Controller for wire electric discharge machine

• US 20040193306A1
• Filed: 03/18/2004
• Published: 09/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fanuc Ltd (Fanuc Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fanuc Ltd (Fanuc Corporation)
• Inventors: Hiraga, Kaoru, Kurihara, Masaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,039,490 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/162
• CPC Class Codes: B23H 7/04 Apparatus for supplying current to working gap; Electric circuits specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B23H 7/20 for programme-control, e.g. adaptive programme-control systems in general G05B19/00

Abstract

A controller for a wire electric discharge machine which can achieve stable machining with high surface accuracy without requiring adjustment of a gain or the like in wire-electrode feed control. A discharge gap detection unit detects a voltage between a wire electrode and a workpiece. An amount-of-machining-per-unit-distance change detection unit obtains an average machining voltage, and a voltage drop E_X that is a difference between the obtained average machining voltage and a no-load voltage. A comparative determination unit obtains a ratio E_S/E_X between a reference voltage drop E_S stored in a reference-amount-of-machining-per-unit-distance relative value storage unit and the drop voltage E_X. A feed pulse arithmetic unit obtains a feed speed that makes the amount of machining per unit time constant, on the basis of the ratio E_S/E_X and a predetermined feed speed, and distributes feed pulses to motors to thereby move the wire electrode relatively to the workpiece. Since the amount of machining per unit time is kept constant, the surface accuracy in finishing is high and stable machining can be performed.

Claims

1. A controller for a wire electric discharge machine for performing electric discharge machining by generating electric discharge between a wire electrode and a workpiece while relatively moving the wire electrode and the workpiece, said controller comprising:

machining rate determining means for determining rate of machining by the electric discharge between the wire electrode and the workpiece; and

motion control means for controlling relative motion of the wire electrode and the workpiece based on the rate of machining determined by said machining rate determining means such that a speed of the relative motion is decreased when the rate of machining is increased.

2. A controller for the wire electric discharge machine according to claim 1, wherein said machining rate determining means obtains the number of times of electric discharge in each predetermined period, and determines the rate of machining based on comparison of the obtained number of times of electric discharge with a reference number of times of electric discharge.

3. A controller for the wire electric discharge machine according to claim 1, wherein said machining rate determining means obtains a voltage drop of an average machining voltage from a preset no-load voltage in each predetermined period, and determines the rate of machining based comparison of the obtained voltage drop with a reference voltage drop.

4. A controller for a wire electric discharge machine for performing electric machining by generating electric discharge between a wire electrode and a workpiece while relatively moving the wire electrode and the workpiece to each other, said controller comprising:

voltage drop calculation means for determining a voltage drop of an average machining voltage with respect to a preset no-load voltage in each predetermined period;

movement means for moving the wire electrode relative to the workpiece along a machining path according to motion commands;

reference value storage means storing a predetermined value representing a voltage drop of a reference average machining voltage with respect to the preset no-load voltage;

comparison means for comparing the voltage drop determined by said voltage drop calculation means and the predetermined value stored in said reference value storage means; and

control means for controlling the relative motion of the wire electrode in each predetermined period by outputting the motion command to said movement means based on a result of the comparison by said comparison means.

5. A controller for a wire electric discharge machine for performing electric machining by generating electric discharge between a wire electrode and a workpiece while relatively moving the wire electrode and the workpiece to each other, said controller comprising:

voltage drop determination means for determining a voltage drop of an average machining voltage with respect to a preset no-load voltage in each predetermined period;

movement means for moving the wire electrode relatively to the workpiece along a machining path according to motion commands;

reference value storage means storing a predetermined value representing a voltage drop of a reference average machining voltage with respect to the preset no-load voltage;

means for obtaining a ratio between the voltage drop determined by said voltage drop calculation means and the predetermined value stored in said reference value storage means; and

means for obtaining a motion amount by multiplying a distance of relative motion determined by a preset feed speed and the predetermined period by said ratio, and outputting the obtained motion amount to the movement means as the motion command in each predetermined period.

6. A controller for the wire electric discharge machine according to claim 5, wherein said ratio is determined as a ratio of the predetermined value stored in said reference value storage means to the voltage drop determined by said voltage drop calculation means.