Process for the control of a machine tool
AssigneeAB Sandvik Coromant
InventorsUlrich Pilland, deceased, by Gerhard Ascherl, heir, by Robert Ascherl, heir, Franz Ray, Ake Hofvenstam
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Abstract
A machine tool is controlled by means of a data processing unit in a manner such that the optimum machining data may be determined by an operator having neither special programming skills nor specific knowledge concerning the variables affecting the machining data. All technical variables related to the given machine tool, the workpiece, different processing methods and boundary conditions are stored in a data base and taken into account. The operator is provided with a ranking of possible cutting edge geometry/bit material pairings, from which the most favorable pairing may be selected.
Claims16
A process for controlling a machine tool by means of a data processing unit, comprising the steps of:
- (a) storing a data base for a given machine tool in the data processing unit, said data base containing:
- (i) data concerning specific characteristics of the given machine tool;
- (ii) data relating to properties of possible workpieces;
- (iii) data describing the characteristics of tools usable in the given machine, including cutting bit materials and edge cutting geometries of the tools;
- (iv) data relating to individual processing methods;
- (v) data describing general boundary conditions in the machining of a workpiece;
- and
- (vi) subroutines for determining possible corresponding machining data from said stored data, including bit material grade and bit configuration suitable for use in the given machine tool;
- (b) manually entering the material of the workpiece, the type of tool and the surface quality desired of the article to be produced into the data processing unit,
- (c) determining in the data processing unit, by means of said subroutines, (i) the suitability of a plurality of cutting bit materials for the workpiece material, (ii) the suitability of a plurality of edge cutting geometries for the article to be produced, and (iii) the suitability of a plurality of sets of machining data each of which includes a combination of a bit material and a cutting edge geometry whose suitability is determined in steps (i) and (ii);
- (d) displaying said plurality of sets of machining data;
- and
- (e) controlling the machine tool in accordance with one of the sets of displayed data.
A process for controlling a machine tool by means of a data processing unit, comprising the steps of:
- (a) storing a data base for a given machine tool in the data processing unit, said data base containing:
- (i) data concerning characteristics of the given machine tool;
- (ii) data relating to properties of possible workpieces;
- (iii) data describing the characteristics of tools usable in the given machine;
- (iv) data relating to individual processing methods;
- (v) data describing general boundary conditions in the machining of the workpiece;
- and
- (vi) subroutines for determining possible corresponding machining data from said stored data, including bit material grade and bit configuration suitable for use in the given machine tool;
- (b) manually entering the material of the workpiece, the type of tool and the surface quality desired of the article to be produced into the data processing unit,
- (c) determining in the data processing unit a plurality of sets of possible machining data by means of said subroutines and displaying said plurality of sets of machining data with individual rankings as to their suitability for a given machining operation;
- and
- (d) controlling the machine tool in accordance with one of the sets of displayed data.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.