JP4988195B2 - Wire electrode feeding mechanism and wire electric discharge machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a wire electrode feed mechanism for causing a conductive wire electrode stretched with a predetermined tension between a wire electrode supply means and a wire electrode recovery means to travel in the longitudinal direction thereof and to discharge a workpiece. The present invention relates to a wire electric discharge machine.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a wire electric discharge machine that performs electric discharge machining while continuously feeding a wire formed of copper, tungsten, or the like and moving a workpiece along a target shape using the wire as an electrode. For example, while the wire electrode is continuously sent out in the direction of the center axis of the work to the side of the work table and the work fixed on the work table, a part is projected in a U shape toward the work A wire electric discharge machine having a wire electrode feeding mechanism is known (see Patent Document 1).

On the other hand, there is a wire electric discharge machine shown in FIG. 15 as a wire electric discharge machine in which the axis of the workpiece is arranged orthogonal to the wire electrode feeding direction. This wire electric discharge machine includes a spindle 90 and a wire electrode feed mechanism that feeds the wire electrode 93 while stretching it vertically.
The spindle 90 is installed so that the axial direction is horizontal, and is installed so as to be movable in a three-dimensional direction. The spindle 90 includes a workpiece gripper 91 that grips the workpiece 92 at the tip.
The wire electrode feed mechanism includes a supply-side wire guide 94A and a collection-side wire guide 94B that are respectively attached above and below the workpiece 92, and guides the wire electrode 93 so as to contact the workpiece 92 while being vertically stretched. ing. The wire electrode 93 is sent from the supply side wire guide 94A to the recovery side wire guide 94B when being processed.

  The wire electric discharge machine having such a configuration can perform the same processing as a lathe. For example, when the workpiece 92 is rotated around the rotation axis P and moved in the P-axis direction while the wire electrode 93 is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical workpiece 92, the small diameter portion 95 can be formed in the workpiece 92. it can. Further, when the workpiece 92 is moved in the P-axis direction while the wire electrode 93 is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the workpiece 92 in a state where the rotation of the workpiece 92 is stopped, the chamfered portion 96 can be machined into the workpiece 92. it can.

JP 2003-136342 A

However, in the wire electric discharge machine, since the axis of the spindle 90 is orthogonal to the feeding direction of the wire electrode 93, a surface parallel to the axial direction of the spindle 90 cannot be machined on the workpiece 92. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, even if it is desired to form a gear 97 having a tooth surface parallel to the axial direction of the workpiece on the cylindrical outer peripheral surface gripped by the workpiece gripping tool, the tooth surface to be processed is the wire electrode 93. Since it was not parallel to the feeding direction, such processing could not be performed.
For this reason, a user who uses a wire electric discharge machine equipped with the spindle 90 can perform machining like the gear 97 described above by simply adding a simple mechanism to the existing wire electric discharge machine. There was a request to do.

  An object of the present invention is to process a workpiece surface having an arbitrary angle including a surface parallel to the axis of the workpiece, such as a cylindrical shape, for example, a workpiece surface parallel to the axis of a spindle that grips the workpiece. Another object of the present invention is to provide a wire electrode feeding mechanism and a wire electric discharge machine capable of processing complicated fine parts such as gears.

  The wire electrode feeding mechanism in the wire electric discharge machine of the present invention is a wire electrode feeding mechanism in a wire electric discharge machine for causing a conductive wire electrode to travel in the longitudinal direction thereof and subjecting the workpiece to electric discharge machining. Wire electrode supply means for supplying to the processing area, wire electrode recovery means for recovering the wire electrode supplied from the wire electrode supply means from the processing area, and between the wire electrode supply means and the processing area by the wire electrode A first feeding means that is arranged and feeds the wire electrode to the wire electrode collecting means side, and is arranged between the wire electrode collecting means and the processing region, and the wire electrode is used as the wire electrode collecting means. A second feeding means for feeding, and at least one of the first feeding means and the second feeding means with respect to the other And it is provided to be paired mobile.

Here, for example, a rail member may be provided that fixes the first feeding means in a fixed position and guides the second feeding means to be movable along a linear rail. Or you may provide this rail in circular arc shape.
In such a configuration, since at least one of the first feeding means and the second feeding means is provided so as to move relative to the other, the workpiece is processed when the feeding means moves relative to each other. The feeding direction of the wire electrode in the machining area changes. That is, the delivery direction of the wire electrode changes in a direction that forms a predetermined angle with respect to that before the relative movement.

