US 6,367,359 B1Granted

Boring and contouring apparatus

OwnerRonald P. Roposinventor

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Abstract

A tool head or “head assembly” having on-board logic (1) for being mounted on a rotatable spindle of a machining center, as a boring machine, (2) for being rotated about a primary axis of spindle rotation (PRA), and (3) supports a tool as a boring bar at a controllable radial offset distance (ROD) from the PRA. The PRA aligns with the axis of a workpiece bore being formed The head advances along the PRA and rotates in a boring operation. As the head advances, the ROD of the tool is controlled by a micro-controller and secondary logic on-board the head cooperating with primary logic in a remote controller to provide a complex multi-diameter workpiece bore configuration. Rotating head elements protectively surround the secondary logic and control elements that regulate the ROD and may compensate for vibration, wear, and backlash. The head is usable with spindles of diverse machine tools.

Claims41

Dependent claims

In a machining center, the combination of:

a rotatable and translatable machine tool spindle, a boring and contouring head assembly for attachment to the spindle to support the head assembly, said spindle rotating a rotatable part of the head assembly that carries a cutting tool holder,
a first drive device for rotating the spindle, the rotatable part of the head assembly, and the tool holder about a primary axis of rotation, and,
a feed device for translating the spindle, the head assembly and the tool holder along the primary axis of rotation,
a second drive device for operating the head assembly to radially position the tool holder relative to the primary axis of rotation for controlling a radial offset distance from the primary axis of rotation of a cutting tool carried by the tool holder while the first drive device is rotating the spindle, the rotatable part of the head assembly, the tool holder and the cutting tool about the primary axis of rotation and while the feed device is translating the spindle, the head assembly, and the tool holder along the primary axis of rotation to cause the cutting tool to cut a formation of predetermined configuration in a workpiece that is engaged by the cutting tool, wherein the configuration of the formation cut by the cutting tool is characterized by a plurality of diameters that differ in accordance with radial positions of the cutting tool with respect to the primary axis of rotation,
wherein the machining center has a primary control logic that controls both (1) the rotation of the spindle, the rotatable part of the head assembly, the tool holder and the cutting tool about the primary axis of rotation by the feed device, and (2) the translation of the spindle, the head assembly, the tool holder and the cutting tool along the primary axis of rotation by the feed device, and,
wherein secondary control logic connected to the primary control logic controls the radial positioning relative to the primary axis of rotation of the tool holder and the cutting tool in response to the positioning of the cutting tool along the primary axis of rotation, and,
wherein further at least a part of the secondary control logic is carried by the rotatable part of the head assembly.

4 more elements

An apparatus for use in boring and contouring with a machining center having a primary control logic for positioning and moving a spindle of the machining center along a primary axis of rotation while rotating the spindle about the primary axis of rotation, comprising:

a) head assembly for attachment to the spindle of the machining center for rotation together with the spindle about the primary axis of rotation, wherein the head assembly carries a tool holder that is movable radially with respect to the primary axis of rotation;
and,
b) a secondary control logic carried at least in part by the head assembly and configured to attach to the primary control logic to control movement of the head assembly to control the movement of the tool holder radially with respect to the primary axis of rotation in response to the positioning and moving of the head assembly along the primary axis of rotation by the primary control logic, and in response to a program used by the secondary control logic to calculate at least one desired radial position relative to the primary axis of rotation for the tool holder.

A boring and contouring head assembly for use in a machining center, comprising:

a) structure adapted to be connected to a spindle of the machining center for being rotated by the spindle about a primary axis of rotation;
b) a cutting tool holder supported by the structure for moving transversely relative to the structure to alter a radial offset distance of a cutting tool carried by the tool holder relative to the primary axis of rotation,
c) a feed device coupled to the spindle for translating along the primary axis of rotation the spindle, the structure, the tool holder and the cutting tool;
d) a primary control logic connected to the feed device for providing a primary control signal for controlling the translation by the feed device along the primary axis of rotation of the spindle, the structure, the tool holder and the cutting tool;
e) a drive device coupled to the structure and to the cutting tool holder for moving transversely relative to the primary axis of rotation the tool holder and the cutting tool;
and,
f) a secondary control logic mounted at least in part to the structure and connected to the drive device for providing a secondary control signal for controlling the transverse movement of the tool holder and the cutting tool by the drive device in response to translation along the primary axis of rotation of the cutting tool and in response to a program of instruction provided to the secondary logic that defines desired radial offset distances of the cutting tool that correspond to positions along the primary axis of rotation to which the cutting tool is translated by the feed device so that the cutting tool is positioned to engage a workpiece and to machine a desired contour on the workpiece while the cutting tool is being rotated about the primary axis of rotation by the spindle, while the tool holder is being translated along the primary axis of rotation by the feed device, and while the cutting tool is being transversely positioned relative to the primary axis of rotation by the drive device.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/444,355Filed 18 Nov 1999 · us provisional application
Priority: 18 Nov 1998
Granted: 9 Apr 2002
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification22 codes

B23B 29/03467
Radially adjustable during manufacturing: by means of gears and racks
B23Q 1/4804
With sliding pairs and rotating pairs: a single rotating pair followed perpendicularly by a single sliding pair
B23Q 3/15546
Parts of devices for automatically inserting or removing tools: devices for recognizing tools in a storage device, e.g. coding devices
B23Q 5/56
Arrangements or details not restricted to group B23Q5/02 or group B23Q5/22 respectively , e.g. control handles: preventing backlash