TWI857166B - Lathe and guide component installation method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a lathe and a guide component installation method thereof that can reduce the operation of switching from a guide sleeve method to a non-guide sleeve method. The lathe of the present invention is equipped with: a spindle 12 that holds a workpiece W1, a spindle table 10, a drive unit 20, a support table 30, a guide component 40, and a positioning component 50. The spindle table 10 has a sleeve shaft 11 that is arranged on the outside of the spindle 12 with the spindle centerline AX1 as the center, so as to support the spindle 12 in a manner that allows the spindle 12 to rotate. The drive unit 20 moves the spindle table 10 along the spindle centerline direction D1. A guide sleeve 32 is detachably provided on the support table 30 in front of the spindle 12, and the guide sleeve 32 supports the workpiece W1 in a manner that allows the workpiece W1 to slide. The guide member 40 is mounted on the support table 30 from which the guide bushing 32 has been removed, so as to support the sleeve shaft 11 in a manner that the sleeve shaft 11 can slide along the spindle centerline direction D1. The positioning member 50 is mounted on the support table 30 so that the centerline AX2 of the guide member 40 is aligned with the spindle centerline AX1.

Description

Lathe and guide component installation method thereof

The present invention relates to a lathe capable of switching between a processing method using a guide sleeve and a processing method not using a guide sleeve and a method for installing a guide component thereof.

As a lathe, there is known a type of lathe with a movable spindle, which, as shown in Patent Document 1, has a guide bushing mounted on a support table in front of the spindle to support the workpiece in a manner that allows the workpiece to slide. In the case of a guide bushing method using a guide bushing, the workpiece held by the spindle is supported by the guide bushing in a manner that allows the workpiece to slide, and is processed by a tool in front of the guide bushing. On the other hand, in order to process a shorter workpiece, the guide bushing is sometimes removed from the support table, and the workpiece is processed by moving the spindle table forward compared to when the guide bushing is used. In the case of a guide bushing-free method in which a guide bushing is not used, since the front part of the spindle table is supported in a manner that allows the front part of the spindle table to slide in the direction of the spindle center line, a guide for an annular sleeve shaft mounted on the support table is used. The sleeve shaft guide is provided at the front part of the spindle table for inserting the sleeve shaft arranged outside the spindle with the spindle center line as the center, and is mounted on the support table.

When the operator of the lathe switches from the guide bushing method to the non-guide bushing method, the guide bushing is removed from the support table, the guide for the sleeve shaft is first arranged on the outside of the sleeve shaft, and the main spindle table is moved forward, and then the guide for the sleeve shaft is installed on the support table using screws. Here, if the installation position of the sleeve shaft guide is changed, it will affect the processing accuracy of the workpiece, so the operator performs centering, that is, aligns the center line of the sleeve shaft guide with the center line of the spindle. Therefore, the operator must perform the accompanying centering operation every time he switches from the guide bushing method to the non-guide bushing method. [Prior technical literature] [Patent literature]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2016-144843

[The problem the invention is trying to solve]

The sleeve shaft guide supports the sleeve shaft so that the sleeve shaft can slide, so it is larger than the sleeve shaft and has a heavy ring shape. Therefore, the sleeve shaft guide disposed on the outer side of the sleeve shaft is pushed up while being installed on a support table, etc., and the installation work of the sleeve shaft guide accompanied by centering is relatively burdensome for the operator.

The present invention discloses a lathe and a guide component installation method thereof that can reduce the operation of switching from a guide sleeve method to a guide sleeve-free method. [Technical means for solving the problem]

The lathe of the present invention has the following aspects, that is, it is equipped with: a spindle, which holds a workpiece; a spindle table, which has a sleeve shaft arranged on the outside of the spindle with the spindle center line as the center, and supports the spindle in a manner that allows the spindle to rotate; a driving part, which moves the spindle table along the spindle center line direction; a support table, which has a guide sleeve detachably provided in front of the spindle, and the guide sleeve supports the workpiece in a manner that allows the workpiece to slide; a guide member, which is installed on the support table from which the guide sleeve has been removed, so as to support the sleeve shaft in a manner that allows the sleeve shaft to slide along the spindle center line direction; and a positioning member, which is installed on the support table so that the center line of the guide member is aligned with the spindle center line.

Furthermore, the guide component installation method of the lathe of the present invention has the following aspect, that is, the above-mentioned lathe is equipped with: a spindle, which holds a workpiece; a spindle table, which has a sleeve shaft arranged on the outside of the above-mentioned spindle with the spindle center line as the center, so as to support the above-mentioned spindle in a manner that the above-mentioned spindle can rotate; a driving part, which moves the spindle table along the spindle center line direction; a support table, which has a guide sleeve detachably provided in front of the above-mentioned spindle, and the guide sleeve supports the above-mentioned workpiece in a manner that the above-mentioned workpiece can slide; and a guide A guide member is mounted on the support table from which the guide sleeve has been removed, so as to support the sleeve shaft in a manner that the sleeve shaft can slide along the center line direction of the spindle; and the guide member mounting method of the lathe comprises: a positioning step, in which the guide member is tightly attached to a positioning member, the positioning member being mounted on the support table and the center line of the guide member being aligned with the center line of the spindle; and an mounting step, in which the guide member tightly attached to the positioning member is mounted on the support table from which the guide sleeve has been removed. [Effect of the Invention]

According to the present invention, a lathe can be provided that reduces the work of switching from a guide bushing method to a guide bushing-free method.

The following will describe the embodiments of the present invention. Of course, the following embodiments are merely examples of the present invention, and all features shown in the embodiments are essential to the solution of the invention.