  According to this invention, the wire electrode feed mechanism changes the feed direction of the wire electrode in the machining region so as to be parallel to the surface to be machined at an arbitrary angle, so that the feed direction of the wire electrode as in the prior art is constant. More processing surfaces can be processed than in the case, and complex fine parts can be processed.

In the wire electrode feeding mechanism in the wire electric discharge machine of the present invention, the wire electrode feeding mechanism includes a rotating member which has a surface parallel to the feeding direction of the wire electrode and is rotatably arranged around an axis parallel to the normal direction of the surface. The first feeding means and the second feeding means are attached to the rotating member .

Here, the rotating member may be, for example, a longitudinal plate member, and the plane center portion of the plate member may be the rotation axis. The rotating member may have the first and second feeding means attached to two locations on the same plane with the rotation axis as the midpoint. Further, the rotating member may be configured to rotate with an electric motor so as to automatically change to a predetermined rotation angle.
In such a configuration, when the rotating member rotates, the feeding direction of the wire electrode changes in an arbitrary direction around the rotation axis.

  According to the present invention, the wire electrode feed mechanism is configured such that the wire electrode feed direction is set to an arbitrary direction around the rotation axis by a simple configuration of a rotary member attached with the first and second feed means and rotatable around the rotation axis. Can be easily changed. Therefore, the wire electrode feed mechanism can be simplified in configuration. Further, if the wire electrode feed mechanism of the present invention is additionally installed in a conventional wire electric discharge machine, the wire electrode feed mechanism can easily process a large number of surfaces to be processed, and can process complicated fine parts. can do.

In the wire electrode feeding mechanism in the wire electric discharge machine according to the present invention, the first feeding means and the second feeding means are substantially cylindrical and a wire guide groove is formed on the outer peripheral surface along the feeding direction of the wire electrode. .
In such a configuration, the wire electrode feed mechanism guides the wire electrode along the wire guide groove, and therefore prevents the wire electrode from being displaced in the axial direction of the first and second feed means. Therefore, the wire electrode feeding mechanism can maintain the feeding direction of the wire electrode at a fixed position, and can improve the processing accuracy.

In the wire electrode feeding mechanism in the wire electric discharge machine of the present invention, the first feeding means and the second feeding means include a substantially spherical upper member, a lower member having the same shape as the upper member, the upper member, and the A fixing bolt that fastens and fixes the lower member to the rotating member, and the upper member is formed of cemented carbide steel, and a shape in which a part of the sphere is cut off in two parallel planes at equal intervals from the center. A through hole having a central axis as a line connecting each center of the circular cross section formed by the two planes, the lower member is formed in the same shape as the upper member, and the fixing bolt is The upper member and the lower member are screwed and fixed to the rotating member, and the wire guide groove is a contact portion of the upper member and the lower member. According to each sphere in Is defined and formed Te, the second feeding means is formed on said first feeding means and the same shape.

In such a configuration, the wire electrode feed mechanism includes an upper member that contacts the wire electrode in the wire guide groove since the upper member and the lower member of the first and second feed means are formed of super hard steel. The contact surface of the lower member is smooth and the friction is small.
In the wire electrode feeding mechanism, since the upper member and the lower member are formed of a substantially spherical member, the wire electrode is guided by the spherical surfaces of the upper member and the lower member even if the wire electrode has a smaller radius of curvature than the conventional one. Has been.

According to this invention, the wire electrode feed mechanism can smoothly guide the wire electrode and suppress wear of the wire guide groove since the surface of the contact portion between the wire electrode and the wire guide groove is smooth and friction is small. 1. The life of the second feeding means can be extended.
In addition, the wire electrode feed mechanism can process a fine shape with a wire electrode having a smaller radius of curvature by guiding the wire electrode having a smaller radius of curvature than in the prior art.

