Piping structure of a flexible tube for use in a machining center

Abstract

An attachment (5) is detachably mounted on the lower end of a main shaft ram (4) in such a manner that the attachment (5) can rotate about horizontal and vertical axes. The power line of a motor installed in the attachment (5) is inserted through a pair of flexible tubes (13, 25) with its ends connected to a terminal box of the attachment (5) and a terminal box (29) of the main shaft ram (4). The flexible tubes (13, 25) have a pair of connectors (15, 26) which are coupled to each other by a coupling mechanism (27) when the attachment (5) is mounted on the main shaft ram (4). A drum (30) and a rodless cylinder 32 provided above the connector (26) constitute a mechanism (36) for lifting the flexible tubes (13, 25). When the rotation of the attachment (5) about either or both of the axes causes slack in the flexible tube (13), the lifting mechanism (36) eliminate the slack bay pulling up the drum (30) and thus the flexible tube (25). The pulled-up portion of the flexible tubes (13) can be returned into the attachment (5) by lowering the drum (30).

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.