GB2062508A

GB2062508A - Adjusting a machine element supporting member

Info

Publication number: GB2062508A
Application number: GB8032372A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Inoue Japax Research Inc
Current assignee: Inoue Japax Research Inc
Priority date: 1979-10-09
Filing date: 1980-10-08
Publication date: 1981-05-28
Also published as: FR2467051B1; DE3038156A1; JPS5656356A; GB2062508B; IT8049856A0; IT1128593B; FR2467051A1

Abstract

A supporting device in a machine (3), e.g. a machine tool, has a body (1) formed with at least one plenum chamber (6) filled with a fluid medium, e.g. a liquid such as oil, a gel, a rubber material, a synthetic resin material or a powder, and arranged in a force transmitting relationship with a support site (4) of the member at which the element (5) e.g. a tool or workpiece, is securely mounted thereon. The fluid medium in the chamber is pressurized by screws (7x, 7y) to deform the body of the member, thereby displacing the support site to a predetermined position. Preferably, a plurality of such chambers are provided to effect a displacement of the support site with at least two degrees of freedom. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Adjusting a machine element supporting member The present invention relates to a support member for an element in a machine such as a machine tool, e.g. a milling machine, a grinding machine, a cutting machine, a sinking-type EDM (electrical discharge machining) machine or a wire-cutting EDM machine wherein the element may be a tool, a tool electrode, a tool holder, an electrode holder, a workpiece or a workpiece holder, table or bed. More particularly, the invention relates to a support member for an element in a machine and a method of regulating the support position in the member at which the element is securely supported thereon, the member and the method being suitable to correct the support position against undesirable tilt or deflection of the member due to external factors such as the weight of the element, the machining pressure and heat.

In a machine such as a machine tool, a member supporting an element such as a work element (tool or workpiece) may be undesirably tilted or deflected due to the weight of the element as well as the heat and the machining pressure exerted on the member. Such a tilt or deflection, or a deviation in the posture or attitude of the support member from the mounted position causes an inaccurate positioning of the supported element, which results in a machining or operating inaccuracy of the machine. There has been no useful, effective and reliable means available heretofore to compensate for such deviations. The operator could simply be alerted to ensure firm bolting of these machine components to achieve a desired or set positioning of the element in the machine.

The present invention seeks to provide a method of regulating the support position of a member for supporting an element in a machine whereby a correct posture or attitude of the member is maintained against undesirable tilt or inclination so that a correct positioning of the element in the machine is assured.

The present invention also seeks to provide a support member for an element in a machine, whose posture or attitude is corrected with ease and efficiently to achieve a correct positioning of the element in the machine.

According to a first aspect of the present invention a method of regulating the position of a support site on a member supporting an element in a machine, comprises: forming the member with at least one plenum chamber, e.g. an internal cavity therein or a space adjacent a portion of the wall thereof and enclosed with a frame or enclosure member, filled with a fluid medium, e.g.

a liquid such as oil, a gel, a rubber material, a synthetic resin material or a powder of solid particles, and disposed in a pressure transmitting relationship with the said support site; and pressurizing the fluid medium in the chamber to deform the member, thereby displacing the said support site to a predetermined position.

Preferably, a plurality of such plenum chambers, e.g. three, are formed at different locations within the member or on the wall of the member and arranged to allow deformation of the body of the member with three degrees of freedom or with possible components of deformation along mutually perpendicular X-, Yand Z-axes to displace the said support site with those three degrees of freedom.

in accordance with a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a support member for supporting an element at a support site thereon in a machine, comprising: a body of the member formed with at least one plenum chamber filled with a fluid medium and arranged in a pressure transmitting relationship with the said support site; and means for pressurizing the fluid medium in the chamber to deform the body, thereby displacing the said support site to a predetermined position.

The pressurizing means may conveniently include a screw means inserted or thrusted into the chamber from outside of the member and adapted to be screwed into the chamber to pressurize the fluid medium.

