Low force wire guide for EDM machine
AssigneeRaycon Textron Inc.
InventorThomas D. Walser
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A wire guide directs a wire electrode from a refeed mechanism in an electrical discharge machine EDM to a workpiece. The wire guide has a tension cap and a fixed wire guide body ceramic insert defining a precision guide slot for the electrode and wherein the tension cap is biased by a flex ring mounted on separated ends of the tension cap and body to retain them together. The biased tension cap has tapered surfaces at its exit end which produce a compound tension force on the electrode for maintaining a low friction force thereon during the life of the wire guide.
Claims12
In a wire electrode holder for guiding a wire electrode to a conductive workpiece for establishing a stable spark gap for electrically discharge machining the workpiece the improvement comprising:
- wire guide housing means having a first elongated segment and a second elongated segment;
- each of said segments separated from one another at a break along the length thereof;
- flexible retaining means connecting said first and second segments at one end thereof to bias said segments toward one another at the opposite end thereof;
- and means on the opposite end of said first and second segments coacting to produce a compound tension force on a wire electrode direct through said wire guide housing means only at the opposite end of segments to maintain a low frictional force thereon during relative movement of a wire electrode with respect to said wire guide housing means;
- said coacting means further serving to reference the position of said wire eectrode with respect to one of said first and second segments.
A wire electrode holder for guiding a wire electrode to form a spark gap at a conductive workpiece comprising:
- tension cap means including a first elongated segment, a second elongated segment cooperating with said tension cap means to define an opening formed therebetween through out the length thereof;
- one of said segments being L shaped and including a fixed reference surface throughout the length thereof to supportingly receive a wire electrode extending through said tension cap means;
- the other of said segments including means thereon to guide the wire electrode only at one end thereof;
- spring means connected to said first and second elongated segments to force them toward each other;
- and means for producing a compound tension force on said wire electrode only as it leaves said tension cap means thereby to maintain a low frictional force on the wire electrode as it is moved relative to said tension cap means and wherein the compound tension force positions the wire electrode with respect to one of said elongated segments.
A wire guide assembly for an electrical discharge machine for electrically discharge machining a workpiece feature at a spark gap formed between an electrically conductive workpiece and a wire electrode comprising:
- a wire guide housing means having an entrance and an exit;
- a pair of separate wire guide members;
- means for releasably connecting said wire guide members together at one end thereof to bias them together at the exit end of said wire guide housing;
- said wire guide members having oppositely facing longitudinal surfaces thereon;
- and coacting portions of said longitudinal surfaces producing a compound tension force on the wire electrode at the exit of said wire guide housing means and spacing the wire electrode from one of said longitudinal surfaces at other points thereon so as to produce a low frictional force on the wire electrode as it is positioned with respect to said wire guide housing means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.