Abstract: A lathe control system used for three dimensional curved surface machining includes an input module, a control module, a work table, a feeding module, a first sliding module, a second sliding module, and a cutter. The control module is electrically connected with the input module, the feeding module, the first sliding module, and the second sliding module. The first sliding module drives the feeding module to move along a first direction. The second sliding module drives the feeding module to move along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The cutter is positioned on the feeding module. The feeding module is capable of driving the cutter to move back and forth along a third direction under the control of the control module. The third direction is perpendicular to first and second direction.

Abstract: A master servo motor and a slave servo motor that synchronously drive for rotation a master main spindle provided with a center that supports one end of a work piece and a slave main spindle provided with a center that supports the other end of the work piece are included. Before grinding, a slip detection cycle that detects a limit current value for the servo motors, at which the work piece and the centers slip, is executed and, during grinding, a grinding condition is changed to prevent a slip between the work piece and the centers in advance at the time when any one of current values of the servo motors has reached a slip threshold value set on the basis of the limit current value.

Abstract: A method of forming a part from a workpiece mountable on a porous spoil-board on the worktable of a CNC machine having means for applying a negative pressure on the underside of the workpiece, providing a pressure differential across the mounted workpiece, and a cutting tool displaceable along x, y and z axes, including programming the controller of the machine to generate a cutting pattern, computing the area of the part, comparing the computed area value of the part with a predetermined area value and positioning the cutting tool along the Z-axis to provide less than a through cut of the workpiece where the computed area value is less than the predetermined area value and providing a through cut when a computed area value exceeds the predetermined area value, mounting the workpiece on the worktable, actuating the negative pressure applying means and operating the machine to execute such program.

Abstract: In a method for controlling a tool during machining a work piece using the tool, a first measuring arrangement which has a first ultrasonic probe for emitting ultrasonic waves is used, the first measuring arrangement being arranged ahead of the tool with respect to the relative tool movement direction and being moved relative to the work piece in the relative tool movement direction. The ultrasonic waves emitted by the first ultrasonic probe are transmitted to the work piece, and are transmitted back to the first ultrasonic probe, by a first column of liquid which is created by the first measuring arrangement and situated between the first ultrasonic probe and the work piece for measurement. The measurements are used for automatically adjusting the position of the tool relative to the work piece during machining the work piece.

Abstract: The single point machining head includes a probe that is removably mounted on a carriage that moves radially relative to a central axis of the machining head. A system controller moves the carriage in a radial direction while the machining head is fed in a vertical direction so that the probe contacts the surface of a workpiece. Each point of contact on the workpiece becomes a datapoint including the radial position and the vertical position when contact occurred. The surface of the workpiece is scanned with the probe and a profile is generated using the points of contact. A system controller calculates a difference between the measured profile and a desired profile to be machined to determine the amount of material to remove.

Abstract: A circuit board router (10) and method thereof. De-paneling of printed circuit boards (62) off a panel 860) is efficiently increased by a router (40) which is positioned at a location above the panel (60). A fixture positions the panel 860) below the router (40) on a base (16). A controller (64) activates a first drive mechanism (20), a second drive mechanism (26), and a third drive mechanism (32) to guide an X-arm (18), a Y-arm (24) and a Z-arm (10), respectively. The router (40), located on the Z-arm (30), moves downward to engage a router bit (42) to the panel (60) to depanel the printed circuit board (62) from the panel. A fixture chip (72), which has a preprogrammed pattern of the panel (60), is embedded inside the fixture (58). A radio frequency transmitter (80) transmits the pattern to a radio frequency receiver (82) that relays the pattern to the controller (64).

Abstract: An edge-routing unit has a routing tool (4) on a shaft (9) of a routing motor (6), which is arranged on a rest (10), and which is controlled approximately along a workpiece outline in a workpiece feed-through direction, an X-axis, and in a workpiece thickness direction, a Z-axis. Furthermore, by way of a feeler wheel (5), which is coaxial to the routing tool (4) and which travels over a workpiece surface adjoining an edge strip (3), the rest (10) is supported on the workpiece (1) for follow-up of the routing tool (4) according to a contour sensed. In order to be able to change adjustment of the routing tool (4) relative to the feeler wheel (5) during machining operations, a positioning slide (15) is arranged on the rest (10), on which the positioning slide (15) and the routing motor (6) sit together with the routing tool (4) and which is traversable in a motor-operated program-controlled manner relative to the rest (10), in a direction of the X-axis and in a direction of the Z-axis.

