US2076865A - Manually controlled copying machine - Google Patents

Description

April 13, 1937:

,M. ROMAINE MANUALLY CONTROLLED COPYING MACHINE Filed Dec. 28, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Muflflp/Pammf BY I ATTORNEY.

April 13, 1937. o N 2,076,865

MANUALLY CONTROLLED COPY ING MACHINE Filed Dec. 28, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 6" INVENTOR. Mzzzzafiamw:

ATTORNEY.

Patented A r, 13, 1937 2,076,865

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MANUALLY CONTROLLED COPYIN MACHINE Millard Romaine, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to v The Cincinnati Milling Machine 00., Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application December 28, 1935, Serial No. 56,579 12 Claims. (Cl. 90-62) This invention relates to machine tools and The tracer in this machine is merely a rigid more particularly to improvements in copying member depending from the slide and having a machines of the non-automatic type. suitably shaped end of equal diameter to the One of the main objects of this invention is cutter for engaging the pattern, and by means to provide an improved form of piloting means of manual controls the end of the traceris kept 5 for machines of the character described. in engagement with the pattern during relative Another object of this invention is to provide traversing movement between the slides, whereby improvements in machines of the character de a surface is produced by the cutter having a geoscribed which will improve the accuracy of remetrical outline which is congruent to tlie outproduction thereof. line of the pattern. 10

A further object of this invention is to km The disadvantages of this type of machine are prove the construction and operation of such that-the tracer must beheld with considerable machines so as to reduce the eflort on the part pressure against he pattern in order that the of the operator. cutter may be held to the work, which necessi- An additional object of this invention is to tated the use of metal patterns; the cutting force 15 improve the construction and operation of mah s to e ppli y the perator; and a mechines ol' the character described so that mechanical advantage means of any real efi'ective chanical advantage mean may b utilized betype cannot be used because the operator has to tween the manual controls and the parts p o a certain extent. p his se c ntr lled th r by which will reduce th effort touch in order to determine if the tracer was in on the part of the operator withoutloss of rep p C t wi h th p ternodueti accuracy, In-a non-automatic type of machine, such as A still iurther object of this invention is to t is it will be ev d nt hat t tra r. patt rn.

improve the construction and control of copying and the efiect Produced by the tWQl-IPOH the 95 machi s of the on-automatic, ty whereby sense of touch of the operator, constitute a pilot- 5 lighter pressures betweenthe tracer and pating means which is utilized and interpreted by the t r r d ed possibIe so that th r th operator to guidethe tool over a desired path. metal patterns may be utilized in such machines. In Other o there is d t ection be- Other objects and advantages of the present tween the P g means and the controls invention should be readily apparent by whereby one automatically controls the other. 30 reference to the following specification, com The term pilo g means is thus used in sidered in conjunction with the accompanying this specification in the sense of a means for dedrawings forming a part thereof and it is to be termining e tOOIS p sition; the u se or understood that any modifications may be made courses over which the tool is to be moved; and

in the exact structural details there shown and when a change in course should be made so that described, within the scope of the appended the summation of all the courses represented by claims, without departing from or exceeding the the completed path of the tool will produce a spirit of the invention. finished outline whichis congruent to the out- Referring to the drawings in which like e Scanned y e a reference numerals indicate like or similar parts: n his invention t e mach ne s provided with 40 Figure 1 isa front elevation of a machine tool an improv d form of pilotin m a s which makes embodying the principles of this invention. possible other improvements in the machine with Figure 2 is a vertical section through the tracer the net result that the labor of operat n the head. machine is materially reduced; that precision ac- Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2. curacy may be obtained; that patterns of softer 45 Figure 4 is a diagram of the electrical control material than metal can be utilized; and'that a circuit. saving in time per piece may be effected. Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Figure 3. In Fi 1 ,i an mpla y; embodiment of Figure 6 is a' diagram of the operating and the machine, the principal'elements of which control circuit of the machine. comprise a base or bed III; a table it recipro- 5o In a conventional form of copying machine cably mounted on guideways I2.fo'rmed on the of the non-automatic type known inthe art as a bed; and a portion l3 upstanding from the bed profiling machine, a first slide' is-p'rovided which and having guideways ll upon which is reciproe carries a'tool and tracer, and asecond slide is cably mounted a horizontally movable ram Ii. provided which carries" the work and pattern.' 'Aspindle carrierjli is-vertically'guided inthe 55 forward endof the ram l5 for up and down movement and this carrier has a tool spindle |1 journaled therein for rotating a tool or cutter I8.