(1) Overview of the technology included in the present invention: First, the overview of the technology included in the present invention is explained with reference to the illustrated examples. Furthermore, the figures in this application are schematic illustrations of examples, and sometimes the magnifications of the directions shown in these figures are different, or the figures are not unified. Of course, the various elements of the present technology are not limited to the specific examples shown by the symbols. In addition, in this application, the numerical range "Min~Max" means above the minimum value Min and below the maximum value Max.

[Aspect 1]  A lathe 1 of one aspect of the present technology is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 5, etc., and comprises: a spindle 12 for holding a workpiece W1, a spindle table 10, a drive unit 20, a support platform 30, a guide member 40, and a positioning member 50. The spindle table 10 has a sleeve shaft 11 disposed on the outside of the spindle 12 with the spindle centerline AX1 as the center, so as to support the spindle 12 in a manner that allows the spindle 12 to rotate. The drive unit 20 moves the spindle table 10 along the spindle centerline direction D1. On the support platform 30, a guide sleeve 32 is detachably provided in front of the spindle 12, and the guide sleeve 32 supports the workpiece W1 in a manner that allows the workpiece W1 to slide. The guide member 40 is mounted on the support platform 30 from which the guide bushing 32 has been removed, so as to support the sleeve shaft 11 in a manner that the sleeve shaft 11 can slide along the spindle centerline direction D1. The positioning member 50 is mounted on the support platform 30 so that the centerline AX2 of the guide member 40 is aligned with the spindle centerline AX1.

Figures 11A and 11B are cross-sectional views schematically showing the operation of switching from a guide sleeve method to a non-guide sleeve method in a lathe of a comparative example without a positioning member. Figure 11A shows a situation where an annular guide member 940 is installed on a support table 930 from which the guide sleeve has been removed. The sleeve shaft 911 provided on the main spindle table 910 is a roughly cylindrical member supported by the guide member 940, and is arranged on the outer side of the main spindle 912 with the main spindle centerline AX91 as the center, and extends from the main body 910a of the main spindle table 910 to the front side S91. The main spindle table 910 with the sleeve shaft 911 moves in the Z-axis direction along the main spindle centerline AX91 when processing a workpiece. Therefore, the guide member 940 needs to support the sleeve shaft 911 in a manner that enables the sleeve shaft 911 to slide along the Z-axis direction, and a small gap is provided between the inner circumference 941 of the guide member 940 and the outer circumference 911a of the sleeve shaft 911.

The operator of the lathe performs the following accompanying centering operation when the guide member 940 is installed on the support table 930. First, in order to align the center line AX92 of the guide member 940 with the center line AX91 of the spindle, the operator first arranges the guide member 940 on the outer side of the sleeve shaft 911, and sets the sleeve shaft 911 to a state where it penetrates the through hole 940a of the guide member 940. Secondly, the operator moves the spindle table 910 forward, and sets the state where a part of the sleeve shaft 911 is inserted into the through hole 931 of the support table 930. Furthermore, the operator supports the guide member 940 with his hands, and holds the guide member 940 in a manner that the center line AX92 of the guide member 940 is aligned with the center line AX91 of the spindle. While maintaining this state, the operator inserts the screw SC91 into the screw insertion hole 943 of the guide member 940 and screws it into the screw hole 933 of the support table 930, thereby fixing the guide member 940 to the support table 930. The operator needs to perform the above operation every time when switching from the guide sleeve mode to the non-guide sleeve mode.

Here, if the guide member 940 is screwed in a state where the center line AX92 of the guide member 940 deviates from the center line AX91 of the main shaft as shown in FIG11A, the gap between the inner circumference 941 of the fixed guide member 940 and the outer circumference 911a of the sleeve shaft 911 deviates as shown in FIG11B. FIG11A and FIG11B show that the center line AX92 of the guide member 940 deviates downward from the center line AX91 of the main shaft, and as a result, a relatively wide gap CL9 is generated between the inner circumference 941 of the guide member 940 and the outer circumference 911a of the sleeve shaft 911 at the lower side of the sleeve shaft 911. If the center line AX92 of the guide member 940 deviates from the center line AX91 of the spindle, the machining accuracy of the workpiece will be affected. However, since the guide member 940 supports the sleeve shaft 911 in a manner that allows the sleeve shaft 911 to slide, it has a ring shape that is larger than the sleeve shaft and has weight. Therefore, the operation of centering the guide member 940 while installing the guide member 940 on the support table 930 is relatively burdensome for the operator. In addition, since the same operation needs to be performed each time the guide sleeve method is switched to the non-guide sleeve method, the following situation exists: the installation position of the guide member 940 changes slightly each time, and the different installation positions affect the machining accuracy of the workpiece.

On the other hand, in the above-mentioned aspect 1 of the present technology, when the operator of the lathe 1 installs the guide member 40 on the support table 30 from which the guide bushing 32 has been removed, the center line AX2 of the guide member 40 can be aligned with the center line AX1 of the main shaft by the positioning member 50. In this way, it is not necessary to perform the heavy work of pushing up the guide member 40 and the accompanying centering work, and it is not necessary to perform the work of arranging the guide member 40 on the outside of the sleeve shaft 11 every time. Therefore, the above-mentioned aspect 1 can provide a lathe that reduces the work of switching from the guide bushing method to the non-guide bushing method.

Here, the number of the positioning members may be 1 or more than 2. This note also applies to the following aspects.

[Aspect 2]  As shown in FIG. 6 , in the section CS orthogonal to the center line AX1 of the spindle, the positioning member 50 mounted on the support table 30 and the guide member 40 mounted on the support table 30 may also contact each other at two contact points P1 and P2, and the two contact points P1 and P2 form a triangle TR with the center P3 of the guide member 40. Thus, when the operator presses the guide member 40 against the positioning member 50, the guide member 40 and the positioning member 50 contact each other at the two contact points P1 and P2, and the center line AX2 of the guide member 40 is aligned with the center line AX1 of the spindle. Therefore, this aspect can position the center line of the guide member on the center line of the spindle with high precision. Here, the guide member and the positioning member may be in contact at two contact points in a section perpendicular to the center line of the main shaft, or may be in linear contact as a whole. Contact at a contact point in a section means point contact in design, including linear contact due to shape errors of the guide member or the positioning member. These remarks also apply to the following aspects.