Abstract: A portion (14a, 14b) of a chip remover (14) is defined to be vibratory to give an NC machine tool (MT 1) a vibration transferable onto a surface (FS) of a work (13) under a finishing by the NC machine tool (MT1), a decision is made whether the NC machine tool (MT1) enters the finishing, and vibration of the vibratory portion (14a, 14b) is controlled, as the decision is true. A chip removal method and an NC machine tool equipped with a spiral chip remover (113) as a chip remover have various chip removal rules for determining permission/prohibition of the operation of the spiral chip remover (113). This spiral chip remover (113) operates based on commands described in a machining program. When a command in the machining program is executed, the permission/prohibition of the operation of the spiral chip remover (113) is controlled according to the chip removal rules.

Abstract: A process for edge-machining an optical (spectacle) lens including preliminary machining of an edge of the lens rotatable in controlled manner about a rotational axis of a workpiece by a first edge-machining tool adjustable radially relative to the rotational axis of the workpiece, whereby the lens is given a circumferential contour which corresponds to the circumferential contour of a lens holder apart from a slight degree of oversizing, contactless measurement of the preliminarily machined lens edge, and finish-machining of the lens edge, taking account of the detected edge data of the preliminarily machined lens, by means of a second edge-machining tool adjustable radially relative to the rotational axis of the workpiece, whereby the lens is provided with a circumferential contour substantially complementary to the circumferential contour of the lens holder.

Abstract: A machine is provided for stripping the ground wall insulation from a stator bar quickly and in such a manner that the copper strands will not be damaged. The apparatus of the invention includes a power driven cutting tool for milling or routing the insulation from a portion of the insulated bar, a sensing device for detecting the location of the copper strands and a height adjustment assembly for determining a disposition of the bar with respect to the cutting tool. In an exemplary embodiment, the height adjustment assembly is adjusted in accordance with the location of the copper strands as detected by the sensing device to substantially prevent the cutting tool from making damaging contact with the copper strands.

Abstract: The system constructed according to the present invention operates by properly positioning a base compact disc (CD) onto a cutting table and then cutting the CD to a preprogrammed shape. Base CDs are stacked on an elevator system. The CDs include one side on which data is recorded, and another side on which the CD label is printed. A robotic arm with a vacuum gripper then picks-up a CD from the stack and moves the CD to a cutting table. While the arm moves the CD, a machine vision system takes a picture of the CD label and compares the picture to an image of the label stored in data. An image mapping program then determines the rotational orientation of the CD by comparing the picture and data image. Once the orientation of the disc is known, the robot arm rotates the disc a calculated amount so that it can then be placed on the cutting table in a proper normalized orientation.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for manufacturing large, semi-flexible metal components includes a fixture that holds the component blank in a desired position for manufacturing operations by accurate numerically controlled machine tools using original numerical part definition records, utilizing spatial relationships between key features of detail parts or subassemblies as represented by coordination features machined into the parts and subassemblies, thereby making the parts and subassemblies intrinsically determinant of the dimensions and contour of the part.

Abstract: An apparatus 28 for forming at least a portion of the edge 12,14 of airfoil 10 using a tool assembly 68 is disclosed. The tool assembly has a tool 164 with a cutting face 202 having a shape which is like the shape of the finished edge of the airfoil. Various construction details of the apparatus are developed which enable the tool to incrementally remove material while accommodating wave-like variations in the airfoil edge. In one embodiment, the apparatus has a probe assembly 166 attached to the tool which is moveable with respect to a reference surface R.sub.s on the airfoil to guide the tool.

Abstract: A method of monitoring the condition of a tool in a machining operation for producing a plurality of toothed workpieces. The process comprises measuring the temperature of at least a portion of the plurality of workpieces each at essentially a same predetermined amount of time after machining. The temperature of each measured workpiece is compared to at least one workpiece reference temperature value indicative of a wear condition of the tool. If the measured temperature is less than or equal to the workpiece reference temperature value, machining of subsequent parts continues, or, if the measured temperature is greater than the workpiece reference temperature, the machining operation is stopped.

Abstract: Wheels of rail vehicles are trued while the wheels are kept rotating about a wheel center of rotation that is continuously corrected to keep the center of rotation in a fixed position in response to eccentricities a wheel may have, especially in its outer circumference. For this purpose, a sensor for each wheel of two wheels forming a set senses a respective excursion of a center of rotation of each wheel being trued in a set to provide respective excursion signals which are supplied to a central processing unit that provides control signals to a power drive for wheel guide rollers which support the wheel set to be trued. The power drive applies wheel position adjusting force components, preferably directed radially relative to the respective wheel rotational axis in response to the control signals from the central processing unit whereby the excursions are compensated and the wheel rotation center is kept in a fixed position.