A bracket I9 is attached to the side of the car- 5 rier l6 and has a horizontal extending dovetail guideway 20 for receiving and supporting a slide 2|. This slide supports a second slide 22 for adjustment in a horizontal direction at right angles to the direction of movementof the slide 2|;-

The slide 22 supports a piloting means indicated generally by the reference numeral 23. I

Referring now to Figures 2 and 3, the piloting means includes a tracer head 24 having a vertical axis 25 which is parallel to the vertical axis of the cutter spindle and these axes normally lie in a vertical 'plane which is parallel to the depression 3| which engages a ball 32, the ball resting in a comically-shaped depression 33 formed in the upper end of a tracer arm 34. The tracer arm has a spherically-shaped portion 35 by which it is supported in the end 36 of the tracer head for universal movement. A tracer or stylus 31 is integrally attached to the lower end of the tracer arm for engagement with the pattern. From the foregoing it will be noted that the tracer is supported for lateral movement or deflection and that the spring 30 acting through the vertical plunger 21 and the ball 32 act to normally maintain the tracer in a vertical position, that is, with its axis parallel to the cutter spindle axis. The tracer head has indicating means associated therewith which signalto the operator the manner in which he should operate the controls or the machine, and this indicating means 15 is operated by the tracer and therefore it is necessary that the tracer be supported for movement by the pattern so that a motivating agent may be provided. It is contemplated in the normal operation of'this machine that throughout the cutting operation the tracer shall be deflected a predetermined amount and a signal provided to indicate when the tracer is deflected this predetermined amount, as well as other signals to indicate when this amount is exceeded or diinih ished so that the operator is enabled, with the assistance oi! these signals, to maintain the tracer always deflected this predetermined amount and thus be able to produce awork piece which is an exact duplicate of the pattern.

As previously mentioned, prior machines had a tracer which was equal in diameter to the diameter of the cutter for duplicating operations, but in the machine of this invention, since it is necessary to have the tracer'deflectible, a correction is necessary and the tracer portion which contacts the pattern should be larger in radius than the cutter by an amount equal to the afore mentioned predetermined deflection. The pattem and work piece must still be set up on the machine in the manner previously described.

' Due to the conical depressions in opposing ends of'members 21 and 34, the intervening ball 32,

- and the spring 30 which always maintains these parts in contact, it will be evident that ,when the portion 35 is resting upon the support 35 and the ticularly shown in Figure 5.

tracer is deflected that the upper end of the tracer arm will move relative to the axis oi. the plunger 21 and roll the ball 32 on the conical depressions to cause upward movement of plunger 21. On the other hand, if the tracer 31 is moved axially so as to raise the portion 35 ofi of the seat 36 the same effect will be produced on plunger 21. The movement of the plunger 21 is utilized as the motivating agent for actuating the signal mechanism.

This mechanism comprises a cross 'arm 38 mounted on a reduced portion 39 of the upper end of the plunger and held in place by the member 49 threaded on the end of the plunger. A pair of switching members 4| and 42 are pivotally supported in the tracer'head, as more par- The supporting means comprises a fixed conical point 43 engaging one side of the member and an adjustable conical point 44 engaging the other side of the member, whereby an exact fit may be obtained for free movement without lost motion. The member 4| is likewise supported on a flxed conical point 45, and an adjustable-conical point 46. springs 41 and 48 are interposedbetween a fixed member 49 and the members 42 and 4| for constantly urging the members in an upward direction to close the circuits controlled by each.

The switching member 42 has a flexible lead 55 connected to the contact 5| carried by the mem: ber 42, which is adapted to engage a contact 52 carried by, but insulated from, the member 49.