[Aspect 3]  As shown in FIGS. 6, 9A, 9B, etc., the surface of the positioning member 50 having the contact points P1 and P2 (e.g., the contact surface 51) may be a plane or a curved surface, and the curved surface is a concave curved surface having a radius of curvature in the cross section CS that is greater than the radius of curvature of the outer peripheral surface 42 of the guide member 40. In this aspect, since the two contact points P1 and P2 between the positioning member 50 and the guide member 40 can be easily realized, the center line of the guide member can be easily positioned at the center line of the main shaft.

[Aspect 4]  As shown in FIGS. 7A and 8B , the guide member 40 may also have a front/back distinguishing portion (e.g., a countersunk hole 43a), which can distinguish whether the guide member 40 is in a flipped state relative to the support table 30. When the guide member 40 is installed in a flipped state relative to the support table 30, the position of the center axis AX2 of the guide member 40 in the flipped state may be slightly offset from the position of the center axis AX2 of the guide member 40 in the non-flipped state. In order to make the positions of the center axis AX2 in the flipped state and the non-flipped state consistent, the guide member 40 needs to be processed with extremely high precision. Since this aspect uses the front/back distinguishing part (43a) to distinguish whether the guide member 40 is in a flipped state relative to the support table 30, the operator can install the guide member 40 in an unflipped state relative to the support table 30. In this case, the processing of the guide member 40 is not required to be highly precise to make the position of the center axis AX2 consistent in the flipped state and the unflipped state. Therefore, this aspect can reduce the cost of the guide member. Here, the front/back distinguishing part is not limited to a countersunk hole, but can also be a mark for grasping the front and back of the guide member.

[Aspect 5]  In addition, a guide member installation method of a lathe 1 according to one aspect of the present technology includes the following steps (a) and (b).  (a) Positioning step ST1, which is to place the guide member 40 in close contact with the positioning member 50, which is mounted on the support table 30 and align the center line AX2 of the guide member 40 with the center line AX1 of the spindle.  (b) Installation step ST2, which is to install the guide member 40 in close contact with the positioning member 50 on the support table 30 from which the guide sleeve 32 has been removed.

In the above-mentioned aspect 5, the operator of the lathe 1 can align the center line AX2 of the guide member 40 with the center line AX1 of the spindle by placing the guide member 40 close to the positioning member 50, which is installed on the support table 30 from which the guide bushing 32 has been removed. In this state, the operator can install the guide member 40 on the support table 30. Thereby, it is not necessary to perform the accompanying centering operation such as pushing up the heavy guide member 40 each time, and it is not necessary to perform the operation of arranging the guide member 40 on the outside of the sleeve shaft 11 each time. Therefore, the above-mentioned aspect 5 can provide a guide member installation method for a lathe that reduces the operation of switching from a guide bushing method to a non-guide bushing method.

(2) Specific examples of lathes: FIG1 shows a partial cross-sectional view of the main parts of a lathe 1 configured as a guide sleeve method and schematically illustrates the example. FIG2A shows a partial cross-sectional view of the main parts of a lathe 1 configured as a guide sleeve method from above and schematically illustrates the example. FIG2B shows a partial cross-sectional view of the main parts of a lathe 1 configured as a guide sleeve method from the Y-axis direction and schematically illustrates the example. FIG3A schematically simplifies and illustrates the main parts of a lathe 1 configured as a guide sleeve method. FIG3B schematically simplifies and illustrates the main parts of a lathe 1 configured as a non-guide sleeve method. FIG4A shows a partial cross-sectional view of the main parts of a lathe 1 configured as a non-guide sleeve method from above and schematically illustrates the example. FIG4B shows a partial cross-sectional view of the main parts of a lathe 1 configured as a non-guide sleeve method from the Y-axis direction and schematically illustrates the example. In Figures 2A, 2B and Figures 4A, 4B, the front end position of the spindle table 10 is represented by a solid line, and the rear end position of the spindle table 10 is represented by a two-point chain. Furthermore, the spindle centerline AX1 represents the center line of the rotation of the spindle 12, and the spindle centerline direction D1 represents the direction along the spindle centerline AX1. The spindle centerline direction D1 includes both the direction toward the front side S1 and the direction toward the rear side S2. The Z-axis direction represents the direction of the control axis along the spindle centerline direction D1, the X-axis direction represents the direction of the control axis along the vertical direction orthogonal to the Z-axis direction, and the Y-axis direction represents the direction of the control axis along the horizontal direction orthogonal to the Z-axis direction. The X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction may be different directions, and are preferably substantially orthogonal in terms of easy movement control, but may also be directions deviating from the orthogonal direction by an angle of 45° or less, for example.

The lathe 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a spindle-transfer type lathe having a base 2, a control unit 8, a spindle table 10, a drive unit 20, a support table 30, and a tool table 60. The base 2 is also called a pedestal or a worktable, and constitutes a basic part that supports the drive unit 20, the support table 30, and the like.