In the wire electrode feed mechanism in the wire electric discharge machine of the present invention, the first feed means or the second feed means and the processing region are substantially closer to the workpiece than the first and second feed means. The third feeding unit includes a cylindrical third feeding unit, and the third feeding unit includes a substantially cylindrical member, the axial direction of the third feeding unit is arranged in parallel to the rotation axis of the rotating member, and the first feeding unit sends the first feeding unit. The wire electrode is guided and fed to the second feeding means, and a wire guiding groove is formed along the feeding direction of the wire electrode on the side surface of the cylindrical portion near the opposite end of the fixed side.
In such a configuration, during normal machining, the wire electrode feeding mechanism guides the wire electrode only by the first and second feeding means and performs electric discharge machining. However, when the workpiece is moved, when the substantially cylindrical portions of the first and second feeding means projecting to the workpiece side from the wire electrode interfere with the workpiece, the wire electrode feeding mechanism causes the wire electrode to move to the first electrode. Guide from the feeding means to the third feeding means and further to the second feeding means. Then, the wire electrode feeding mechanism rotates the rotating member and performs electric discharge machining so that the wire electrode in the machining area is guided in a predetermined direction. In this way, the movable range of the workpiece is widened. In this way, a more movable fine part can be processed by widening the movable range of the workpiece.

  In the wire electrode feeding mechanism in the wire electric discharge machine of the present invention, it is preferable that the third feeding means has a shape in which a portion where the wire guide groove does not contact the wire electrode is removed.
  With such a configuration, the range in which the workpiece moves and interferes with the third feeding means can be reduced, and the spatial freedom during movement of the workpiece is improved.

The wire electric discharge machine of the present invention is a wire electric discharge machine for electric discharge machining of a workpiece, and holds the workpiece with respect to the wire electrode feed mechanism and the wire electrode fed by the wire electrode feed mechanism in a three-dimensional direction. It is characterized by comprising a work holding mechanism to be moved and an electric part.
Here, the wire electric discharge machine preferably includes a spindle that holds the workpiece rotatably in the axial direction.
According to this invention, it is possible to provide a wire electric discharge machine that exhibits the same effects as described above.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)
In the first embodiment, the basic configuration of a wire electric discharge machine (wire electrode supply means, wire electrode recovery means, first feed means, and (Second feeding means) will be described.
FIG. 1 is a front view of the main part of the wire electric discharge machine 1 of the first embodiment.

  The wire electric discharge machine 1 holds a workpiece W movably in a three-dimensional direction with respect to a wire electrode feed mechanism 4 and a wire electrode 2 guided and supported by the wire electrode feed mechanism 4, and the rotation axis P is a center The spindle 3 is configured as a workpiece holding mechanism that rotates the workpiece W, and an electric unit (not shown) that generates a discharge by applying a potential difference between the workpiece W and the wire electrode 2.

The wire electrode feeding mechanism 4 is provided at a position where the workpiece W is sandwiched between the spindle 3 and the workpiece W on a base (not shown). The wire electrode feed mechanism 4 includes a wire electrode supply unit 41 that supplies the wire electrode 2 to the processing region, a wire electrode recovery unit 42 that recovers the wire electrode 2 from the processing region, and the wire electrode 2 is linearly formed in the processing region. It comprises a feed direction varying means 5 for guiding and supporting.
The wire electrode supply means 41 includes an electrode supply reel 43 and an electrode supply guide 44 arranged above the processing area. The electrode supply guide 44 guides the wire electrode 2 delivered from the electrode supply reel 43. Supplying to the processing area.
The wire electrode recovery means 42 includes an electrode recovery reel 45 and an electrode recovery guide 46 arranged below the processing area, and the electrode recovery guide 46 guides the wire electrode 2 sent from the processing area, thereby recovering the electrode. The reel 45 is wound and collected.

  The feed direction varying means 5 includes a rotary member 6 having a rectangular surface parallel to the feed direction of the wire electrode 2, and first feed means 7A disposed in two longitudinal directions on the surface of the rotary member 6 and Second feeding means 7B.

2 and 3 are a front view and a side view of the feed direction varying means 5.
The rotating member 6 is supported on a base (not shown) via a support bolt 61 so as to be rotatable about the rotation axis S. The rotation axis S of the rotation member 6 is located at the midpoint between the first and second feeding means 7A and 7B, and is arranged so as to be parallel to the direction orthogonal to the rotation axis P of the spindle 3. .

