Hybrid orbiting spindle for shaping non-circular holes
AssigneeFederal-Mogul World Wide, Inc.
InventorsRobert John Nicholl, Myron Jeffery Schmenk
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A machine tool assembly includes a high speed rotating spindle for forming extremely precise surface contours on a work piece. The spindle is supported on a spherical air bearing about its center of gravity. The spindle can be rotated through an air turbine drive system incorporated into the spherical air bearing to eliminate any undesirable moments about an axis perpendicular to the long spindle axis. The spindle is adjustable in pitch and yaw directions through the influence of X-Y actuators. The X-Y actuation system is preferably electromagnetic and provides a non-contact method of displacing the spindle shaft in a controlled manner at any speed.
Claims21
A machine tool assembly of the type having a pitch-and-yaw adjusting spindle for forming high-precision surface contours on a work piece, said assembly comprising:
- a spindle defining a long axis and having a shaping tool extending from one end thereof, said spindle including a bearing journal;
- a journal box at least partially enveloping said bearing journal for rotatably supporting said spindle;
- a drive motor operatively interacting with said spindle for forcibly rotating said spindle about said long axis;
- at least one X-Y actuator for controlling pitch and yaw of said spindle to move said shaping tool in a non-circular orbital path;
- and
- said bearing journal and said journal box having concentric, generally spherical opposing surfaces centered about a center point intersecting said long axis of said spindle.
A method for rotating a high-speed spindle assembly to form an irregular hole with a dimensionally varying axial trajectory in a work piece, said method comprising the steps of:
- affixing a radially extending shaping tool to one end of a spindle having a long axis;
- supporting the spindle for rotation about the long axis;
- rotating the spindle about the long axis;
- creating a magnetic field influencing at least part of the rotating spindle;
- adjusting the yaw and pitch angulations of the long axis during rotation of the spindle by manipulating the magnetic field to thereby move the shaping tool in a predetermined non-circular orbital path;
- and said step of supporting the spindle for rotation about the long axis further including confining the spindle in a spherical bearing centered about a center point intersecting the long axis of the spindle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.