Numerical control device and machining method

• US 9,639,079 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2013
• Issued: 05/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Sakai, Yu
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ramesh
• Application Number:
  US14/765,381
• Publication Number:
  US 20150378349A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,530 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/18 Numerical control [NC], i.e. automatically operating machines, in particular machine tools, e.g. in a manufacturing environment, so as to execute positioning, movement or co-ordinated operations by means of programme data in numerical form G05B19/418 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/408 characterised by data handling or data format, e.g. reading, buffering or conversion of data
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45136 Turning, lathe

Abstract

A numerical control device includes: a memory storing in advance angular difference information between each of first cutting shafts formed for an upper tool post and a second cutting shaft of a lower tool post and a machining program including a movement command for the upper tool post to move an imaginary shaft, which moves along the same line as the second cutting shaft and performs cutting from a direction opposite to the second cutting shaft with respect to the main shaft; a shaft-command distribution processing unit distributing the movement command to move the imaginary shaft to the first cutting shaft components based on the angular difference information; and a shaft-synchronization processing unit driving the first cutting shafts based on the movement command distributed to the first cutting shaft components and driving the second cutting shaft by the movement amount same as that in the direction of the imaginary shaft.

Claims

1. A numerical control device controlling a machine tool that includes two tool posts opposing each other with a main shaft therebetween, in which one tool post among the two tool posts includes a plurality of first cutting shafts that are perpendicular to the main shaft, in which another tool post among the two tool posts includes one second cutting shaft that is perpendicular to the main shaft, and in which each of the first cutting shafts and the second cutting shaft are arranged such that there is an angular difference between each of the first cutting shafts and the second cutting shaft, the device comprising:

a memory that stores in advance angular difference information on an angular difference between each of the first cutting shafts and the second cutting shaft and a machining program that includes a movement command for the one tool post to move an imaginary shaft, which moves along a same line as the second cutting shaft and performs cutting from a direction opposite to the second cutting shaft with respect to the main shaft;

a shaft-command distribution processing unit that distributes a movement command to move the imaginary shaft to the first cutting shaft components in accordance with the angular difference information; and

a shaft-synchronization processing unit that causes the one tool post to perform cutting in a direction of the imaginary shaft by driving each of the first cutting shafts in accordance with each movement command distributed to the first cutting shaft components and causes the another tool post to perform cutting in a direction opposite to the direction of the imaginary shaft by driving the second cutting shaft by a movement amount same as a movement amount in the direction of the imaginary shaft.

2. The numerical control device according to claim 1, wherein the shaft-synchronization processing unit drives the second cutting shaft by interpreting a movement command to move the imaginary shaft as a movement command to move the second cutting shaft.

3. A machining method of machining a workpiece by numerically controlling a machine tool that includes two tool posts opposing each other with a main shaft therebetween, in which one tool post among the two tool posts includes a plurality of first cutting shafts that are perpendicular to the main shaft, in which another tool post among the two tool posts includes one second cutting shaft that is perpendicular to the main shaft, and in which each of the first cutting shafts and the second cutting shaft are arranged such that there is an angular difference between each of the first cutting shafts and the second cutting shaft, the method comprising:

reading a movement command for the one tool post to move an imaginary shaft, which moves along a same line as the second cutting shaft and performs cutting from a direction opposite to the second cutting shaft with respect to the main shaft;

distributing read movement command to move the imaginary shaft to the first cutting shaft components in accordance with the angular difference between each of the first cutting shafts and the second cutting shaft; and

causing the one tool post to perform cutting in a direction of the imaginary shaft by driving each of the first cutting shafts in accordance with each movement command distributed to the first cutting shaft components and causing the another tool post to perform cutting in a direction opposite to the direction of the imaginary shaft by driving the second cutting shaft by a movement amount same as a movement amount in the direction of the imaginary shaft.

4. The machining method according to claim 3, further comprising copying a movement command to move the imaginary shaft to a movement command for the second cutting shaft, wherein

the causing includes driving the second cutting shaft in accordance with copied movement command.