These objectives, features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from a reading of the following description of certain embodiments thereof taken with reference to the accompanying drawing in which: FIG. 1 is a side view diagrammatically illustrating one embodiment in which chambers are formed within the support member; and FIG. 2 is a side view diagrammatically illustrating another embodiment in which chambers are formed at three locations on the wall of the support member.

Referring first to FIG. 1, a support member 1 composed of a steel or cast iron in the customary member is shown secured by means of bolts 2 to blocks 3 which constitute portions of the machine proper. The support member 1 is upright and has on its top a support site 4 at which an element 5 such as a tool electrode, tool holder, electrode holder, workpiece or workpiece holder is detachably held.

In accordance with the principles of the invention one or more chambers or cavities are formed within the body of the support member 1 at preselected locations and each with a preselected size and preselected orientation. A first chamber or cavity 6x is shown elongated and oriented from the right towards the left on the drawing or in the direction of an X-axis and has a screw 7x threaded thereinto. A second elongated chamber or cavity 6y is also intended to be formed and oriented from the front towards the back of the drawing or in the direction of an Y-axis and likewise has a screw 7ythreaded thereinto. Each of the chamber 6x and 6y is filled with a fluid medium 8, e.g. a liquid such as oil, a gel, a rubber material, a synthetic resin material or a powder of solid particles.The term "fluid" is used herein in its broadest sense to refer to a matter which, without a separation of the mass, easily yields to pressure. Optionally a third elongate chamber not shown may be formed and oriented from the bottom towards the top of the member 1 and likewise filled with the fluid medium. The stud or end shank portion of each of the screws 7x, 7y (and 7z) is filled with the wall of the chamber 6x, 6y (, 6z) to hermetically seal the latter.

Thrusting or screwing forward each of the screws 7x and 7y forcibly into the respective chamber 6x, 6Ycauses the fluid medium therein to be pressurized, exerting an expansion force on the entire wall thereof. Since the member 1 is firmly secured to the machine proper, it is bodily deformed. Since the cavity 6x is elongated from the right to the left or in the direction of X-axis, it with an elevated pressure developed therein tends to deflect the member 1 leftward in the drawing or in the direction of X-axis in this case, thus displacing the support site 4 on its top leftward or in the direction of X-axis. Likewise, the cavity 6y tends to deflect the member 1, hence displacing the support site 4 in the direction of Y-axis and the third cavity (6z) if provided tends to deflect the member upward, hence displacing the support site 4 in the direction of Z-axis.As a result, a combined displacement of the site 4 as shown is produced.

The extent of displacement of the support site 4, and hence of the element 5 along each of the axes is determined by the pressures in the respective cavities 6x, 6y, 6z and hence the positions of the respective screws 7x, 7y, 7z in the cavities. In this manner, a deflection or urging force of 300 to 800 Kg can be readily produced, with ordinary sizes of the support member 1, to displace the site 4 by 20 to 50 microns.

In the embodiment of FIG. 2, a support member 1 secured to the machine proper 13 by means of bolts 12 and supporting at its top site 14 an element 1 5 as in the previous one is formed on three preselected locations 1 1 a, 1 1 b and 1 1 c of the outer wall thereof with chambers 1 6a, 1 6b and 1 6c defined or enclosed with frame or enclosure members 1 9a, 1 9b and 1 9c, in addition to a relatively large hollow internal cavity 20. The chambers 1 6a, 1 6b and 1 6c are here again filled with a fluid medium 8 as described previously and plugged by bolts or screws 1 7a, 1 7b or 1 7c, respectively.As in the previous embodiment, the three screws 1 7a, 1 7b and 1 7c are thrusted forward to pressurize the fluid medium 8 in the respective chambers 1 6a, 1 6b and 1 6c, thereby to effect a deformation of the member 11 which is facilitated by the presence of the hollow chamber 20, thereby displacing the support site 14 with at least two degrees of freedom.