The control unit 8 controls the actions of the spindle table 10, the drive unit 20, the tool table 60, etc. The control unit 8 can use a known numerical control device. The numerical control device has: a CPU (Central Processing Unit) as a processor, a ROM (Read Only Memory) as a semiconductor memory, a RAM (Random Access Memory) as a semiconductor memory, a timer circuit, and an interface, etc. A control program useful for interpreting and executing a machining formula is written in the ROM. The machining formula written by the operator is stored in the RAM in an overwritable manner. The CPU realizes the function of the numerical control device by using the RAM as a workpiece area and executing the control program recorded in the ROM. Of course, part or all of the above functions may also be realized by other mechanisms such as ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

The spindle 12 provided on the spindle table 10 holds the cylindrical (rod-shaped) workpiece W1 inserted in the Z-axis direction in a releasable manner, so that the workpiece W1 rotates around the spindle centerline AX1 along the length direction of the workpiece W1. The spindle table 10 is provided to support the spindle 12 so that the spindle 12 can rotate around the spindle centerline AX1 and can move in the Z-axis direction. A cylindrical sleeve shaft 11 is provided at the front of the spindle table 10, which supports the spindle 12 so that the spindle 12 can rotate around the spindle centerline AX1. The sleeve shaft 11 provided on the main spindle table 10 is a substantially cylindrical member supported by the guide member 40 when the guide bush 32 is not used. It is arranged on the outer side of the main spindle 12 with the main spindle centerline AX1 as the center, and extends from the main body 10a of the main spindle table 10 to the front side S1. As shown in Figures 3A and 3B, the outer peripheral surface 11a of the sleeve shaft 11 is set to be circular in cross section. The main spindle table 10 with the sleeve shaft 11 moves along the Z-axis direction when processing a workpiece.

The drive unit 20 has a motor 21 supported by the base 2 and a feed mechanism 22 along the main axis AX1, which moves the main axis table 10 along the Z axis direction. The motor 21 is a servo motor that can be numerically controlled by the control unit 8. The feed mechanism 22 shown in FIG. 1 is a ball screw in which a screw 23 and a nut 24 are actuated via a ball. The screw 23 is arranged along the main axis AX1, and the rear end is connected to the motor 21 via a coupling. Therefore, the screw 23 is rotationally driven by the motor 21 around the rotation axis along the main axis AX1. The nut 24 is screwed with the screw rod 23 via a ball bearing, and is fixed to the main shaft table 10 , and moves along the Z-axis direction corresponding to the rotation of the screw rod 23 .

The support table 30 supported by the base 2 has a through hole 31 for mounting a guide sleeve 32. The guide sleeve 32 mounted on the support table 30 is arranged at the front side S1 of the spindle 12 so that the rod-shaped workpiece W1 passing through the spindle 12 can slide in the Z-axis direction to support the workpiece W1, and is driven to rotate synchronously with the spindle 12 around the spindle centerline AX1. The guide sleeve 32 is set in a manner that can be loaded and unloaded relative to the support table 30. By having a guide sleeve that bears the load generated by cutting and other processing, the bending of a slender workpiece is suppressed and high-precision processing is performed. When the guide sleeve shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B is used, the spindle 12 is driven in the Z-axis direction within a range S2 that is further rearward than the guide sleeve 32. On the other hand, if the guide sleeve is used, the material from the spindle to the guide sleeve cannot be processed, so the remaining material becomes longer. In addition, since the guide sleeve supports the outer periphery of the workpiece, the workpiece once processed cannot be retreated into the guide sleeve and moved forward again for processing. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the guide sleeve 32 can be removed from the support table 30. In this case, in order to shorten the distance from the spindle 12 to the tool rest 60, the spindle 12 is driven in the Z-axis direction within a range S1 that becomes the front side compared to when the guide sleeve is used.

On the support table 30 from which the guide bushing 32 has been removed, an annular guide member 40 is provided in a detachable manner, and the annular guide member 40 supports the sleeve shaft 11 in a manner that enables the sleeve shaft 11 to move in the Z-axis direction. The guide member 40 shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B, etc. has a through hole 40a for inserting the sleeve shaft 11 of the main spindle table 10, and is mounted on the support table 30. The guide member 40 mounted on the support table 30 supports the sleeve shaft 11 in a manner that enables the sleeve shaft 11 to slide in the Z-axis direction. A roughly rectangular positioning member 50 in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the guide member 40 is also mounted on the support table 30. The guide member 40 and the positioning member 50 are mounted on the surface of the rear side S2 of the support table 30. Furthermore, although it is preferred that the guide member 40 that bears the load generated by cutting and other processing use a sliding bearing, various bearings such as rolling bearings may also be used.

The tool table 60 is supported by the support table 30 and is equipped with a plurality of tools T1, for example, which are configured to be movable along the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. The tool T1 includes both fixed tools such as turning tools that are fixed in a non-rotatable manner, and rotating tools that rotate like a rotary drill. Furthermore, a back spindle table (opposing spindle table) can also be supported by the base 2. The back spindle table (opposing spindle table) is provided with a back spindle (opposing spindle) that can releasably hold the workpiece W1 after the front processing inserted along the Z-axis direction.

As shown in Figs. 2A and 2B, two rails 200 are provided on the base 2. The two rails 200 are guide rails for linear motion guidance and are arranged at two locations along the main shaft center line AX1 in the Y-axis direction. Each rail 200 guides the rear side bearing 110 and the front side bearing 120 in the Z-axis direction. The rear side bearing 110 and the front side bearing 120 are mounted on the main shaft table 10. The rail 200 shown in Figs. 2B, etc. has a low rigidity portion 212 whose rigidity is slightly reduced due to the overhang relative to the base 2. The low-rigidity portion 212 includes the moving range R2 of the front side bearing 120 when the guide member is used as shown in FIG. 4B , and does not include the moving range R1 of the front side bearing 120 when the guide member is not used as shown in FIG. 2B . Furthermore, when the low-rigidity portion 212 is supported by the base 2, the low-rigidity portion 212 can also be made thinner.

When the guide bushing is used, the load generated by cutting and other processing is borne by the guide bushing 32. Here, as shown in FIG. 2B, the low rigidity portion 212 of the track 200 is not within the moving range R1 of the front bearing 120. Therefore, when the guide bushing is used, the rear bearing 110 and the front bearing 120 are used to support the main shaft table 10 with high precision.

