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US 5,086,676 AGranted
Method and apparatus for machining a differential carrier
AssigneeJ. P. Tool, Inc.
InventorsDavid A. Gifford, John L. Taylor
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AssigneeJ. P. Tool, Inc.
InventorsDavid A. Gifford, John L. Taylor
Estimating the term…
A machine tool and method for simultaneously boring, facing and back boring three bores in a differential carrier with three tools that rotate coaxially with their spindle axes. Each tool has a first slide at its free end that carries a first cutting insert for back boring a first diameter and then generating a radial face that serves as a bearing seat on the differential carrier. Each tool also has a second slide carrying a second insert for boring a second diameter. The construction, arrangement and movement of the two slides are correlated with each other to maintain the tool in balance during extension and retraction of both slides. In the preferred embodiment the first insert must be retracted when it is advanced into the carrier, extended to back bore and then retracted to generate a radial face. The second insert is at the same location circumferentially of the tool. One insert is retracted while the other insert is extended, and vice versa, to maintain the tool in balance. In this embodiment, the travel of the first slide to back bore and generate is relatively large. hence, for similar slides the movement of the second slide to offset the movement of the first slide is greater than would otherwise be required to bore the second diameter and clear the carrier when the tool is retracted.
A machine tool for machining a differential carrier having three bores each of which requires a back boring operation having a first diameter and a radial face generated at an inner end of the back bore, said machine tool comprising, first, second and third tool means adapted to be mounted on a respective spindle for rotation coaxially with a rotational axis of its spindle and axially shiftable of its spindle axis to machine a respective bore, each of said tool means comprising a tool body extending in a direction along its spindle axis, first and second slide means spaced axially along said body and carried on body transverse to its spindle axis, said first slide means being adapted to carry an insert to back bore said first diameter and generate said radial face on said carrier, said second slide means being adapted to carry another insert to bore a second diameter, said first slide being located on said body to extend and retract said first insert at a first predetermined location circumferential of said body, said second slide being located on said body to extend and retract said second insert at a second predetermined location circumferential of said body, and actuating means carried on said body and operatively interengaged with said first slide means and said second slide means to extend and retract said first insert at said first circumferential location and extend and project said second insert at said second location, and wherein said first and second slide means are arranged on said body and constructed so that movement of one of said slides that would cause unbalance of said body is offset by movement of the other slide to maintain said tool in balance.
In a machine tool of the type adapted to perform multiple machining operations such as boring, facing and back boring of a differential carrier and the like, tool means adapted to be mounted on a spindle for rotation coaxially with a rotational axis of said spindle and shiftable axially along said axis, said tool means comprising a body extending in a direction along said axis, first slide means carried on said body for movement transverse to said axis for carrying a first cutting tool to extend and retract said first cutting tool radially of said body at a first location circumferentially of said body, second slide means carried on said body for movement transverse to said axis for carrying a second cutting tool to extend and retract said second cutting radially of said body at a second location circumferentially of said body, said second slide being spaced axially of said body from said first slide, and actuating means operatively interengaged with said first and said second slide means for moving said first and said second slides to extend and retract said cutting tools,
The method of machining a bore in a differential carrier, said bore having a geometry requiring back boring of a first diameter and generating a radial face at an inner end of said first diameter and boring a second diameter spaced axially of said first diameter, said method comprising rotating a tool body coaxially with said bore, moving said tool body along said axis in a first axial direction to project a free end of said body through said bore while a first cutting tool on said body is radially retracted to clear said bore as said cutting tool is moved through said bore, radially moving a second cutting tool on said body to engage said bore and bore said second diameter while said first cutting tool is radially retracted, radially retracting said second insert at the completion of boring said second diameter while substantial simultaneously radially extending said first insert to a location to back bore said first diameter, axially retracting said body to back bore said first diameter and then radially retracting said first insert to generate a radial face on said bore while substantially simultaneously extending said second insert at a location axially of said carrier so that said second insert clears said second diameter, axially retracting said body from said bore with said first insert fully retracted so that said first insert clears said part as said body is retracted and correlating movement of said first and second inserts during extension and retraction thereof so that unbalance of said body that would be caused by radial movement of one of said inserts is offset by radial movement of the other insert.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.