The first feeding means 7A is substantially cylindrical and has a wire guide groove 74A formed in the circumferential direction. The first feeding means 7A includes a substantially spherical upper member 71A, a lower member 72A having the same shape as the upper member 71A, and a fixing bolt 73A for fastening and fixing the upper member 71A and the lower member 72A to the rotating member 6. Has been.
The upper member 71A is formed of cemented carbide steel and has a shape in which a spherical material is cut from two parallel planes at equal intervals from the center. The upper member 71A has a through hole 75A passing through the centers of the two cut circular sections. In the present embodiment, the radius of the through hole 75A is set to 1 / √2 times the spherical radius of the upper member 71A.
The lower member 72A has the same shape as the upper member 71A, and a through hole 76A is formed in the same manner.

The fixing bolt 73A is inserted through the through holes 75A and 76A in the order of the upper member 71A and the lower member 72A, and is screwed into the rotating member 6.
The wire guide groove 74A is defined by the respective spherical surfaces at the contact portions of the upper member 71A and the lower member 72A.
The second feeding means 7B is formed in the same shape as the first feeding means 7A, and includes an upper member 71B, a lower member 72B, and a fixing bolt 73B, and a wire guide groove 74B is formed.

  The wire electrode 2 is an electrode that is formed of a wire-like and conductive material, and that processes the workpiece W into a predetermined shape by electric discharge generated between the wire electrode 2 and the workpiece W. As shown in FIG. 1, the wire electrode 2 is hung counterclockwise with respect to the first feeding means 7A and hung clockwise with respect to the second feeding means 7B. Thus, the wire electrode 2 is guided so as to be linear in the processing region of the workpiece W.

The spindle 3 is provided on a base (not shown) of the wire electric discharge machine 1, and supports the workpiece W so as to be movable in a three-dimensional direction in which the rotation axis P of the spindle 3 is the X-axis direction. Further, the spindle 3 supports the workpiece W by rotating the workpiece W around the P axis so that the work surface of the workpiece W forms a predetermined angle with respect to the feeding direction of the wire electrode 2.
The spindle 3 is in a three-dimensional direction with respect to a workpiece gripper 31 that grips the workpiece W at one end, a drive motor (not shown) as a rotational drive source around the P-axis at the base end, and a base (not shown). And a moving means for moving to.

  The electrical unit electrically connects a power supply circuit (not shown) that generates a voltage that generates a discharge between the wire electrode 2 and the work W, the power supply circuit and the work W, and the power supply circuit and the wire electrode 2. Wiring (not shown) is provided.

Here, the guide support method of the wire electrode 2 is demonstrated.
As shown in FIG. 1, the wire electrode 2 is fed out linearly from the electrode supply reel 43 toward the electrode supply guide 44. The wire electrode 2 is guided from the electrode supply guide 44 in the order of the first feeding means 7A, the second feeding means 7B, and the electrode collection guide 46, and is stretched linearly between the guides. It is wound up.

Next, a contact portion between the wire electrode 2 and the first and second feeding means 7A and 7B will be described.
FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. The wire electrode 2 is guided in the wire guide groove 74B of the second feeding means 7B. Here, the wire electrode 2 is in contact with a part on the spherical surface of the upper member 71B forming the wire guide groove 74B and a part on the spherical surface of the lower member 72B. At this time, the upper member 71B and the lower member with respect to the diameter of the wire electrode 2 so that the lines connecting the contact portions of the upper member 71B and the lower member 72B from the center of the wire electrode 2 intersect each other at 90 degrees. A radius of 72B is set.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the rotation variable range of the feed direction varying means 5. Here, θ represents an angle (degree) formed by the rotation axis P of the spindle 3 and the feeding direction of the wire electrode 2. FIG. 5A shows a state where the rotational position of the rotating member 6 and the wire electrode 2 are guided to the first and second feeding means 7A and 7B when 90 <θ <180. Similarly, FIGS. 5B, 5 </ b> C, and 5 </ b> D respectively show the case of θ = 90, the case of 0 <θ <90, and the case of θ = 0. Therefore, the feed direction varying means 5 is configured to be able to change the feed direction of the wire electrode 2 stretched linearly through the machining region at any angle.