When the guide bushing is not used, the load generated by cutting and other processing is borne by the guide member 40. Here, as shown in FIG. 4B and the like, the guide member 40 disposed on the support table 30 also supports the sleeve shaft 11 of the main shaft table 10. Although the low-rigidity portion 212 in the track 200 is very small, it is still easily deformed by the weight from the front side bearing 120. Therefore, when the guide bushing is used, the clearance of the front side bearing 120 is larger, and the function of the front side bearing 120 to support the main shaft table 10 is suppressed. Therefore, when the guide bushing is not used, the main shaft table 10 is actually supported with high precision by the rear side bearing 110 and the guide member 40 located S1 closer to the front side than the front side bearing 120.

Furthermore, main parts such as the base 2, the spindle table 10, the driving part 20, the support table 30, the guide sleeve 32, the guide member 40, the positioning member 50, the tool table 60, and the rail 200 can be formed of metal, for example.

Fig. 5 schematically illustrates the positional relationship between the sleeve shaft 11, the guide member 40, and the positioning member 50 in the lathe 1 set as a guideless type. Fig. 6 schematically illustrates the positional relationship between the positioning member 50 and the guide member 40 in the cross section CS orthogonal to the main axis centerline AX1. Figs. 7A to 7C schematically illustrate the situation where the positioning member 50 is installed on the support table 30.

The guide member 40 is a relatively short, roughly cylindrical shape along the center line AX2, and has an inner circumferential surface 41 with a circular cross section and an outer circumferential surface 42 with a circular cross section, centered on the center line AX2. The diameter of the inner circumferential surface 41 is slightly larger than the diameter of the outer circumferential surface 11a of the sleeve shaft 11. Thereby, the guide member 40 supports the sleeve shaft 11 in a manner that enables the sleeve shaft 11 to slide along the Z-axis direction. In order to screw the guide member 40 to the support table 30, the guide member 40 has a plurality of screw insertion holes 43. The number of screw insertion holes 43 provided in the guide member 40 is not limited to 10 as shown in Figures 5 and 6, and may be less than 9, or more than 11. As shown in Figure 7A, a countersunk hole 43a is formed in each screw insertion hole 43. Therefore, the guide member 40 cannot be mounted on the support table 30 in a flipped state. On the support table 30, screw holes 33 are formed at positions corresponding to each screw insertion hole 43. Each screw hole 33 is screwed with a screw SC1 passing through the screw insertion hole 43. Furthermore, the countersunk hole 43a is an example of a front/back distinguishing portion that can distinguish whether the guide member 40 is in a flipped state relative to the support table 30. Here, the state in which the guide member 40 is not flipped means a state in which the countersunk hole 43a is facing the opposite side of the support table 30 as shown in Figures 5, 7A, etc. The flipped state of the guide member 40 is a state in which it is facing in the direction opposite to the direction shown in Figure 7A, etc. in the Z-axis direction, which means a state in which the countersunk hole 43a is facing the support table 30.

The outer circumferential surface 42 of the guide member 40 is in contact with the positioning members 50A and 50B. Here, the positioning members 50A and 50B are collectively referred to as the positioning member 50. Hereinafter, when the two positioning members 50A and 50B are described in common, they are simply recorded as the positioning member 50. The positioning member 50 has the function of aligning the center line AX2 of the guide member 40 with the center line AX1 of the spindle by contacting the outer circumferential surface 42 of the guide member 40. In order to screw the positioning member 50 to the support table 30, the positioning member 50 has a plurality of screw insertion holes 53. The number of screw insertion holes 53 provided in the positioning member 50 is not limited to the two shown in Figures 5 and 6, and may be three or more. As shown in Fig. 7B, screw holes 34 are formed at positions of the support base 30 corresponding to the screw insertion holes 53. The screws SC2 passing through the screw insertion holes 43 are screwed into the screw holes 34.

In the section CS shown in Figure 6, the positioning member 50 mounted on the support platform 30 and the guide member 40 mounted on the support platform 30 are in contact at two contact points P1 and P2, and the two contact points P1 and P2 form a triangle TR with the center P3 of the guide member 40. The center P3 is the intersection of the center line AX2 of the guide member 40 and the section CS. The contact point P1 is the contact portion between the positioning member 50A and the guide member 40. The contact point P2 is the contact portion between the positioning member 50B and the guide member 40. Here, the surface of the positioning member 50 where the contact points P1 and P2 exist is referred to as the contact surface 51. The contact surface 51 is a plane. Therefore, the outer peripheral surface 42 of the guide member 40 and the contact surface 51 of the positioning member 50 are in linear contact along the center line AX2 of the guide member 40. If observed from the cross section CS orthogonal to the main shaft center line AX1, the outer peripheral surface 42 and the contact surface 51 are in point contact. By making the contact surface 51 a plane, the contact position is limited to one point, so that the position of the guide member 40 can be determined with high precision.

The center P3 and the contact points P1 and P2 form a triangle TR. When the operator presses the unfixed guide member 40 against the positioning member 50, the guide member 40 and the positioning member 50 contact each other at the contact points P1 and P2, and the center line AX2 of the guide member 40 is aligned with the center line AX1 of the spindle. Here, the inner angle θ of the center P3 of the triangle TR only needs to be greater than 0° and less than 180°, preferably 90° to 140°. If the inner angle θ is greater than 90°, it is easy to stably press the guide member 40 against both the positioning members 50A and 50B. If the inner angle θ is less than 140°, it is easy to determine the position of the guide member 40 with high precision when the guide member 40 is pressed against the positioning members 50A and 50B. Therefore, if the internal angle θ is between 90° and 140°, the center line AX2 of the guide member 40 can be positioned with higher precision on the main shaft center line AX1.

