Lathe assembly and method of operating the lathe assembly
OwnerToshiharu Tom Miyanoinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A lathe assembly having a guide with a passageway for movement of a piece of bar stock, with a leading end and a trailing end, in a substantially straight path between a feeding position and a working position. A sensor assembly is capable of detecting the position of the trailing end of a piece of bar stock within the guide passageway to thereby allow a user to determine if a piece of bar stock in the guide passageway has a length sufficient to perform the desired operation thereon. Also, a method of using the lathe assembly.
Claims21
A lathe assembly comprising:
- a spindle for holding an elongate workpiece and having a central axis;
- a guide assembly having a body and a guide bushing on the body having a first opening with a central axis,
- the spindle and guide assembly being selectively repositionable between a) a first relative position wherein the central axis of the spindle extends through the first guide bushing opening so that an elongate workpiece held by the spindle can be projected into the first guide bushing opening so that the guide bushing limits flexing of an elongate workpiece held by the spindle and b) a second relative position wherein the central axis of the spindle does not extend through the first guide bushing opening and extends through the guide assembly at a location spaced from the first guide bushing opening;
- and
- a tool assembly for performing an operation on an elongate workpiece held by the spindle with the spindle and guide assembly in each of the first and second relative positions.
A lathe assembly comprising:
- a spindle for holding an elongate workpiece and having a central axis;
- a guide assembly having a body and a first opening with a central axis,
- the spindle and guide assembly being selectively repositionable between a) a first relative position wherein the central axis of the spindle extends through the first opening so that an elongate workpiece held by the spindle can be projected into the first opening so that the guide assembly limits flexing of the elongate workpiece held by the spindle and b) a second relative position wherein the central axis of the spindle does not extend through the first opening and extends through the guide assembly at a location spaced from the first guide bushing opening;
- and
- a tool assembly for performing an operation on the elongate workpiece held by the spindle with the spindle and guide assembly in each of the first and second relative positions.
A method of performing operations on elongate workpieces held by a spindle that is rotatable around a central axis, said method comprising the steps of:
- directing a first elongate workpiece held by the spindle through a first guide opening on a guide assembly so that the guide assembly limits flexing of the first elongate workpiece;
- performing an operation on the first elongate workpiece held by the spindle;
- relatively repositioning the spindle and guide assembly by moving the guide assembly as one piece relative to the spindle;
- and
- after relatively repositioning the spindle and guide assembly, performing another operation on one of a) the first elongate workpiece and b) a second elongate workpiece held by the spindle with the one of the first and second elongate workpieces passing through the guide assembly at a location spaced from first guide opening in the guide assembly.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.