Apparatus and method for grinding composite workpieces
AssigneeUnova U.K. Limited
InventorsMichael Laycock, Ian David Locker
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A grinding machine has a wheelhead movable tinder computer control perpendicular to the axis of a composite workpiece, mounted between a headstock and a tailstock, and workrests slidable along front and rear rails. Between the workrests are sandwiched rigid cover-spacers to protect the rails and prevent lateral movement of the workrests. A spring-operated thrust bar may be supported against a fixed dressing wheelhead to clamp the stack of cover-spacers and workrests together, in order to accurately locate and space apart the workrests.
Claims46
A grinding machine comprising a stationary support structure, a wheelhead assembly carrying a grinding wheel being slidable relative to the said structure in a direction perpendicular to a workpiece axis, headstock and tailstock means mounted on the structure for rotating a composite workpiece mounted therebetween about said workpiece axis, a workrest slidably adjustable along a rigid elongate member therebelow and which extends substantially parallel to the workpiece axis, programmable computer-based control means for controlling the movement of the wheelhead, the rotation of the workpiece and the engagement and disengagement of the workrest with a cylindrical region of the workpiece, fixing means for fixing the workrest at a selected axial location along the length of the elongate member so that the workrest aligns with said cylindrical region of the workpiece, and cover means engageable with the workrest on opposite sides thereof to keep any unwanted material away from the surface of the elongate member therebelow and prevent lateral movement of the workrest from its selected location.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.