Abstract: An end mill for simultaneously milling two intersecting perpendicular surfaces of a part. The end mill is subjected to side cutting loads causing side deflection of the end mill, with the result that both the side-milled surface and the end-milled surface are not cut true to the part. To compensate for end mill deflection, a cam arrangement is provided to adjust the position of the end mill.

Abstract: A flycutting apparatus and a method of manufacturing printed circuit boards are disclosed. The flycutting apparatus may include a sensor for detecting changes in the relative positioning of an associated rotatable flywheel and the surface of an object, such as a web of flexible printed circuit board, to be machined. The sensor is adapted to send signals to an adjustment device of the flycutting apparatus during machining operations whereby the adjustment device responds to the signals by adjusting the relative position of the rotatable flywheel with respect to the surface of the object. The flycutting apparatus may include a horizontally arranged slide assembly in conjunction with a vertically arranged slide assembly and a translation device for translating movement of the horizontally arranged slide assembly to vertical movement of an associated rotatable flywheel along the vertical slide assembly.

Abstract: The present invention is a device for contouring blocking burrs for a milling cutter. The penumatic broach or spindle is equipped with a tachometer, which controls the reversal of the supply of a pneumatic jack connecting the spindle to the wrist or handle of the robot as soon as the rotation speed of the cutter drops below a threshold value. The blocking burrs are then cut off by means of successive passes.

Abstract: A spot facing method and apparatus for processing a printed circuit board incorporates a sensing device having a sensor probe capable of sensing the level of the surface of a printed circuit board, another sensing device for sensing the position of the end of a tool, measuring circuits for measuring the distance between the sensing probe and the end of the tool and the distance between the surface of the printed circuit board and the end of the tool in accordance with the signals from the sensing devices, and a controller connected to the measuring circuits so as to control the feed of the tool thereby attaining a high dimensional precision in the depthwise direction in the spot facing.

Abstract: A floating fixture platen for use on machine tools having a machine support structure and a machine tool portion rotatable about an axis of rotation, the floating fixture platen including a planar member mounted on the machine support structure in a position normal to the axis of rotation of the rotating tool portion, the platen supporting a workpiece to be operated on by the rotating tool, apparatus on the support structure enabling the platen limited relative free movement in a plane substantially normal to the axis of rotation of the tool whereby rotation of the tool will produce torque in the platen and in the workpiece supported thereby, first and second oppositely facing fluid assemblies each having a piston portion engagable with a surface on the platen and positioned to oppose rotation of the platen, the fluid assemblies having pressure generated therein by the movement of the platen, and a fluid connection between the fluid assemblies to equalize the pressures therein.

Abstract: A method of chamfering the outer peripheral edges of plate members comprises stacking the plate members in face-to-face vertically aligned relation so that for each two adjacent plate members the upper outer peripheral edge of the lower plate member opposes the lower outer peripheral edge of the upper plate member, detecting the boundary between two adjacent plate members in the stack, positioning a rotary chamfering tool in response to detection of the boundary, and moving the rotary chamfering tool relative to the outer peripheral edges of the two adjacent plate members to simultaneously chamfer the upper edge of the lower plate member and the lower edge of the upper plate member. The detecting, positioning and chamfering steps are repeated for each two adjacent plate members in the stack to thereby chamfer both the upper and lower edges of the stacked plate members.

Abstract: Broach sharpening machine in which a slide mobile in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of a broach to be sharpened supports a sharpening slide provided with a grinding wheel head, and a feeler unit arranged to determine the position of each broach tooth relative to the grinding wheel and comprising an articulated parallelogram in which a drag link is provided with a coupling element arranged to cooperate with the broach teeth, and is connected by two resilient cranks to a frame so that it rotates with this latter about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the broach axis; the feeler unit comprising a sensor for detecting the movements of the frame about its axis of rotation and the axial movements of said drag link, and a resilient element arranged to rotate said parallelogram so as to move said coupling element towards the broach.

Abstract: An improved grinding method and apparatus is advantageously used to sequentially grind the pins of a crankshaft. During the grinding of each crankpin, the pin is supported by a steadyrest. During an initial grinding operation, the crankpins are measured or gauged to determine if they are out-of-round by an amount which is greater than the tolerances for the finished crankshaft and less than a maximum amount. If a crankpin is out-of-round by an amount which is equal to or greater than a maximum amount, the crankshaft is rejected. However, if a crankpin is out-of-round by an amount which is less than the maximum amount and more than the tolerance for a finished pin, a second grinding operation is initiated after the initial grinding operation has been completed. During the initial and second grinding operations, a main drive motor is effective to press the steadyrest against the crankpins.