4442493 Cutting tool retreat and return for workpiece protection upon abnormality occurrence in a preprogrammed machine tool

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N e w Patents

4441995

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CHUNK SEPARATOR AND PROCESS OF SEPARATION FOR MACHINE TOOL SCRAP

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Russell Dudley assigned to Reelamet Inc

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In the mechanism for supplying waste metal cuttings from machine operations to a centrifuge having air suction means for separation and recovery of the cutting oils, a driven paddlewheel type feed gate is provided in an inclined, gravity operated feed conduit for both maintaining a generally uniform rate of feed to the centrifuge and for serving as a barrier against the entry of air through the infeed end of the conduit. An air aspiration port is provided adjacent to and on the centrifuge side of the paddle wheel through which large metal chunks are discharged by gravity while smaller cuttings are entrained by the incoming air stream and transported past the port to the centrifuge. The bottom of the conduit at the feed gate is movably mounted to permit the passage of large, chunky material and means are provided to assure discharge of long pieces of material.

A numerically controlled (NC) machine tool has apparatus for automatically positioning and feeding a cutting tool to follow a programmably predetermined path. Sensing devices are provided to detect when the cutting tool suffers an abnormality, such as becoming dull or chipped. The feed devices of the NC machine tool are then commanded, by an arithmetic unit having a memory and by an NC command generating, unit, to automatically retreat the cutting tool. Iti retreats, without interference with the work= piece, to a first position, parametrically determined by the shape and size of the workpiece, cutting tool data for the abnormality, completion and tool exchange positions, and by the nature of the machining operation. This retreat location is a position at which the cutting tool may be replaced. After replacement of the cutting tool, the cutting tool is automatically returned, via the first position, to a second position from which the machining is resumed. The second position is determined by the arithmetic means to provide for repeatedmachining of a portion of the surface of the workpiece leading to the position at which the abnormality was sensed.

4442576

4442493 CUTTING TOOL RETREAT AND RETURN FOR WORKPIECE PROTECTION U P O N ABNORMALITY OCCURRENCE IN A PREPROGRAMMED MACHINE TOOL Hideyuki Wakai, Masataka Kashimoto, Chiaki Sakamoto, Eiji Mizutani, Hirakata, Japan assigned to Kabushiki Kaisha Komatsu Seisakusho

TOOL COOLING DEVICE FOR MACHINE TOOLS Koichiro Kitamura, Takaoka, Japan assigned to Kitamura Machinery Co Ltd i