Cooling/lubricating device for machine tool feed shaft

A cooling/lubricating device for a machine tool feed shaft, comprising:

• a hollow feed shaft (1) on the outer circumference of which is formed a screw mating with a nut secured to a slide of the machine tool so as to feed the slide and which is rotatably supported at an end of the feed shaft;
• a bearing (8) which rotatably supports the end of the feed shaft (1);
• a support member (2), provided at the end of the feed shaft (1), for supporting the feed shaft (1) to be relatively rotated via the bearing (8);
• a tube (16) which is disposed along the axis inside the hollow feed shaft (1) and which allows cooling lubricant to pass through pathway spaces formed inside the tube (16) and outside the tube (16);
• a first cover member (9) which contours a feed space (12) holding the cooling lubricant fed into circumference of the feed shaft (1) at one side of the support member (2);
• and
• a second cover member (10) which contours a discharge space (13) holding the cooling lubricant to be discharged from circumference of the shaft (1) at the other side of the support member (2),
• a channel (27a) for the cooling lubricant as lubricant flowing outside of the feed shaft (1) from the feed space (12) through the bearing (8) to the discharge space (13);
• and
• a channel (20,19) for the cooling lubricant as refrigerant flowing within the feed shaft (1) from the feed space (12) to the discharge space (13),
• wherein one part of the cooling lubricant held in the feed space (12) is allowed to flow as lubricant in the axial direction of the bearing (8) outside of the feed shaft (1) and held in the discharge space (13), and wherein the other part of the cooling lubricant held in the feed space (12) is allowed to be circulated as refrigerant through the pathway spaces within the feed shaft (1) and held in the discharge space (13), so that the cooling lubricant as lubricant and the cooling lubricant as refrigerant flow through separate channels in a parallel manner respectively.