Here, the processing method by the wire electric discharge machine 1 of this embodiment is demonstrated.
For example, when processing a tooth surface of a gear such as a bevel gear or a helical gear, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, first, the feeding direction of the wire electrode 2 is set to the tooth angle of the tooth surface that is the processing surface. The feed direction variable means 5 is set to rotate so that Then, the processed part of the workpiece W (WA, WB) installed on the spindle 3 is brought close to the wire electrode 2. Furthermore, a predetermined voltage is applied to the workpiece W and the wire electrode 2, the workpiece W is processed by a discharge between the workpiece W and the wire electrode 2, and a tooth surface is formed.

  Further, when the shaft portion is machined integrally with the gear, the feed direction variable means 5 is set to rotate so that the feed direction of the wire electrode 2 is orthogonal to the rotation axis P of the spindle 3, as in the conventional case. Machining the gear shaft.

According to 1st Embodiment provided with such a structure, the following effect is acquired.
(1) In the wire electrode feed mechanism 4, the feed direction variable means 5 is provided to be rotatable around the rotation axis S, so that the feed direction of the wire electrode 2 in the processing region can be set to an arbitrary direction. Therefore, the wire electrode feeding mechanism 4 can set the feeding direction of the wire electrode 2 to be parallel to the surface to be processed having an arbitrary angle. Therefore, the wire electrode feeding mechanism 4 can easily process a surface to be processed having an arbitrary angle including a surface parallel to the rotation axis P of the spindle 3.

(2) In the wire electrode feeding mechanism 4, the feeding direction variable means 5 is provided to be rotatable around the rotation axis S, so that the feeding direction of the wire electrode 2 in the processing region can be set to an arbitrary direction. Therefore, if the feeding direction of the wire electrode 2 is set to a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis P of the spindle 3, the small-diameter portion 95 can be machined into the cylindrical member as in the prior art, and the shaft portion such as a gear with a shaft can be formed. Can be processed. Therefore, there is no need to separately process the shaft portion of the shaft-equipped gear with a lathe and the like, and the shaft-equipped gear including the shaft portion can be processed by one wire electric discharge machine 1, thereby reducing the number of manufacturing steps. The effect of reducing the manufacturing cost can be obtained.

(3) Since the wire electrode feed mechanism 4 guides the wire electrode 2 along the wire guide grooves 74A and 74B, the wire electrode 2 is displaced in the axial direction of the first and second feed means 7A and 7B. Blocking. Therefore, the wire electrode feeding mechanism 4 can maintain the feeding direction of the wire electrode 2 at a fixed position, and can improve the processing accuracy.

(4) Since the wire electrode feed mechanism 4 has the upper member 71A and the lower member 72A of the first feed means 7A formed of super hard steel, the surface of the contact portion that contacts the wire electrode 2 in the wire guide groove 74A Smooth and can reduce friction. Therefore, the wire electrode feeding mechanism 4 can smoothly guide the wire electrode 2 and suppress the wear of the wire guide groove 74A, thereby extending the life of the first feeding means 7A. Since the second feeding means 7B has the same shape as the first feeding means 7A, the same effect can be obtained.

(5) In the wire electrode feeding mechanism 4, since the upper member 71A and the lower member 72A are formed by substantially spherical members, the upper member 71A and the lower member 72A even if the wire electrode 2 has a smaller radius of curvature than the conventional one. The wire electrode 2 can be guided by each spherical surface. Therefore, a fine shape can be processed by the wire electrode 2 having a small curvature radius. Since the second feeding means 7B has the same shape as the first feeding means 7A, the same effect can be obtained.

(6) Since the wire electrode feed mechanism 4 is formed by using the substantially spherical members for the upper member 71A and the lower member 72A of the first feed means 7A, the wire electrode 2 has a wire guide groove as shown in FIG. Lines that are in contact with two locations on the spherical surface of 74A and connect the respective contact portions and the central axis of the wire electrode 2 always intersect at 90 degrees. Therefore, even if the wire electrode 2 is guided and supported by the first feeding means 7A, the cross section can be prevented from being deformed. Therefore, electric discharge machining can be performed with the wire electrode 2 in an optimum state. Since the second feeding means 7B has the same shape as the first feeding means 7A, the same effect can be obtained.

