Wire electrode feeder for wirecut electrical discharge machine

A wire electrode feeder for a wirecut electrical discharge machine for feeding a wire electrode to an electrode guide and causing an electrical discharge to be produced by applying a predetermined voltage between a workpiece and said wire electrode, thereby machining said workpiece, said wire electrode feeder comprising:

• a vibrator assembly;
• and
• a movable presser assembly placed in opposition to said vibrator assembly so as to press said wire electrode against said vibrator assembly from a direction different from a vibrating direction of said vibrator assembly, only when a component of the vibrating direction of said vibrator assembly is in an electrode feeding direction,
• the vibration of said vibrator assembly and the pressure of said movable pressure assembly producing a vibrator component with respect to said wire electrode in its feeding direction,
• wherein said vibrator assembly includes a horn through which said wire electrode passes and which has a length corresponding to a portion of the wavelength of vibration produced in the electrode feeding direction at a predetermined frequency so as to produce vibration in the electrode feeding direction having a point of maximum deflection proximate a predetermined position of said movable presser assembly and said vibrator assembly.

A wire electrode feeder for a wirecut electrical discharge machine for feeding a wire electrode to an electrode guide and causing an electrical discharge to be produced by applying a predetermined voltage between a workpiece and said wire electrode, thereby machining said workpiece, said wire electrode feeder comprising:

• a plurality of vibrator assemblies, at least a first vibrator assembly and a second vibrator assembly of said vibrator assemblies having different vibrating directions;
• a supporting member coupled to said first and second vibrator assemblies so as to fixedly support said first and second vibrator assemblies;
• wire electrode driving members provided in at least one of said first and second vibrator assemblies;
• and
• a drive controller coupled to said vibrator assemblies so as to drive said vibrator assemblies so that said wire electrode driving members vibrate while alternately holding and releasing said wire electrode while traveling along a circulating locus having a vibratory component in a wire electrode feeding direction,
• wherein said first vibrator assembly comprises bar-shaped resonance blocks on first and second sides of a supporting and fixing member and having a vibratory component in a wire feeding axis direction and said second vibrator assembly is connected to a first of said resonance blocks of said first vibrator assembly and has a vibratory component in a direction substantially perpendicular to the wire feeding axis direction,
• a second of said resonance blocks of said first vibrator assembly, not connected to the second vibrator assembly, having a vibration velocity smaller than that of said first of said resonance blocks thereof.

A wire electrode feeder for a wirecut electrical discharge machine for feeding a wire electrode to an electrode guide and causing an electrical discharge to be produced by applying a predetermined voltage between a workpiece and said wire electrode, thereby machining said workpiece, said wire electrode feeder comprising:

• a plurality of vibrator assemblies, at least a first vibrator assembly and a second vibrator assembly of said vibrator assemblies having different vibrating directions;
• a supporting member coupled to said first and second vibrator assemblies so as to fixedly support said first and second vibrator assemblies;
• wire electrode driving members provided in at least one of said first and second vibrator assemblies;
• and
• a drive controller coupled to said vibrator assemblies so as to drive said vibrator assemblies so that said wire electrode driving members vibrate while alternately holding and releasing said wire electrode while traveling along a circulating locus having a vibratory component in a wire electrode feeding direction,
• wherein said first vibrator assembly includes means for generating vibration in a wire electrode feeding axis direction and said second vibrator assembly is provided on part of said first vibrator assembly and comprises a pair of vibrators for generating vibration in a direction substantially perpendicular to the wire electrode feeding axis direction, and
• wherein said wire electrode driving members are disposed opposed to each other across the wire electrode, a gap defined between said wire electrode driving members being larger than a sum of the diameter of said wire electrode and the vibration amplitudes of said pair of vibrators,
• the second vibrator assembly being pivotably mounted on said first vibrator assembly so as to be rotatable relative to the wire electrode feeding axis.

A wire electrode feeder for a wirecut electrical discharge machine, comprising:

• a first vibrator assembly having a vibrating direction which is parallel to a wire feeding direction;
• a second vibrator assembly connected to a portion of said first vibrator assembly, said second vibrator assembly comprising at least one driving member movably coupled thereto so as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to said wire feeding direction with respect to said second vibrator assembly;
• and
• a driver for driving said first and second vibrator assemblies in concert at respective frequencies;
• wherein said first vibrator assembly has a first frequency difference between a resonant frequency and an anti-resonant frequency thereof and said second vibrator assembly has a second frequency difference between a resonant frequency and an anti-resonant frequency thereof, said first frequency difference being less than said second frequency difference, the resonant frequency and anti-resonant frequency of said first vibrator assembly being located in a range between the resonant frequency and the anti-resonant frequency of said second vibrator assembly.

A wire electrode feeder for a wirecut electrical discharge machine adapted for use with a wire electrode, comprising:

• means for vibrating a body in a first direction which is parallel to a wire feeding direction;
• means for selectively grasping said wire electrode, said means for grasping being mounted on said body;
• and
• means for activating said means for grasping when said body has a component of vibration in a wire feeding direction, wherein said body includes a horn through which said wire electrode passes and which has a length corresponding to a portion of the natural wavelength of vibration produced in the first direction at a predetermined frequency so as to produce vibration in the first direction having a point of maximum deflection proximate a connecting point of said means for grasping and said body.