Mechanical peck drill and method
AssigneeDresser Industries, Inc.
InventorRichard E. Eckman
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A mechanical pecking method and device is provided wherein a spindle adapted to hold a tool such as a drill bit is mechanically reciprocated in a workpiece. Also provided is a control system and method for controlling the mechanical reciprocation of the spindle and a sensor for remembering the last point of advancement of the spindle during each peck cycle.
Claims27
A method for mechanically reciprocating a rotatable spindle along its longitudinal axis, wherein a spindle rotation gear is slidably mounted on and keyed to said spindle to effect rotation of said spindle as said spindle is moved along its longitudinal axis, wherein a differential rotation gear is provided in engagement with said spindle rotation gear, wherein a spindle feed gear is threaded to said spindle to effect movement of said spindle along said longitudinal axis upon relative rotation between said spindle and said spindle feed gear, and wherein a differential feed gear is provided in engagement with said spindle feed gear, said differential feed gear being shiftable between a first shift position wherein it is engaged with said differential rotation gear and a second shift position wherein it is disengaged from said differential rotation gear, said method comprising the steps of:
- (1) advancing said spindle at a first advance speed in a first longitudinal direction along the longitudinal axis of said spindle, until said spindle reaches a first predetermined position, by rotating said differential feed gear in said second shift position to rotate said spindle feed gear in a first rotational direction at a first rotational speed while said differential feed gear is disengaged from said differential rotationg ear;
- (2) upon said spindle reaching said first predetermined position, mechanically changing the advance speed of the spindel from said first advance speed to a second advance speed by shifting said differential feed gear to said first shift position to thereby engage and rotate with said differential rotation gear;
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- (3) rotating said spindle about its longitudinal axis by utilizing said differential rotation gear to rotate said spindle rotation gear, while mechanically advancing said spindle at said second advance speed to further advance said spindle in said first longitudinal direction by rotating said spindle feed gear in said first rotational direction at a second rotational speed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.