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US 5,240,359 AGranted
Machining apparatus
AssigneeFurmanite Australia Pty. Ltd.
InventorAnthony E. Backhouse
Life of this patent
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AssigneeFurmanite Australia Pty. Ltd.
InventorAnthony E. Backhouse
Estimating the term…
Machining apparatus comprises a boom displaceable along spaced rails and a carriage displaceable along the boom perpendicularly to the displacement direction of the boom. A machining station is adjustably supported on the carriage by three adjustment means to adjust a machine head, such as a milling cutter, towards and away from a workpiece disposed between the rails beneath the machining station. Adjustment of the machine head results from inaccuracies in the level of the rails and/or the displacement of the carriage. Variations in the level of the rails and/or carriage are determined by a respective sensor associated with each adjustment means which monitors a reference defined by a planar laser beam. Alternatively one of the three adjustment means between the machining station and the carriage may be replaced by a pivot with the third adjustment means being arranged to adjust the machine head relative to the remainder of the machining station. In an alternative embodiment, the boom is rotatable about a pivot support within a cylindrical workpiece with the machining station mounted on the remote end of the boom and optionally displaceable with a carriage along the boom. The boom is supported at its remote end on the workpiece by wheel units.
Apparatus for machining a workpiece, comprising a boom supported on a support structure, displacement means on the boom for enabling displacement of the boom relative to the support structure along a support surface or a plurality of parallel support surfaces, a machining station including a machine head, the machining station being carried by the boom on support means, and wherein the machining station support means comprises at least three adjustment means each of which is independently adjustable relative to the boom to move an associated portion of the machining station relatively towards or away from the support surface(s), the independent adjustment of each adjustment means being controlled by a respective sensor adapted to monitor movement of the associated portion of the machining station relative to a reference to counter inaccuracies in the support surface or surfaces as the boom is displaced thereamong which would produce inaccuracies in machining by the machine head.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.