the opposite direction along the first axis at a first feed rate after the other spindle carrier has moved at least the selected distance past the zero point in the one direction along the first axis;
• stopping movement of the other spindle carrier in the opposite direction adjacent the zero point in response to a signal from the detector means detecting that the one of the laser and the laser target on the other spindle carrier is at the predetermined position prior to the zero point;
• moving the other spindle carrier in the one direction along the first axis from its stopped position adjacent the zero point past the zero point sufficiently to activate the detector means again;
• activating the detector means again when the other spindle carrier has moved the selected distance past the zero point in the one direction along the first axis;
• moving the other spindle carrier in the opposite direction along the first axis at a second feed rate substantially less than the first feed rate after the other spindle carrier has moved at least the selected distance past the zero point in the one direction along the first axis with the second feed rate providing momentum to the other spindle carrier to cause it to stop with the one of the laser and the laser target on the other spindle carrier at the zero point when feeding of the other spindle carrier is stopped at the predetermined position prior to the zero point;
• and stopping feeding of the other spindle carrier in the opposite direction along the first axis in response to a signal from the detector means detecting that the one of the laser and the laser target on the other spindle carrier is at the predetermined position prior to the zero point so that the one of the laser and the laser target on the other spindle carrier stops at the zero point whereby the other cutting tool has its longitudinal axis aligned with the longitudinal axis of the one cutting tool in a plane containing the first axis.

An apparatus for forming aligned bore holes or the like in opposite side walls of a part including:

• a first spindle carrier having a first cutting tool disposed adjacent one of the opposite side walls of the part for forming a bore hole or the like therein;
• a second spindle carrier having a second cutting tool disposed adjacent the other of the opposite side walls of the part for forming a bore hole or the like therein in alignment with the bore hole formed in the one side wall by said first cutting tool;
• one of said first spindle carrier and said second spindle carrier having light producing means mounted thereon for producing a focused light along a first axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axes of said first cutting tool and said second cutting tool;
• the other of said first spindle carrier and said second spindle carrier having light target means for receiving the focused light from said light producing means;
• said first spindle carrier being disposed at a position at which a bore hole or the like is to be formed in the one side wall in alignment with a bore hole or the like in the other side wall so that the longitudinal axis of said first cutting tool is aligned with the location of the center of the bore hole to be formed in the side wall;
• said second spindle carrier being movable along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis and to the longitudinal axes of said first cutting tool and said second cutting tool for disposition at a position at which a bore hole or the like is to be formed in the other side wall in alignment with a bore hole or the like in the one side wall;
• first determining means for determining when the longitudinal axis of said second cutting tool is aligned with the longitudinal axis of said first cutting tool during movement of said second spindle carrier along the second axis through said light producing means being aligned with said light target means along the first axis in a plane containing the second axis, said first determining means being energized when said second spindle carrier moves a selected distance in one direction along the second axis past a selected position at which said light producing means and said light target means are aligned along the first axis in a plane containing the second axis;
• and said first determining means causing said second spindle carrier to stop with the longitudinal axis of said second cutting tool aligned with the longitudinal axis of said first cutting tool in a plane containing the second axis when said second spindle carrier moves in the opposite direction along the second axis at a selected feed rate after being moved at least the selected distance past the selected position in the one direction along the second axis.

An apparatus for forming aligned bore holes or the like in opposite side walls of a part including:

• a first spindle carrier having a first cutting tool disposed adjacent one of the opposite side walls of the part for forming a bore hole or the like therein;
• a second spindle carrier having a second cutting tool disposed adjacent the other of the opposite side walls of the part for forming a bore hole or the like therein in alignment with the bore hole formed in the one side wall by said first cutting tool;
• one of said first spindle carrier and said second spindle carrier having laser means mounted thereon for producing a laser beam along a first axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axes of said first cutting tool and said second cutting tool;
• the other of said first spindle carrier and said second spindle carrier having laser target means for receiving the laser beam from said laser means;
• said first spindle carrier being disposed at a position at which a bore hole or the like is to be formed in the one side wall in alignment with a bore hole or the like in the other side wall so that the longitudinal axis of said first cutting tool is aligned with the location of the center of the bore hole to be formed in the one side wall;
• said second spindle carrier being movable along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis and to the longitudinal axes of said first cutting tool and said second cutting tool for disposition at a position at which a bore hole or the like is to be formed in the other side wall in alignment with a bore hole or the like in the one side wall;
• first producing means for producing an electrical signal indicative of the amount of non-alignment of the laser beam from said laser means with said laser target means in a plane containing the second axis;
• first detecting means responsive to the electrical signal from said first producing means for detecting when the laser beam from said laser means is aligned with said laser target means in a plane containing the second axis so that the longitudinal axis of said second cutting tool is aligned with the longitudinal axis of said first cutting tool during movement of said second spindle carrier along the second axis, said first detecting means being energized when said second spindle carrier moves a selected distance in one direction along the second axis past a zero point at which the laser beam from said laser means is aligned with said laser target means;
• and said first detecting means causing said second spindle carrier to stop with the longitudinal axis of said second cutting tool aligned with the longitudinal axis of said first cutting tool in a plane containing the second axis when said second spindle carrier moves in the opposite direction along the second axis at a selected feed rate after being moved at least the selected distance past the zero point in the one direction along the second axis.