Other such chambers 16 may be provided on the wall of the support member to enable displacements with more than two degrees of freedom to be achieved.

There is thus provided, in accordance with the present invention, an improved support member for supporting an element in a machine, as well as a method of regulating the position of a support site of the member whereby any undesired tilt of the member is readily corrected with a due precision, and an extremely accurate positioning or setting of the element in the machine is thereby attained.

Claims

1. A method of regulating the position of a support site on a member supporting an element in a machine, said method comprising the steps of: forming said member with at least one plenum chamber filled with a fluid medium and disposed in a pressure transmitting relationship with said support site; and pressurizing said fluid medium in said chamber to deform said member, thereby displacing said support site to a predetermined position.

2. The method defined in claim 1 wherein said fluid medium is a liquid.

3. The method defined in claim 2 wherein said liquid is an oil.

4. The method defined in claim 1 wherein said fluid medium is a gel.

5. The method defined in claim 1 wherein said fluid medium is a rubber material.

6. The method defined in claim 1 wherein said fluid medium is a syn.hetic resin material.

7. The method defined in claim 1 wherein said fluid medium is a powder.

8. The method defined in any preceding claim wherein said chamber is formed within the body of said member.

9. The method defined in claim 8 wherein a plurality of such chambers are formed within the body of said member to effect a displacement of said support site with at least two degrees of freedom.

10. The method defined in claim 9 wherein said degrees of freedom are three in number.

11. The method defined in any one of the claims 1 to 7 wherein said chamber is formed at a preselected portion on the wall of the body of said member and enclosed with an enclosure member.

12. The method defined in claim 11 wherein a plurality of such chambers are formed to effect a displacement of said support site with at least two degrees of freedom.

13. The method defined in claim 12 wherein said degrees of freedom are three in number.

14. The method defined in any preceding claim wherein a screw means is inserted into said or each said chamber from outside of said member and said fluid medium is pressurized by advancing said or each said screw means into said or each said chamber.

15. A method as defined in claim 14, further comprising determining said predetermined position by adjusting the position of said or each said screw means inserted into said or each said chamber.

1 6. A support member for supporting at a support site thereon an element in a machine, said member comprising: a body of said member formed with at least one plenum chamber filled with a fluid medium and disposed in a pressure transmitting relationship with said support site; and means for pressurizing said fluid medium in said chamber to deform said body, thereby displacing said support site to a predetermined position.

17. The support member defined in claim 16 wherein said medium is a liquid.

18. The support member defined in claim 17 wherein said liquid in an oil.

19. The support member defined in claim 16 wherein said medium is a gel.

20. The support member defined in claim 16 wherein said medium is a rubber material.

21. The support member defined in claim 16 wherein said medium is a synthetic resin material

22. The support member defined in claim 16 wherein said medium is a powder.

23. The support member defined in any one of the claims 16 to 22 wherein said chamber is formed within said body.

24. The support member defined in claim 23 wherein a plurality of such chambers are formed within said body to effect a displacement of said support site with at least two degrees of freedom.

25. The support member defined in claim 24 wherein three such chambers are formed.

26. The support member defined in any one of the claims 16 to 22 wherein said chamber is formed at a preselected portion on the wall of said body and is enclosed with an enclosure member.

27. The support member defined in claim 26 wherein a plurality of such chambers are formed to effect a displacement of said support site with at least two degrees of freedom.

28. The support member defined in claim 27 wherein three such chambers are formed.

29. The support member defined in any one of the claims 16 to 28 wherein said pressurizing means includes a screw means inserted into said or each said chamber from outside of said member.

30. A support member as defined in any one of the claims 16 to 29, mounted vertically on said machine and supporting at its top constituting said support site said element.

31. A support member for supporting at a support site thereon an element in a machine, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated by, FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 of the accompanying drawing.

32. A method of regulating the position of a support site on a member supporting an element in a machine, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated by, FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 of the accompanying drawing.