Abstract: A cutting tool insert is mounted on a flexure member that is mounted on the end of a boring bar. The construction of the flexure member is such that it is compliant along a radial axis perpendicular to the direction of tool advancement, but relatively stiff along a feed axis in the direction of tool feed, and along a cutting axis in the direction of tool rotation. Any displacement of the flexure member and cutting tool insert as a result of workpiece engagement or boring bar deflection is sensed by laser detectors. Signals from the laser detectors are coupled to a computer that rotates with the boring bar and are used to provide feedback signals to an actuator in contact with the flexure member. The actuator displaces the flexure member to correct the position of the tool insert.

Abstract: An endless accumulating conveyor with upper and lower runs and curved sections at the ends with a plurality of pallet trains each with at least two pallets releasably connected together by a latch at least while the pallet train is advanced over the upper run. The pallets are disconnected as each pallet is advanced around a curved section without being connected to any of the other pallets. The pallets may be held stationary and accumulated while the conveyor continues to run.

Abstract: A machine tool comprising a base, with a guide surface, a workpiece holder on the base, a movable tool carriage, and a motor for advancing the carriage along the guide surface toward the workpiece. Hydrostatic bearings are situated in the carriage for discharging fluid, such as oil, into the narrow gap defined between the carriage and the guide surface. A pre-load rail is secured to the movable carriage, and a plurality of pockets are defined in the pre-load rail. A hydrostatic pre-load piston, with an enlarged head and a depending base, is located in each pocket. A shallow depression is formed in the face of each piston, and an annular wall surrounds the depression, so that the piston restores itself to an equilibrium condition. The pre-load pistons are located in opposition to the hydrostatic bearings. An O-ring encircles the base of the piston, and allows floating, and tilting, movement of the piston within the pocket, while serving as a seal for the pocket.

Abstract: Improved method and apparatus for interlocking hemmed together edges of inner and outer vehicle body panels with an improved interlock joint. The inner panel blank is draw stamped and provided with PLP holes in a stamping press. A plurality of conventional hardware components are then welded to the inner panel. Then interlock holes are formed by a piercing tool moving through the inner panel border from its outboard to its inboard side while the inner panel is held by clamps and PLP pins. The hole piercing punch thus leaves cold worked upset material slightly raised inboard, rather than outboard, around the pierced interlock hole margin. Then the inner panel subassembly is married to the outer panel and transferred to a hemming station and again precisely clamped and positioned by PLP pins, whereupon hemming press gates are operable for hemming the flange lip of the outer panel over the inner panel border.

Abstract: An engine block is located and clamped on a pallet and then brought into a boring station where the pallet is located and clamped on a shuttle. The shuttle moves solely along a straight horizontal path to move the engine block into the work station, locate the engine block during a machining operation, and then transfer the block out of the work station. First and second three-axis boring machines at respective opposite sides of the block locate crankshaft and camshaft boring bars for different engine blocks and then simultaneously back bore both the crankshaft and camshaft bores. A computer numerical control (CNC) positions the boring bars and the block and controls other machining parameters for different engine blocks. The CNC causes the shuttle to move to a location horizontally offset from a final machining location so that the boring bar axes are offset horizontally from the bearing bore axes and the boring bars are then inserted into the block.

Abstract: A head is positionable close to a supported composite material. A compactor on the head is movable relative to the head by a fluid actuator. A programmable valve means ports air into the actuator at several different pressures to provide variable compaction force.

Abstract: A unitary composite abrasive disc for one-pass grinding and finishing of a workpiece comprising a flexible epoxy rim bonded to a rigid core.

Abstract: An apparatus constructed to be received within an interior opening of a sheet metal panels to form a pre-hem and a complete hem about the periphery of the opening with a plurality of generally radially outwardly movable hemming plates or steels which are driven by an actuator to move from a retracted position within the opening to an extended position overlying a portion of the periphery of the opening to pre-hem a flange about the periphery of the opening. With the hem steels in their extended position, a second actuator displaces the steels towards the sheet metal panels to complete the folding or final hemming of the flange about the periphery of the opening.

Abstract: A pair of grinding wheel carriages, each carrying its own grinding wheel, are both carried by a grinding machine to one side of a work carriage and workpiece when carried thereby. The workpiece is, in this instance, a camshaft with multiple pairs of similar cams disposed along the axis of the workpiece. The operation control and disposition of the grinding wheels provides for use of either grinding wheel to grind cam pairs or both grinding wheels to simultaneously grind a pair of cam pairs. The method involves first grinding a first cam pair of spaced but in phase cams with one of the grinding wheels; thereafter utilizing both grinding wheels simultaneously to grind two pairs of spaced cam pairs and repeating this step depending upon the number of cam pairs, lastly the final pair of cam pairs is ground utilizing the other grinding wheel.

Abstract: A mechanical press has a ram carried by a frame and movable to advanced and retracted positions by a ball screw assembly driven by a reversible motor to actuate a cam and follower assembly connected to the ram by a linkage system. The linkage system has a pair of pivot links pivotally connected at one end to a fixed pivot shaft connected to the press frame and connected at their opposite end to a follower nut for movement thereby as the follower nut travels along the length of the driven screw. A pair of roller followers are also driven by the follower nut to move between first and second positions within cam tracks formed in a pair of first lever arms operably connected to the ram. In use, when the motor drives the screw in one direction the first lever arms are rotated in one direction to move the ram to its advanced position wherein the ram urges a die or tool into engagement with a workpiece.

Abstract: A device with a pivoting work arm for carrying and positioning a tool which is moved by a modified Watts linkage powered by a linear actuator is provided with shock absorption adjacent both the fully extended and fully retracted work arm positions. The modified Watts linkage engages a pawl which rotates a lever arm in the same direction to actuate the same shock absorber(s) when the work arm is moved to both its fully extended and fully retracted positions.

Abstract: A tombstone fixture for supporting workpieces has a stiffened tooling column.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for assembling a spool valve into a valve bore of a body by providing compressed gas to the valve bore at a pressure below the pressure of compressed gas supplied to a passage within a carrier body containing a spool valve substantially concentrically aligned with the valve bore to advance the spool valve from the passage into the valve bore. The compressed gas in the passage provides a force acting generally uniformly on the spool valve substantially concentrically aligning the spool valve within the passage. The compressed gas supplied to the valve bore also acts substantially uniformly on the spool valve tending to substantially concentrically align the spool valve within the valve bore when the spool valve is advanced therein. While the gas in the passage and the valve bore align the spool valve, the higher pressure of the gas in the passage advances the spool valve into the valve bore.

Abstract: Automated control system status information is displayed to a system operator by storing in electronic memory first fields of graphic indicia for generating at an operator display graphic representations of system conditions to be monitored and second fields of text indicia associated with the graphic indicia. The second fields of text indicia are stored in sets of separate sub-fields in each of two text languages, with each set in each sub-field being associated with a specific first field of graphic indicia. The system operator may alternately select between the sets of sub-fields of text indicia in such a way that the text fields displayed simultaneously with the graphic fields at the operator status display are all in one or the other of the two text languages.