Furthermore, since the contact surface 51 of the positioning member 50 is a plane, the two contact points P1 and P2 between the positioning member 50 and the guide member 40 can be easily realized, so that the center line AX2 of the guide member 40 can be easily positioned at the center line AX1 of the main shaft.

(3) Specific example of installing the positioning member on the support platform: First, referring to Figures 7A to 7C, an example of installing the positioning member 50 on the support platform 30 of the guide sleeve 32 is described. Figure 7A schematically illustrates the situation of installing the guide member 40 when the positioning member 50 is not installed on the support platform 30. Figure 7B schematically illustrates the situation of installing the positioning member 50 on the support platform 30 in close contact with the guide member 40. Figure 7C schematically illustrates the situation of fixing the positioning member 50 on the support platform 30.

When installing the positioning member 50 on the support table 30, it is necessary to fix the center line AX2 of the guide member 40 at a position aligned with the center line AX1 of the main shaft. Therefore, the operation of installing the positioning member 50 on the support table 30 can be performed by a skilled worker of the lathe manufacturer. Of course, the positioning member 50 can also be installed on the support table 30 by the operator of the lathe. Hereinafter, the person who installs the positioning member 50 on the support table 30 will be referred to as the operator. The operator first arranges the guide member 40 on the outer side of the sleeve shaft 11, and sets the sleeve shaft 11 to a state where it passes through the through hole 40a of the guide member 40. Next, the operator moves the spindle table 10 forward, supports the guide member 40 with his hands, and holds the guide member 40 in a manner that the center line AX2 of the guide member 40 is aligned with the spindle center line AX1. This state is shown in FIG. 7A. If the operator inserts screws SC1 into the screw insertion holes 43 of the guide member 40 and screws them into the screw holes 33 of the support table 30, the guide member 40 is fixed to the support table 30.

After fixing the guide member 40, the operator can move the main spindle table 10 backward. Since the guide member 40 is fixed to the support table 30, the operator supports the positioning member 50 with his fingers to keep the contact surface 51 of the positioning member 50 in close contact with the outer peripheral surface 42 of the guide member 40. This state is shown in FIG7B. If the holding state is maintained unchanged, the operator inserts the screw SC2 into each screw insertion hole 53 of the positioning member 50 and screws it into the screw hole 34 of the support table 30, and the positioning member 50 is fixed to the support table 30 as shown in FIG7C.

Thereafter, even when the lathe 1 is set to the guide bushing type, it is not necessary to remove the positioning member 50 from the support table 30. Hereinafter, specific examples of the switching guide bushing type and the guide bushing-free type will be described.

(4) Specific example of switching between the guide sleeve method and the non-guide sleeve method: When switching from the non-guide sleeve method shown in Figures 4B and 7C to the guide sleeve method shown in Figure 2B, the operator moves the main spindle table 10 backward, removes the screw SC1 and removes the guide member 40 from the support table 30, and installs the guide sleeve on the support table 30. As shown in Figures 2A and 2B, the positioning member 50 is in a position that does not hinder the movement of the main spindle table 10 along the Z-axis direction, so even if it is a guide sleeve method, there is no need to remove the positioning member 50 from the support table 30.

Next, referring to Figures 8A, 8B, 7C, etc., a specific example of switching from the guide sleeve method to the guide sleeve-free method is described. Figure 8A schematically illustrates the situation after the guide sleeve 32 is removed from the support table 30. Figure 8B schematically illustrates the situation in which the guide member 40 is installed on the support table 30 in close contact with the positioning member 50.

When switching from the guide sleeve method shown in Figure 2B, etc. to the guide sleeve-free method shown in Figures 4B, 7C, etc., the operator performs the following operations. First, the operator removes the guide sleeve 32 from the support table 30. This state is shown in Figure 8A. As shown in Figure 8A, since the positioning member 50 is fixed to the support table 30, the operator holds the guide member 40 to hold the guide member 40 in a state where the outer peripheral surface 42 of the guide member 40 is tightly attached to the contact surface 51 of the positioning member 50 (positioning step ST1). This state is shown in Figure 8B. Since the positioning member 50 shown in Figure 8B is mounted on the support table 30 unchanged at the position shown in Figure 7C, the position of the guide member 40 shown in Figure 8B is the same as the position of the guide member 40 mounted on the support table 30 in a manner such that the center line AX2 is aligned with the center line AX1 of the spindle as shown in Figures 7A and 7B. Therefore, it is not necessary to insert the sleeve shaft 11 into the through hole 40a of the guide member 40 in order to align the center line AX2 of the guide member 40 with the center line AX1 of the main shaft. If the operator inserts the screws SC1 into the screw insertion holes 43 of the guide member 40 and screws them into the screw holes 33 of the support table 30 as shown in FIG8B, the positioning member 50 is fixed to the support table 30 in a state where the center line AX2 is aligned with the center line AX1 of the main shaft as shown in FIG7C (installation step ST2).

Through the above operation, there is no need to push up the heavy guide member 40 and perform the accompanying centering work which is heavy. Also, there is no need to first arrange the guide member 40 on the outside of the sleeve shaft 11. That is, there is no need to perform a heavy operation every time the guide sleeve method is switched to the non-guide sleeve method. Therefore, the present embodiment can reduce the work of switching from the guide sleeve method to the non-guide sleeve method. Furthermore, since the guide member 40 has a countersunk hole 43a, it can be determined whether the guide member 40 is in a flipped state relative to the support table 30, so the operator can install the guide member 40 in a non-flipped state relative to the support table 30. As described above, when the guide member 40 is installed in a state inverted relative to the support table 30, in order to make the positions of the center axis AX2 in the inverted state and the non-inverted state consistent, the guide member 40 needs to be processed with extremely high precision. By having the countersunk hole 43a, the processing of the guide member 40 does not require high precision to make the positions of the center axis AX2 in the inverted state and the non-inverted state consistent. Therefore, this embodiment can reduce the cost of the guide member.