(7) The same effect as that of the wire electric discharge machine 1 in the present embodiment can be obtained only by adding the feed direction changing means 5 of the present embodiment to the wire electric discharge machine having the existing spindle.

(8) The wire electrode feed mechanism 4 changes the feed direction of the wire electrode 2 in the machining area to an arbitrary direction, and moves the spindle 3 holding the workpiece W in the three-dimensional direction and rotates it around the rotation axis P. Thus, machining with an involute curve by the NC program can be performed.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment as a reference example that is not included in the present invention but can be used as a basic configuration of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The basic configuration of the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, but in the first embodiment, the first and second feeding means 7A, 7B are wire electrode feeds formed of substantially spherical hardened steel. In contrast to the mechanism 4, the second embodiment is characterized in that the first and second feeding means 8A and 8B are wire electric discharge machines 1 formed of substantially cylindrical members.

  In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, when machining a spur gear with a shaft, the rotating member 6 is rotated so that the wire electrode 2 is parallel to the tooth surface of the spur gear, so that the workpiece WC is a wire electrode. When approaching 2, the shaft portion of the workpiece WC (hatched portion A in FIG. 8) interferes with the first feeding means 7A, and the workpiece WC cannot be machined. That is, in the first feeding means 7A, the upper member 71A protrudes from the wire guide groove 74A on the opposite side of the wire guide groove 74A, so that the workpiece WC cannot move to a position where it interferes with the upper member 71A.

Therefore, in the second embodiment, in order to solve the above-described problem, the wire electrode feeding mechanism 4 includes first and second feeding means 8A and 8B formed by substantially cylindrical members. That is, as shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the first and second feeding means 8A and 8B are constituted by substantially cylindrical members having through holes 84A and 84B in the axial direction, and are rotated by fixing bolts 82A and 82B. 6 is fastened and fixed.
Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the second feeding means 8B has a wire guide groove 83B having a predetermined length on the entire circumference on the side surface of the cylindrical portion at a predetermined length from the non-fixed side end. . The wire guide groove 83B is cut and formed in a V shape in cross section, and is configured such that the lines connecting the contact portions of the wire guide groove 83B from the center of the wire electrode 2 intersect at 90 degrees. Further, the first feeding means 8A is formed in the same manner as the second feeding means 8B.

  In this way, the wire guide grooves 83A and 83B are formed on the side surface of the cylindrical portion close to the opposite end of the substantially cylindrical member of the first and second feeding means 8A and 8B, and the wire guide grooves 83A and 83B are anti-fixed. The amount by which the first and second feeding means 8A and 8B partially protrude to the side is reduced.

According to the second embodiment, in addition to the effects (1), (2), (3), (7), and (8), the following effects can be obtained.
(9) The first and second feeding means 8A and 8B are formed with the wire guide grooves 83A and 83B so that the amount of the first and second feeding means 8A and 8B partially protruding from the wire guide grooves 83A and 83B to the non-fixing side is small. Therefore, the range in which the workpiece WC moves and interferes with the first and second feeding means 8A and 8B is reduced, and the spatial freedom during movement of the workpiece WC is improved, so that more complicated fine parts can be processed. it can.

(Third embodiment)
Next, 3rd Embodiment of this invention is described based on drawing.
The basic configuration of the third embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, but in the third embodiment, a wire electric discharge machine in which third feed means 8 is provided on the spindle 3 side of the feed direction varying means 5. It is characterized in that it is 1.

  In the second embodiment, the wire electrode feed mechanism 4 is formed so that the first and second feed means 8A and 8B partially protrude beyond the wire guide grooves 83A and 83B on the side opposite to the fixed side. However, in order to cut and form the wire guide grooves 83A and 83B on the side surfaces of the substantially cylindrical member, the first and second feeding means 8A and 8B are made of a material having a hardness lower than that of cemented carbide steel. Therefore, the wire electrode feeding mechanism 4 has a problem that the friction of the contact portion with the wire electrode 2 is increased. Further, an R-shaped portion is formed at the bottom of the V-shaped cross section of the wire guide grooves 83A and 83B. Therefore, when the radius of the wire electrode 2 is smaller than the radius of the R-shaped portion, the contact portion is concentrated on one portion, so that there is also a problem that the first and second feeding means 8A and 8B are worn quickly. .

