Method and apparatus for positioning work supporting units in grinding machines
First Claim
1. A method of selecting the mutual positions of at least one work supporting unit in a grinding machine and a work supporting table to which the unit is normally locked and wherein the mutual positions of the table and a machine part other than said at least one unit can be changed by a drive which receives actuating impulses from the automatic controls of the machine to change said mutual positions in the direction of one machine axis, comprising the steps of unlocking the unit from the table;
- coupling the unit to the machine part;
causing the automatic controls of the machine to move the table with reference to the unit and the machine part so as to effect a change in the positions of the unit and the machine part on the one hand and the table on the other hand relative to each other until the unit and the table assume a selected position with reference to one another; and
locking the unit to the table.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
The work supporting unit or units on the stationary or reciprocable work supporting table of a plain grinding machine are adjustable with reference to the table by one of the existing numerically controlled drives, such as the drive which reciprocates the table with reference to a stationary base or the drive which reciprocates a carriage for the grinding wheel relative to a stationary table. The locking device or devices which normally fix the adjustable unit or units to the table are disengaged and the unit or units are separably coupled to the reciprocable part (table or carriage) by suitable detents which can be engaged or disengaged by numerically controlled drives or by an existing drive such as the drive for a slide which is reciprocably mounted on the reciprocable carriage and supports the grinding wheel.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. A method of selecting the mutual positions of at least one work supporting unit in a grinding machine and a work supporting table to which the unit is normally locked and wherein the mutual positions of the table and a machine part other than said at least one unit can be changed by a drive which receives actuating impulses from the automatic controls of the machine to change said mutual positions in the direction of one machine axis, comprising the steps of unlocking the unit from the table;
- coupling the unit to the machine part;
causing the automatic controls of the machine to move the table with reference to the unit and the machine part so as to effect a change in the positions of the unit and the machine part on the one hand and the table on the other hand relative to each other until the unit and the table assume a selected position with reference to one another; and
locking the unit to the table. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
- coupling the unit to the machine part;
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5. A grinding machine, comprising work supporting table means;
- second supporting means;
a drive for moving said table means relative to said second supporting means in the direction of one machine axis;
automatic controls for operating said drive;
at least one work supporting unit;
a locking device engageable to affix said unit to said table means; and
a coupling device operable to releasably connect said unit to said second supporting means so that said drive can place said unit and said table means into any one of a plurality of selected positions with reference to each other in response to disengagement of said locking device and on coupling of said unit to said second supporting means. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
- second supporting means;
Specification