(5) Variations: Various variations can be considered for the present invention. For example, the sleeve shaft 11 of the above-mentioned spindle table 10 covers the outer side of the spindle 12 to the vicinity of the front end of the spindle 12, but the positional relationship between the sleeve shaft and the spindle in the direction of the spindle centerline can be appropriately changed. For example, when the distance from the front end of the sleeve shaft to the front end of the spindle is longer, a spindle cover covering the outer side of the spindle from the front end of the sleeve shaft to the vicinity of the front end of the spindle can also be installed on the front end of the sleeve shaft. In order to install the positioning member 50 on the support platform 30, an energizing mechanism, such as a spring, that presses the positioning member 50 against the guide member 40 can also be provided on the support platform 30. In this case, as shown in FIGS. 7B and 7C , when the positioning member 50 is mounted on the guide member 40 , the enabling mechanism presses the positioning member 50 against the guide member 40 , so the operator can mount the positioning member 50 on the support platform 30 even without holding the positioning member 50 by hand.

The positioning member 50 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped, but the shape of the positioning member is not limited to a substantially rectangular parallelepiped. Figures 9A to 9C schematically show variations of the guide member 40 and the positioning member 50 in a cross section CS orthogonal to the main axis centerline AX1. In the following variations, the same elements as those in the above examples are labeled with the same symbols and detailed descriptions are omitted.

FIG9A shows an example in which a positioning member 50 has two contact points P1 and P2. The positioning member 50 shown in FIG9A has a contact surface 51A and a contact surface 51B, wherein the contact surface 51A has a contact point P1 and the contact surface 51B has a contact point P2. The two contact surfaces 51A and 51B are included in the contact surface 51 of the present technology. When the contact surfaces 51A and 51B are planes, the outer peripheral surface 42 of the guide member 40 and the contact surface 51 of the positioning member 50 are linearly connected along the center line AX2 of the guide member 40. In the example shown in FIG. 9A , the operator also aligns the center line AX2 of the guide member 40 with the center line AX1 of the spindle by bringing the outer peripheral surface 42 of the guide member 40 into close contact with the contact surfaces 51A, 51B of the positioning member 50, so there is no need to undertake a large accompanying centering operation.

FIG. 9B shows an example in which the contact surface 51 of the positioning member 50 is set as a concave curved surface having a curvature radius greater than the curvature radius of the outer peripheral surface 42 of the guide member 40 in the cross section CS orthogonal to the spindle centerline AX1. In this case, the outer peripheral surface 42 of the guide member 40 and the contact surface 51 of the positioning member 50 are also linearly connected along the centerline AX2 of the guide member 40. The example shown in FIG. 9B is also that the operator makes the outer peripheral surface 42 of the guide member 40 close to the contact surface 51 of the positioning member 50 so that the centerline AX2 of the guide member 40 is aligned with the spindle centerline AX1.

FIG9C shows an example in which the contact surface 51 of the positioning member 50 is set to a circular shape in the cross section CS orthogonal to the main shaft center line AX1. When the positioning member 50 is a roughly cylindrical shape with the central axis along the main shaft center line AX1 as the center, the outer peripheral surface 42 of the guide member 40 and the contact surface 51 of the positioning member 50 are linearly connected along the center line AX2 of the guide member 40. When the positioning member 50 is roughly spherical, the outer peripheral surface 42 of the guide member 40 and the contact surface 51 of the positioning member 50 are point-connected. In these examples, the operator also aligns the center line AX2 of the guide member 40 with the main shaft center line AX1 by pressing the outer peripheral surface 42 of the guide member 40 against the contact surface 51 of the positioning member 50.

In addition, the guide member 40 has an inner circumferential surface 41 and an outer circumferential surface 42 that are both circular in cross section, but the inner circumferential surface or the outer circumferential surface of the guide member is not limited to a circular cross section. FIG10 shows a guide member 40 in which the inner circumferential surface 41 and the outer circumferential surface 42 are both non-circular in cross section CS orthogonal to the main shaft centerline AX1.

The inner circumferential surface 41 of the guide member 40 shown in Fig. 10 has a plurality of recessed portions 41a that are recessed in a direction away from the center line AX2. In this case, the inner circumferential surface 41 except for the recessed portions 41a has a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the outer circumferential surface 11a of the sleeve shaft 11, so that the guide member 40 can support the sleeve shaft 11 in a manner that the sleeve shaft 11 can slide along the Z-axis direction.

The outer peripheral surface 42 of the guide member 40 shown in FIG10 is set to a cross-sectional quadrilateral. In this case, by appropriately installing the positioning member 50 on the support table 30, the guide member 40 can be positioned at a position where the positioning member 50 aligns the center line AX2 with the main axis center line AX1. FIG10 shows that three positioning members 50A, 50B, and 50C are configured to position the guide member 40 with high precision. Of course, the three positioning members 50A, 50B, and 50C are included in the positioning member 50 of the present technology.

(6) Conclusion: As described above, according to the present invention, through various aspects, a technology such as a lathe that reduces the work of switching from a guide sleeve method to a non-guide sleeve method can be provided. Of course, even if it is a technology consisting only of the constituent elements of independent claims, the above-mentioned basic functions and effects can be obtained. In addition, it is also possible to implement a structure obtained by replacing or changing the various structures disclosed in the above examples with each other, and a structure obtained by replacing or changing the various structures disclosed in the known technology and the above examples with each other. The present invention also includes such structures, etc.