  Therefore, in the third embodiment, in order to solve the above-described problem, as shown in FIG. 12, the first and second feeding means 7A, which are the same as in the first embodiment, have a small frictional force at the contact portion and a long life. A wire electrode feed mechanism 4 having a feed direction varying means 5 provided with 7B and a third feed means 8 having a small amount protruding partially from the wire guide groove 83 to the non-fixing side is the same as in the second embodiment. ing.

That is, the third feeding means 8 is fixed to a base (not shown) so that the axial direction is parallel to the rotational axis S of the rotating member 6. The wire electrode 2 is guided in the order of the first feeding means 7A, the third feeding means 8, and the second feeding means 7B.
As shown in FIG. 13, the third feeding means 8 has, for example, a wire guide groove 83 with a width of 30 μm (dimension LB) on the entire circumference on the side surface of the cylindrical portion of 50 μm (dimension LA) from the end on the opposite side. Is formed.

  The third feeding means 8 has a shape in which a portion where the wire guide groove 83 does not contact the wire electrode 2 is removed. As a result, the range in which the workpiece moves and interferes with the third feeding means 8 can be reduced, and the degree of spatial freedom when moving the workpiece is improved.

Here, the processing method by the wire electric discharge machine 1 of this embodiment is demonstrated.
During normal machining, the wire electrode feed mechanism 4 guides the wire electrode 2 only by the first and second feed means 7A and 7B and performs electric discharge machining. However, when the workpiece WD is moved, when the substantially cylindrical portions of the first and second feeding means 7A and 7B protruding from the wire electrode 2 to the workpiece WD interfere with the workpiece WD, the wire electrode feeding mechanism As shown in FIG. 14, No. 4 guides the wire electrode 2 from the first feeding means 7A to the third feeding means 8 and further to the second feeding means 7B. Then, the wire electrode feed mechanism 4 rotates the rotating member 6 so that the wire electrode 2 in the processing area is guided in a predetermined direction. Then, the workpiece WD is brought close to the wire electrode 2 to perform electric discharge machining.

According to such 3rd Embodiment, in addition to said effect (1) to (8), the following effects are acquired.
(10) During normal machining, the wire electrode 2 is guided only by the first and second feeding means 7A and 7B, and the substantially cylindrical portions of the first and second feeding means 7A and 7B interfere with the workpiece WD. In this case, the movable range of the workpiece WD can be widened by guiding the wire electrode 2 using the third feeding means 8. Therefore, the wire electrode feed mechanism 4 can process more complicated fine parts.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and modifications, improvements, and the like within the scope that can achieve the object of the present invention are included in the present invention.
For example, in each of the above embodiments, the rotating member is rotated so that the wire electrode feed direction is parallel to the surface to be processed. This rotating operation is automated to provide an automatic positioning device for the rotation angle. Also good.
In each of the above-described embodiments, the wire electric discharge machine 1 including a spindle that rotates and holds a workpiece as a workpiece holding mechanism has been described. However, instead of the spindle, a wire including a table that can move the workpiece in a three-dimensional direction. An electric discharge machine may be used.

In addition, the best configuration, method and the like for carrying out the present invention have been disclosed above, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the invention has been illustrated and described with particular reference to certain specific embodiments, but without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, Various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art in terms of material, quantity, and other detailed configurations.
Therefore, the description limited to the shape, material, etc. disclosed above is an example for easy understanding of the present invention, and does not limit the present invention. The description by the name of the member which remove | excluded the limitation of one part or all of such is included in this invention.

  The present invention can be used for a wire electric discharge machine.

