Machine for machining the cylinder head of a thermal engine

A machine for machining a cylinder head of a thermal engine, making it possible at least to bore two bearings for a camshaft in a boring direction coinciding with a longitudinal axis of the camshaft, the machine comprising:

• a support;
• a boring tool working in a direction of advance fixed relative to the support by virtue of the construction;
• and a table for holding the cylinder head, the table being movable relative to the support around at least three axes including the direction of advance of the boring tool, wherein the machine incorporates an optical sighting system of a laser-sighting type, comprising:
• at least one light-beam transmitter fastened to the support and oriented so as to transmit a coherent light beam in the direction of advance of the boring tool;
• at least one removable reference-beam sensor mounted temporarily in at least one camshaft bearing of the cylinder head, opposite the light beam transmitter, the sensor generating an electrical signal a value of which indicates the relative position of an image of the coherent light beam in relation to a center of the sensor and therefore a relative orientation of a boring axis in relation to the direction of advance of the boring tool;
• and
• a system for processing the electrical signal to generate a further signal for the control of a position of the table holding the cylinder head in order to bring the boring direction into coincidence with the direction of advance of the boring tool.