- The contact 52 has a flexible lead 53 electrically connected thereto. As shown in Figure 4, the lead 53 may be connected to a power main 54 and the lead 50 may be connected to a light 55. In order to complete the circuit, an additional line 56 connects the light to a second power main 51. Thus, when the switching member 42 is raised by the spring 48 the circuit is closed and the light 55 will be turned on.

The switching member 4| is similarly constructed and has a flexible lead 58 connected thereto, leading to'light 59 and the other terminal of the light is connected. by -a line 50 to the power main 51. The member 49 carries a second contact member 5| insulated therefrom and connected by a' lead 62 to power main 54. The contact members 52 and 5| are threaded in sleeves to permit vertical adjustment thereof, and lock nuts 53 are provided for securing them in adjusted position.

It will be noted from Figure 2'-that the cross bar 39 engages the upper side of the switching members 4| and 42 and when the tracer is held in an undeflected position by the spring 39, the plunger 21 is in its lowermost position, and .in

this position the cross bar holds the switching,

the member 21, caused by defl tion of thetracer,

the switching member 42 will close its circuit before the switching member 4| closes its circuit. The amount of movement that the member 21 has, after permitting the switching member 42 to close its, circuit and when it permits. the

switching member 4| to close its circuit, corresponds to the permissible variation of the tracer in its predetermined deflected position. In other words, when the tracer'is out 01. contact with the r sumcient amount to permit the switching member ,42 to close its circuit, the light 55, which is a white light, is illuminated as a signal to the operator that the tracer is deflected the desired working amount. Within permissible variations, depending upon the precision limitsof accuracy andthereby the setting of the contact member 6|, the tracer may be/defiected a slight additional amount without changing the signal lights. When this permissibl'e variable has been exceeded, however, the switching member 4| will close its circuit, which will illuminate light 59 which is a red light, and thus signal to the operator that the amount of tracer defiectionhas been exceeded and that adjustments should be made to reduce the amount of tracer deflection.

In addition to the lights, an indicator 64 is mounted in the tracer head and has a spring pressed plunger 65 adapted to engage the member 40 whereby upward movement of the plunger.

, 2'! will cause rotation of the indicator pointer I56- in a clockwise direction. The 'dial may be suitably graduated micrometrically f in thousandths of an inch or less and a zero graduation 67 provided to indicate when the tracerhas the predetermined desired amount of deflection, whereby variations from this predetermined amount, either above or below, may be read on the dial.

5 As an example, the pointer 60 may take up a position five points or rhumbs counterclockwise from the zero point 61 when the tracer is undefiected and as the tracer is deflected by engagement with the pattern, the pointer 66 may move three rhumbs clockwise before the white light is illuminated. The pointer 66 may not only be movable over two rhumbs counterclockwise from the zero point but also two' rhumbs clockwise from the zero point, wliile the white light is illuminated and before the red light is illuminated. If the tracer is deflected an excessive amount beyond this range, then the red light is illuminated, and as a further signal to the operator an audible signal in the form of an electrical buzzer or bell 68 may be connectedin series with a lightv 59, as shown in the diagram' of Figure 4, to insure that the operator does not overrun the desired outline. Thus, the pointer may be movable over a certain range, the limits of .which represent the plus and minus limits of accuracy within which the pattern is to be reproduced and the white light alone is a signal to the operator that he is staying within those limits and therefore indicates that the deflection of the tracer is coarsely adjusted somewhere between these safe limits and the pointer. indicates the exact or fine adjustment of the tracer de- 75 controls may now be connected to the parts to be moved through the medium of any desired type k of power amplifying or' mechanical advantage mechanism. Advantage is taken of this situation to provide such a-mechanism which is of such a nature that it will relieve the burden on the oper- 5 ator of providing the cutting force which was necessary in prior machines, as previously described. a

A manual control in the form of a hand wheel 69 is provided on the front of the bed It and op- 10 eratively connected for movement of the table II; and a second hand wheel 10 is supported on the front of the bed It and operatively connected for moving the ram I5 toward and from the front of the machine, or in other words, transversely over 15 the table II. In addition, a pair of hand wheels H and I2 are supported on the vertical slide I0 and operatively connected for causing vertical movement of the slide, the two hand wheels being connected to the same mechanism. The pur- 20 pose of providing two hand wheels is merely for convenience of operating the machine from diiferent stations.

