# US 8,783,139 B2 · Steady rest

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- Number: US 8,783,139 B2
- Document ID: US8783139B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/507,457
- Filed: 2012-06-29
- Published: 2013-02-28
- Granted: 2014-07-22
- Earliest claimed: 2011-07-01
- Assignees: SMW-Autoblok Spannsysteme GmbH
- Applicants: Eckhard Maurer; Jürgen Marquart; Robert Scheming
- Inventors: Eckhard Maurer; Jürgen Marquart; Robert Scheming
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8783139B2

## CPC

- B23Q 1/76: Steadies; Rests {(B23B13/126 takes precedence; steadies combined with cutting tool holders B23B29/16)}
- Y10T 82/2583: Tool and work rest
- Y10T 82/2593: Work rest
- Y10T 82/2597: Center rest
- B23Q: DETAILS, COMPONENTS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR MACHINE TOOLS, e.g. ARRANGEMENTS FOR COPYING OR CONTROLLING (tools of the kind used in lathes or boring machines B23B27/00); MACHINE TOOLS IN GENERAL CHARACTERISED BY THE CONSTRUCTION OF PARTICULAR DETAILS OR COMPONENTS; COMBINATIONS OR ASSOCIATIONS OF METAL-WORKING MACHINES, NOT DIRECTED TO A PARTICULAR RESULT
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

A steady rest for centering a rotationally symmetrical workpiece in a housing, a guide slide axially adjustable in the housing, an actuator rod in a form-locking connection with the guide slide, and two control surfaces opposite one-another on the guide slide and configured so that the guide slide has a triangular cross-sectional contour, one tip pointing towards the workpiece and the opposite two tips point in toward the actuator rod, a middle steady rest arm in driving connection with the actuator rod, and two outer steady rest arms each on a side next to the middle steady rest arm, and mounted in a swivelling arrangement in the housing, the first free end of which is in contact with a control surface of the guide slide, the second free end gripping the workpiece, forming a three-point mounting with the middle steady rest arm adapted to hold the workpiece.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A steady rest (1) for centering a rotationally symmetrical workpiece (12) in a space defined by a housing shell (2) and a housing cover (3) firmly connected together to form an interior space (4), the steady rest comprising:
a guide slide (7) mounted in an axially adjustable arrangement in the interior space (4) and an actuator rod (5) connected to the guide slide (7);
two control surfaces (8) formed facing opposite to one another on said guide slide (7), the control surfaces (8) being configured such that said guide slide (7) exhibits a triangular cross-sectional contour, one triangle tip of which points towards the workpiece (12) and two triangle tips point towards said actuator rod (5);
a middle steady rest arm (6) in a driving connection with said actuator rod (5); and
two outer steady rest arms (9, 10) each arranged on a side adjacent said middle steady rest arm (6) and mounted in a swivelling arrangement in the housing shell (2) and the housing cover (3), and a first free end (11) of which is in contact with said control surface (8) of said guide slide (7), the second free end (13) on the opposite side of said rest arm gripping around the workpiece (12) to be clamped, thus forming a three-point mounting together with said middle steady rest arm (6) in order to hold the workpiece (12),
wherein
said actuator rod (5) is provided with a passage opening (14) extending therethrough, into which a force actuation element (15) is disposed, and the force actuation element (15) is in a form-locking active connection with a first and/or second adjustment device (31 and/or 32) by means of intermediate elements (16, 17, 20, 30, 35) such that when the workpiece (12) is clamped, the first adjustment device (31) is adapted to adjust said three steady rest arms (6, 9, 10) jointly and synchronously to one another in position for aligning the workpiece (12) in the clamped condition in the horizontal plane and the second adjustment device (32) is adapted to adjust the position of the two outer steady rest arms (9, 10) for changing the position of the workpiece (12) in the clamped condition in the vertical plane.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The steady rest in accordance with claim 1,
wherein
two kidney-shaped mouldings (26, 27) are provided on the force actuation element (15) that extend opposite to and intersect one another, and face towards the housing shell (2) or the housing cover (3), respectively.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The steady rest in accordance with claim 1,
wherein
the force actuation element (15) decouples the adjustment forces arising from the two adjustment devices (31 and/or 32) and decoupling is achieved in that the horizontally acting force proportion of the first adjustment device (31) and the vertical force proportion of the second adjustment device (32) act alternately or jointly on the force actuation element (15) and the force actuation element (15) provides a relative movement between the first and the second adjustment devices (31, 32) or their particular intermediate elements (16, 17, 20, 30, 35).