The figure which shows the principal part of 1st Embodiment which concerns on the wire electric discharge machine used as the fundamental structure of this invention. The front view of the feed direction variable means of embodiment same as the above. The side view of the feed direction variable means of embodiment same as the above. Sectional drawing of the feed direction variable means of embodiment same as the above. The figure explaining the rotation variable range of the feed direction variable means of embodiment same as the above. The front view explaining the processing method (bevel gear) of embodiment same as the above. The front view explaining the processing method (helical gear) of embodiment same as the above. The figure explaining the interference with the feed direction variable means and workpiece | work of embodiment same as the above. The front view of the feed direction variable means of 2nd Embodiment as a reference example which is not contained in this invention but can be utilized as a basic composition of this invention . The side view of the feed direction variable means of embodiment same as the above. Sectional drawing of the feed direction variable means of embodiment same as the above. The front view of the feed direction variable means of 3rd Embodiment which is embodiment of this invention. The perspective view of the 3rd feed means of the feed direction variable means of embodiment same as the above. The front view explaining the processing method (spur gear) of embodiment same as the above. The perspective view which shows the process area | region of the conventional wire electric discharge machine.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Wire electric discharge machine 2 ... Wire electrode 3 ... Spindle (work holding mechanism)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 4 ... Wire electrode feed mechanism 6 ... Rotating member 7A, 7B ... 1st, 2nd feed means 8 ... 3rd feed means 8A, 8B ... 1st, 2nd feed means 41 ... Wire electrode supply means 42 ... Wire electrode collection | recovery means 71A, 71B ... Upper member 72A, 72B ... Lower member 73A, 73B ... Fixing bolt 74A, 74B ... Wire guide groove 75A, 75B ... Through hole 76A, 76B ... Through hole 81A, 81B ... Substantially cylindrical member 82A, 82B ... Fixing bolt 83, 83A, 83B ... Wire guide groove 84A, 84B ... Through hole W (WA, WB, WC, WD) ... Workpiece

Claims (3)

A wire electrode feeding mechanism in a wire electric discharge machine for causing a conductive wire electrode to run in the longitudinal direction and electric discharge machining a workpiece,
Wire electrode supply means for supplying the wire electrode to the processing region;
Wire electrode recovery means for recovering the wire electrode supplied from the wire electrode supply means from the processing region;
A first feeding means that is disposed between the wire electrode supply means and a processing region by the wire electrode and feeds the wire electrode to the wire electrode recovery means side;
A second feeding means disposed between the wire electrode collecting means and the processing region and feeding the wire electrode to the wire electrode collecting means;
At least one of the first feeding means and the second feeding means is provided to be movable relative to the other;
Wherein a direction parallel to the plane feed of the wire electrode, comprising a rotary member which is rotatably disposed about an axis parallel to the normal direction of the surface,
The first feeding means and the second feeding means are attached to the rotating member ,
Said first feeding means and said second feeding means, said has wire guiding grooves along the feeding direction of the wire electrode is formed on an outer peripheral surface in a substantially cylindrical shape,
It said first feeding means and said second feeding means comprises an upper member substantially spherical, and the lower member of the upper member and the same shape, and a fixing bolt for fastening and fixing said upper member and said lower member to said rotary member Prepared,
The upper member is formed of cemented carbide steel, has a shape in which a part of a sphere is cut off at two parallel planes at equal intervals from the center, and connects each center of a circular cross section formed by the two planes. A through-hole with a line as the central axis is formed,
The lower member is formed in the same shape as the upper member,
The fixing bolt is inserted through the through holes in order of the upper member and the lower member, and the upper member and the lower member are screwed and fixed to the rotating member,
The wire guide groove is defined by a respective spherical surface in the contact portion of the upper member and the lower member,
The second feeding means is formed in the same shape as the first feeding means ,
Between the first feeding means or the second feeding means and the machining region, a third feeding means having a substantially cylindrical shape is provided on the workpiece side with respect to the first and second feeding means,
The third feeding means has a substantially cylindrical member, and the axial direction is arranged parallel to the rotation axis of the rotating member, and the second feeding means guides the wire electrode fed from the first feeding means. The wire electrode feed mechanism in the wire electric discharge machine is characterized in that a wire guide groove is formed along the feed direction of the wire electrode on the side surface of the cylindrical portion near the end on the side opposite to the fixed side.   The wire electrode feed mechanism according to claim 1,
  The third feeding means has a shape in which a portion where the wire guide groove does not contact the wire electrode is removed.
  A wire electrode feed mechanism in a wire electric discharge machine. A wire electric discharge machine for electric discharge machining a workpiece,
A wire electrode feeding mechanism according to claim 1 or 2 , a workpiece holding mechanism for holding a workpiece against the wire electrode fed by the wire electrode feeding mechanism and moving the workpiece in a three-dimensional direction, and an electrical unit. A wire electric discharge machine characterized by that.

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