Each of these hand wheels may be connected for operation of its respective slide through the 25 -medium of a servo-motor mechanism which may be of any conventional form and the particular form utilized does not constitute a part of this and is controlled-by a servo-valve mechanism indicated generally by the reference numeralfit. The servo-valve is operated by a sprocket wheel 40 15, which is operatively connected through suitable means to the hand wheeltQ whereby rotation of the hand wheel will shift the servo-valve out of a stop position and a feed back rod 76 will reposition the valve to a stop position. 45

The ram It is moved by a piston and cylinder mechanism, indicated generally by the reference numeral ii, and a servo-valve mechanism, indicated generally by the reference numeral it, is utilized to control the fiqw to said cylinder. The

50 servo-valve is operated by a sprocket wheel l9 operatively connected through suitable means to the hand wheel iii to initiate flow to one end or the other of the cylinder and a feed back rod 30 serves to reposition the valve to-a stop position.

The vertical slide it is moved by a piston and cylinder mechanism, indicated generally by the reference numeral M, the piston in this case being stationary and the cylinder being the movable member. The cylinder is connected to a servo- 60 valve mechanism, indicated generally by the reference numeral 8 i, and the valve is operated by a bevel gear 83 operatively connected to the hand wheelsiZ and "ii.

F'luid pressure may be supplied to these servomotor mechanisms from a suitable source of pressure, such as the series of pumps M, d5, 8E and ill, operated by prime movers 88 and d9.

For profiling operations in which the pattern and work lie, for instance, in a horizontal plane on the table, the vertical slide is moved downward by means of either hand wheel H or 712 until the tracer and cutter are in such a position that a relative lateral movement. between the cutter and work will efiect interen'gagenient thereof and then the hand wheels." and 10 are manipulated in accordance with the signals from the piloting means to maintain the tracer in contact with .the pattern and at the desired amount of deflection while the cutter is traversed around the work piece.

In addition to simple profiling operations, as

just described, the machine may also be utilized for die-sinking operations, in which case, after the tracer has been engaged with the pattern the hand wheel I2, for instance, and the hand wheel 59 are manipulated in such a fashion that the cutter is moved up and down during traversing movement of the table II. venient and time-saving to traverse the pattern transversely of the table I l, the table may be left stationary and the hand wheel 10 manipulated in conjunction with the hand wheel I l, whereby the plane of the cut will lie crosswise of the table. In some metal removing operations the surface to be produced is a plane surface requiring, for instance, merely the setting of the cutter to depth after which one or more of the slides II and I5 are manipulated to effect the cut. If the cut begins at a shoulder on the pattern or ends at a shoulder, the piloting means will automatically signal when the shoulder has been reached and that a new course or direction of movement of the cutter should be effected. The piloting means thus signals, to the operator in any case when a change in course, that is,. a selection of a new course or. direction of movement of the cutter, should be efiected.

From the foregoing it will now be seen that manually controlled power amplifying means have been providcd for steering the tool along any desired path with respect to the work and that the piloting system indicates, not only when the tool has penetrated the work the desired amount to produce the desired surface, but also clockwise or counterclockwise departures of the tool while traversing from the desired path as predetermined by the pattern.

It is to be understood that the machine in connection with which the invention has been described has been selected for illustrative purposes only, and the invention is not to be considered as confined to the particular machine shown, it having equal application to other metal working machines, including grinding machines wherever it is possible to vary the relation between the tool and work in a direction angularly related to a general traversing direction.

There has thus been provided an improved copying machine of the non-automatic typ which has an improved form of piloting means which is more sensitive and accurate than prior structures and which makes possible the use of other than metal patterns or masters, due to lighter tracer pressure and also the use of power amplifying means between the manual controls and the parts moved, thereby reducing the operator's labors.- I claim;

1. In a profiling machine, the combination with manually operable means for steering a tool along a path predetermined by a pattern in contact with a tracer, of a first signaling means to indicate clockwise departures of the tool from said path, and additional means to signal counterclockwise departures of the tool from said path.