1: Lathe 2: Base 8: Control unit 10: Spindle 10a: Body 11: Sleeve shaft 11a: Outer surface 12: Spindle 20: Drive unit 21: Motor 22: Feed mechanism 23: Screw 24: Nut 30: Support 31: Through hole 32: Guide sleeve 33,34: Screw hole 40: Guide member 40a: Through hole 41: Inner surface 41a: Concave 42: Outer surface 43: Screw insertion hole 43a: Countersunk hole 50,50A,50B,50C: Positioning member 51,51A,51B: Contact surface 53: Screw insertion hole 60: Tool holder 110: Rear bearing 120: Front bearing 200: Track 212: Low rigidity part 910: Main spindle table 910a: Main spindle table body 911: Sleeve shaft 91 1a: Outer surface 912: Spindle 930: Supporting platform 931: Through hole 933: Screw hole 940: Guide member 940a: Through hole 941: Inner surface 943: Screw insertion hole AX1: Spindle centerline AX2: Centerline AX91: Spindle centerline AX92: Centerline of guide member CL9: Clearance CS: Section D1: Spindle centerline direction P1 ,P2: Contact point P3: Center R1: Movement range of the front side bearing when the guide member is not used R2: Movement range of the front side bearing when the guide member is used S1: Front side S2: Rear side S91: Front side SC1,SC2: Screws SC91: Screws ST1: Positioning step ST2: Installation step T1: Tool TR: Triangle W1: Workpiece θ: Inner angle of the center of the triangle

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a partial cross-section of the main parts of a lathe and schematically illustrating the same. Figs. 2A and 2B are diagrams showing a partial cross-section of the main parts of a lathe with a guide sleeve and schematically illustrating the same. Figs. 3A and 3B are three-dimensional diagrams showing a schematically simplified example of the main parts of a lathe. Figs. 4A and 4B are diagrams showing a partial cross-section of the main parts of a lathe with a guide sleeve-free method and schematically illustrating the same. Fig. 5 is a three-dimensional diagram showing a schematically simplified example of the main parts of a lathe with a guide sleeve-free method. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic example of the positional relationship between a positioning member and a guide member in a cross-section perpendicular to the center line of the spindle. Figure 7A is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a situation where a guide member is installed on a support platform of a guide sleeve without a positioning member installed thereon, Figure 7B is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a situation where a positioning member is installed on a support platform in close contact with a guide member, and Figure 7C is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a situation where a positioning member is fixed to a support platform. Figure 8A is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a situation where a guide sleeve is removed from a support platform, and Figure 8B is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a situation where a guide member is installed on a support platform in close contact with a positioning member. Figures 9A to 9C are diagrams schematically showing variations of guide members and positioning members in a cross section orthogonal to the center line of the spindle. FIG10 is a diagram schematically showing a variation of the positioning member and the guide member in a cross section orthogonal to the center line of the spindle. FIG11A is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a guide member installed on a support platform of a guide sleeve in a comparative example, and FIG11B is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a center line of the guide member deviating from the center line of the spindle in the comparative example.

1: Lathe

10: Spindle

10a: Main body

11: Casing shaft

11a: Outer surface

12: Main axis

30: Support Desk

40: Guidance component

40a:Through hole

41: Inner Surface

42: Outer surface

43: Screw insertion hole

50,50A,50B: Positioning components

51: Contact surface

53: Screw insertion hole

200:Track

AX1: Spindle centerline

D1: Spindle centerline direction

S1: front

S2: Posterior

SC1: Screw

SC2: Screw

Claims (4)

A lathe comprises: a spindle that holds a workpiece; a spindle table that has a sleeve shaft disposed outside the spindle with the spindle center line as the center and supports the spindle in a manner that enables the spindle to rotate; a drive unit that moves the spindle table along the spindle center line; a support table that has a guide sleeve detachably disposed in front of the spindle, the guide sleeve supporting the workpiece in a manner that enables the workpiece to slide; and a guide member that is mounted on the guide sleeve after the guide sleeve is removed. The support platform is provided to support the sleeve shaft in such a manner that the sleeve shaft can slide along the center line of the spindle; and a positioning member is installed on the support platform to align the center line of the guide member with the center line of the spindle; and in a section orthogonal to the center line of the spindle, the positioning member installed on the support platform and the guide member installed on the support platform are in contact at two contact points, and the two contact points and the center of the guide member form a triangle. As in claim 1, the surface of the positioning member where the contact point exists is a plane or a curved surface, and the curved surface is a concave curved surface whose radius of curvature in the cross section is greater than the radius of curvature of the outer peripheral surface of the guide member. As in the lathe of claim 1 or 2, the guide member has a front/back distinguishing portion, and the front/back distinguishing portion is capable of distinguishing whether the guide member is in a flipped state relative to the support platform. A method for installing a guide member of a lathe, the lathe comprising: a spindle, which holds a workpiece; a spindle table, which has a sleeve shaft arranged outside the spindle with the spindle center line as the center, and supports the spindle in a manner that enables the spindle to rotate; a drive unit, which moves the spindle table along the spindle center line direction; a support table, which has a guide sleeve detachably provided in front of the spindle, and the guide sleeve supports the workpiece in a manner that enables the workpiece to slide; and a guide member, which is installed on the support table from which the guide sleeve has been removed, and supports the sleeve shaft in a manner that enables the workpiece to slide along the spindle center line direction. The sleeve shaft; and in a section orthogonal to the center line of the spindle, the positioning member mounted on the support table and the guide member mounted on the support table are in contact at two contact points, and the two contact points and the center of the guide member form a triangle; the guide member installation method of the lathe comprises: a positioning step, which is to closely attach the guide member to the positioning member, which is mounted on the support table and align the center line of the guide member with the center line of the spindle; and an installation step, which is to install the guide member closely attached to the positioning member on the support table from which the guide sleeve has been removed.