US 6,062,117 AGranted

Machining apparatus for works having non-circular curves

AssigneeKomatsu Machinery Corp.

InventorMasahiro Shoji

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Abstract

An apparatus for machining both inside and outside of a hollow workpiece (16) to impart thereto inner and outer curved surfaces that are contoured to be non-circular is disclosed. It includes workpiece supports (10, 11) that clamp the workpiece oriented substantially vertically from its opposite upper and lower sides to support it rotatably about its axis extending substantially vertically. A C-axis drive (18) acts on the workpiece supports to rotate the workpiece about that workpiece axis. The workpiece supports are driven by a Z-axis drive to move the workpiece in a direction of that workpiece axis. Also included are an exterior machining unit (24) having a cutting tool (26) arranged to be movable in a direction of X-axis that is orthogonal to the workpiece axis, and an interior machining unit (25) having a cutting tool (33) arranged to be movable in a direction of U-axis that is parallel to the X-axis. The cutting tool (26) in the exterior machining unit can be positioned to lie outside of the workpiece for to shape an outer surface of the workpiece while the cutting tool (33) in the interior machining unit can be inserted into the inside of the workpiece from an end side thereof to shape an inner surface of the workpiece.

Claims7

Dependent claims

An apparatus for machining both inside and outside of a workpiece to impart thereto inner and outer surfaces that are contoured to be non-circular in section, comprising:

workpiece support means including upper and lower workpiece support members for clamping upper and lower end portions of the workpiece oriented substantially vertically, from opposite upper and lower sides of the workpiece to support the workpiece rotatably about an axis of the workpiece support means extending substantially vertically, said workpiece comprising a plurality of piston rings axially stacked and aligned in a phase position;
C-axis drive means for synchronously rotating said upper and lower workpiece support members so as to rotate said workpiece about said axis of said workpiece support means through said upper and lower workpiece support members from both said upper and lower sides of the workpiece;
Z-axis drive means for acting on said workpiece support means to move said workpiece in a direction of said axis of said workpiece support means;
an exterior machining unit having a first cutting tool arranged to be movable in a direction of an x-axis orthogonal to said workpiece axis, said first cutting tool being positionable to lie outside of said workpiece for shaping an outer surface of said workpiece;
an interior machining unit having a second cutting tool arranged to be movable in a direction of a U-axis parallel to said X-axis, said second cutting tool being adapted to be inserted into an inside of said workpiece from an end side of said workpiece for shaping an inner surface of said workpiece;
and
control means for numerically controlling said C-axis drive means, said exterior machining unit and said interior machining unit so as to independently control movements along said X-axis and said U-axis in synchronism with a rotation about said C-axis.

4 more elements

An apparatus for machining both inside and outside of a workpiece to impart thereto inner and outer surfaces that are contoured to be non-circular in section, comprising:

workpiece support means including left hand and right hand workpiece support members for clamping the workpiece oriented substantially horizontally, from opposite left hand and right hand sides of the workpiece to support the workpiece rotatably about an axis of the support means extending substantially horizontally, said workpiece comprising a plurality of piston rings axially stacked and aligned in a phase position;
C-axis drive means for synchronously rotating said left hand and right hand workpiece support members so as to rotate said workpiece about said axis of said workpiece support means by rotating said workpiece through said left hand and right hand workpiece support members from both said left hand and right hand sides of the workpiece;
Z-axis drive means for acting on said workpiece support means to move said workpiece in a direction of said axis of said workpiece support means;
an exterior machining unit having a first cutting tool arranged to be movable in a direction of an X-axis orthogonal to said workpiece axis, said first cutting tool being positionable to lie outside of said workpiece for shaping an outer surface of said workpiece;
an interior machining unit having a second cutting tool arranged to be movable in a direction of a U-axis parallel to said X-axis, said second cutting tool being adapted to be inserted into an inside of said workpiece from an end side of said workpiece for shaping an inner surface of said workpiece;
and
control means for numerically controlling said C-axis drive means, said exterior machining unit and said interior machining unit so as to independently control movements along said X-axis and said U-axis in synchronism with a rotation about said C-axis.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/214,469Filed 21 Jan 1999
Priority: JP 8-24957220 Sep 1996
Granted: 16 May 2000
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification14 codes

B23Q 1/4828
With sliding pairs and rotating pairs: a single rotating pair followed parallelly by a single sliding pair
B23Q 5/54
Driving or feeding mechanisms; Control arrangements therefor: arrangements or details not restricted to group B23Q5/02 or group B23Q5/22…
B23Q 27/003
Geometrical mechanisms for the production of work of particular shapes, not fully provided for in another subclass: of conical non-circular…
G05B 19/186
Characterised by the machine tool function, e.g. thread cutting, cam making, tool direction control: generation of screw- or gearlike surfaces