' 2. In a copying machine the combination with manually operable means for steering a tool along a path predetermined by a pattern in contact with a tracer, of a first visual signaling means to If it is more conindicate clockwise departures of the tool from said path, additional visual signaling means to indicate counterclockwise departures of the tool from said path, one of said signaling means also including an audible signal.

3. In a copying machine the combination with manually operable means for steering a tool along a path predetermined by a pattern, of a tracer in contact with said pattern, a first signal light to indicate clockwise departures of the tool from said path, a second signal light to indicate counterclockwise departures of the tool from said path, and means operatively connecting said signal lights for control by said tracer.

4. In a copying machine, the combination with manually operable means for steering a tool alon a path predetermined by a pattern, of a first signal light to indicate departures of the tool to one side of said path, a second signal light for indicating departures of said tool to the other side of said path, a tracer in contact with said pattern. electrical circuits connecting said lights for control by said tracer, and an audible signal connected in series in one of said circuits.

5. In a copying machine having a work support and a tool support, the combination with a rotatable cutter journaled in said tool support, of manually operable means for effecting relative movement between the supports in a direction whereby the cutter will penetrate the work, a pattern, a signal light automatically illuminated by the pattern to indicate when the cutter has penetrated the work within the limits predetermined by the pattern, and additional signaling means automatically operable by the pattern to indicate transgressions of said limits.

6. In a profiling machine, the combination with a work supporting slide, of a tool head, a tracer head connected'for concurrent movement with the tool head, a manual control operatively connected for effecting a relative feeding movement between the heads and the slide, a tracer arm carried by the tracer head, a second manual control operatively connected for eiIecting relative movement between the heads and slide in-a direction normal .to said feeding direction to maintain the tracer arm in contact with a pattern, said tracer arm being deflectible relative to the axis of the tracer head, and means responsive to an overdefiected or underdeflected condition of the tracer to visually indicate either condition to the operator.

'7. In a contouring machine in which a cutter is moved over a work piece to duplicate a pattern, the combination of a tracer arm adapted to be swung laterally about a fixed axis when engaging the pattern, a manual control operatively connected for effecting relative movement between the tracer and pattern and in a direction to increase or decrease the amount of tracer deflection, and means responsive to movement of the tracer to indicate positive or negative variations in the amount of deflection thereof.

8. In piloting means for a copying machine's. housing, a tracer supported for universal movement in the housing for deflection by a pattern, electrically operated signaling means carried by the housing for indicating either positive or negative variations of the tracer from a working deflected position, and means operable by the tracer 'for controlling said signaling means.

9. In a tracer mechanism, the combination of a housing, a tracer'arm pivoted for universal movement in said housing, a pair of signal lights carried by said housing, control circuits for the 15 tacts.

and means carried by the tracer forsuccessively closing said contacts during unidirectional deflec-. tion of the tracer.

5 10. In a piloting mechanism for a copying ma chine, the combination of a housing, a deflectible tracer, a pair of signal lights .carried by the housing, one to indicate overdeflections of the tracer and the other to indicate a normal working de- 10 flected position of the tracer, individual switch contacts for controlling the electrical circuit to each light, means normally urging the contacts to r a circuit closing position, and means operable by the tracer for controlling the closing of said con- .11. In a tracer mechanism, a housing, a deflectibletracer, a plunger axially "movable by tracer deflection, a plurality of signal lights carried by the housing to indicate difierent amounts of tracer deflection, electrical control circuitsfor the lights, means operable by the plunger for controlling said circuits, an indicator dial, and means operable by the plunger for simultaneously operating said dial while controlling said lights,

12. In a piloting mechanism for a manually controlled copying machine, the combination oi a housing, auniversally deflectible tracer carried by the housing for engaging apattern, a plurality of visual signals carried by the housing for indicating different amounts of tracer deflection, an indicator dial for continuously recording the amount of'tracer deflection, an audible signal for indicating overdeflections of the tracer, and means operatively connecting all of said parts for control by the tracer.

MIILARD ROMAINE.

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