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The steady rest in accordance with claim 1,
wherein
the horizontal adjustment device (31) comprises an actuator rod (35) arranged in the housing shell (2) at right angles to the movement direction of said actuator rod (5) and mounted in a movable arrangement therein, on the free end of which said actuator rod (35) facing towards the interior space (4) an adjustment plate (30) is disposed, the adjustment plate (30) having a kidney-shaped moulding (34) formed thereon which is angled out of the horizontal plane and faces away from the workpiece (12), the housing shell (2) is provided with a guide groove (18) which is angled from the horizontal plane, into which guide groove (18) an axially adjustable guide strip (16) is disposed and which is provided with a guide groove (22) which is angled out of the horizontal plane, adapted to the moulding (34), in a positive-locking connection with the adjustment plate (30) and extends in an intersecting path angled opposite to the guide groove (18), the guide strip (16) being connected to the middle steady rest arm (6) in the assembled condition, and the force actuation element (15) is provided with a rail formed thereon and mounted in the guide groove (22) in an axially adjustable arrangement in parallel to the lengthways axis.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The steady rest in accordance with claim 1,
wherein
the force actuation element (15) is provided with a kidney-shaped moulding (26) for vertical adjustment of the workpiece (12) on a side opposite to said actuator rod (5), in which case the moulding (26) is disposed in a feed plate (20) which is provided with a holding groove (28) corresponding to the moulding (26) therein, the feed plate (20) being adapted to be inserted in an opening in said guide slide (7), such that the moulding (27) of the force actuation element (15) projects from a plane formed by said guide slide (7) and the feed plate (20), and is inserted in a positive-locking arrangement in a guide strip (17) provided with a guide groove (23) running at an angle to the horizontal plane, the guide strip (17) being mounted in an axially adjustable arrangement in a guide groove (19) disposed in the housing cover (3) at an angle running opposite to, or intersecting, the guide groove (19), and the guide strip (17) is provided with an angled adjustment groove (24) into which an adjustment plate (30) moveable in a linear direction on the housing cover (3) is inserted with a positive-locking connection provided by a kidney-shaped moulding (34), moveable in a vertical direction by an externally accessible actuator rod (35).

### Claim 6 (depends on 2)

The steady rest in accordance with claim 2,
wherein
the moulding (27) of the force actuation element (15) facing the housing shell (2) is provided with a rail (36) running in a horizontal direction and which is inserted in an axially adjustable arrangement in the guide groove (22) of the guide strip (16) of the first adjustment device (31).

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The steady rest in accordance with claim 5,
wherein
the groove (28) in the feed plate (20) is provided with a larger lengthways extent than the lengthways extent of the kidney-shaped moulding (26) of the force actuation element (15) and the force actuation element (15) is moveable relative to the feed plate (20) towards the groove-shaped opening (21).

### Claim 8 (depends on 5)

The steady rest in accordance with claim 5,
wherein
said middle steady rest arm is provided with a groove-shaped opening (21) arranged approximately flush with the passage opening (14) of the actuator rod (5), with parts of the force actuation element (15) passing through the opening (21) in the direction of the guide strip (17) of the first adjustment device (31).

### Claim 9 (depends on 5)

The steady rest in accordance with claim 5,
wherein
the guide groove (19) is disposed in the housing shell (3) at an angle of 3° to 10° from a horizontal plane, the guide groove (23) is arranged in relation to the guide strip (17) at an angle that is of the same magnitude but opposite to the guide groove angle, and a moveable rail (33) is disposed in the guide groove (23).

### Claim 10 (depends on 4)

The steady rest in accordance with claim 4,
wherein
the guide groove (18) is disposed in the housing shell (2) at an angle of 3° to 10° from the horizontal plane, the guide groove (22) disposed in the guide strip (16) extends at an angle of the same magnitude and opposite to, or intersecting, the guide groove angle, and the rail (36) inserted into the guide groove (22) is movable in parallel to the lengthways of axis.