Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for performing multiple machining operations on a workpiece such as a crankshaft. Oil holes may be drilled in a crankshaft by a tool shifted along a curved path between successive, acute angle tool plunging locations. The tool's carrier is shifted parallel to the crankshaft axis and the tool carrier is rotated to the desired acute angle about a point on the crankshaft axis for each of successive oil hole drilling locations thereby reducing programming needed to drill the oil holes at the specified angles. Offset tolerance errors are reduced by a large factor as the tool is plunged from an outer initial position toward the crankshaft axis.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for rolling outer fillets of arcuately offset, split pin bearings on crankshafts with a pair of work rollers, each pair engaging and rolling a respective outer pin fillet. A backup roller is positioned opposite the pair of work rollers. The work rollers may be positioned above and below a centerline of the split pin, preferably about 90° apart. The work rollers can perform identical rolling operations at identical pressure and the work rollers and backup rollers are positioned to keep the adjacent tool heads in parallel planes during these rolling operations. Rolling arms carry the tool heads and stops are provided to keep rear portions of the tool arms in parallel planes against sideways forces. The work rollers and the backup roller may be mounted on the same tool arm and are movable relative to each to clamp or release a pin bearing.

Abstract: There is provided a new and improved apparatus and method for rolling workpieces such as crankshafts. The apparatus has first and second rolling heads mounted at spaced positions along a common rolling arm to receive a crankshaft bearing therebetween which can then be shifted relative to one another along the common rolling arm to close the heads or rolling tools for clamping onto the workpiece. The in-line clamping action and force provided by the tools on the rolling arm are created by actuation of a tall, thin cylinder assembly including a number of aligned individual cylinders sized to keep the width of the cylinder assembly to a minimum so that all of the rolling arms can likewise be of a thin construction pivotally mounted on one side of the crankshaft and axially spaced according to the crankshaft bearing spacing for rolling all of the bearings in a single rolling operation.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for roll hardening of crankshafts having split-pin bearings without requiring multiple rolling stages or operations therefor. The apparatus and method herein utilize a single tool unit that varies the rolling pressure on the fillets on either side of one of the split-pin bearings such that the areas needing strengthening are simultaneously rolled with a higher pressure than those areas at which bending of fence walls between adjacent bearings can occur with high pressure rolling, despite their arcuately offset orientation relative to each other. The tool unit has a pair of rollers rotatively housed at predetermined positions so that, when engaged against the opposite fillets of a bearing, they will be at arcuately offset or spaced positions from each other about the bearing.