Kennametal Inc.

Albert B Albrecht

Donald W Warren

James W Heaton

A quick change device for mounting a tool in a support member such as a turret. The tool has a shank with radially outwardly movable balls therein and the mounting device includes a sleeve receivable on the shank and adapted for mounting in a bore in the support member. The shank includes an actuator ball causing the aforementioned balls to move radially outwardly and engage a shoulder at the end of the sleeve to pull the tool into a predetermined axial position and lock the tool in the aforementioned position while cooperating elements of key means in the tool in the support member prevent rotation of the tool in the support member.

Quick change device for mounting tool in support member

A machine tool having an indexable turret in which the turret has a plurality of stations for supporting tools and with the tools in the stations being presented individually to workpiece operating position in a respective indexed position of the turret during a work cycle. At least two of the stations of the turret are provided with identical tools, forming a group, and on each work cycle one of the pair of stations is bypassed thereby providing a reserve tool which can be made effective without interrupting the work cycle of the machine. Advantageously, most of the tools carried by the turret are provided in groups so that substantially a complete set of reserve tools is provided. Each tool can be used for a certain number of work cycles, or the machine can be provided with adaptive, or tool sensing, controls which sense the dulling or breaking of a tool, or workpieces taken from the machine can be periodically guaged to determine when a particular tool has worn down to the allowable limit. The back up or reserve tools can then be called into play, either individually, or as a set. The invention is adapted for use with automatic machines with an automatic arrangement provided for changing from one tool of a group thereof to an identical tool of the same group. In this manner, a machine tool having a turret tooled up according to the present invention can be maintained in operation for a substantially longer period of time than has heretofore been possible thereby increasing production from the machine tool.

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Ligonier, PA, United States of America

Albert B Albrecht