Ex-cell-o Gmbh

Micromatic Textron Inc.

Paul Fitzpatrick

Robert R Ridley

Richard J Gavasso

Thin wall, torque sensitive pinion gears, sun gears or other such workparts are driven in rotation in a fixture during honing of the internal diameter to minimize out-of-roundness. The fixture for honing multiple workparts at a time includes a workpart driving means having multiple workpart driving gears each meshed with a respective one of the workparts. Each workpart driving gear is mounted on a hollow rotatable bushing arranged end-to-end with respect to adjacent bushings and dog-bone shaped driver members interconnect and are drivingly received in adjacent bushings. Means is connected to one of the dog-bone shaped members to rotate same and thereby cause the workpart driver gears to rotate the workparts in unison during honing.

Method for honing thin wall gear parts

An apparatus and method are provided for roll sizing the periphery of cylindrical workpieces to finish and size the workpiece to a close tolerance diameter. The method and apparatus can also be used to prefinish and presize cylindrical workpieces in preparation for subsequent forming of spline teeth or gear teeth and the like on the workpiece periphery.

Apparatus and method for roll sizing diameters

Fixture for honing thin wall gear parts

Apparatus for roll sizing diameters

A tool is provided for pressure forming teeth in the periphery of a cylindrical, tubular workpiece such as a power transmission member by rolling. The tool has an improved tooth generating configuration which improves the flow characteristics of the metal in the workpiece and develops uniformity of tooth wall thickness during the tooth generating process.

Tooth forming tool and method for splining tubular elements

A method and apparatus for gaging the cross-sectional bore diameter generated by an abrading type finishing tool in an abrading machine. The tool and plug gage are mechanically mounted to the same spindle with the plug sized to a predetermined diameter and mounted behind the machining element. The plug gage is indexed to enter the bore being machined at predetermined cycles to determine if an undersize condition of the tool exists. Failure of the plug gage to enter the bore would indicate an undersize condition of the tool and upon the gage entering the bore it would indicate a correct tool size. The invention has further apparatus for shutting down the machine in the event an undersize condition is determined.

Method and apparatus for in-process gaging of tool elements

An abrading tool (20, 20a, 20b) is disclosed as having a tapered arbor (22) and an abrasive insert 24 including a helical element (28) with a plurality of coils (30) that receive the arbor in an axially incompressibly mounted relationship. An abrasive strip (32) of a helical shape on the coils performs a machining operation upon tool rotation. The abrasive strip on each coil is spaced from the abrasive strip on adjacent coils. Nuts (40, 44, 46) threaded on the arbor provide a means for adjustably positioning the abrasive insert axially along the arbor to control the diameter of each coil in order to initially size the insert and to subsequently compensate for wear of the abrasive strip. Different embodiments disclosed include a helical spacer (34, 36) which spaces the coils of the helical element, coils which are directly engaged with each other and define a helical groove (64) that receives a spacer (66) located between the abrasive strip on each coil, and passages (56, 58, 60, 62) through the arbor and the insert for feeding fluid to the abrasive strip.

Expandable abrading tool and abrasive insert thereof

An expandable abrading tool (20, 20a, 20b) disclosed includes a rotatable arbor (22) and an abrasive insert (24, 24a, 24b) having stacked washers (26) which receive the arbor and are mounted thereon in a clamped relationship. Each washer has a round outer edge including an abrasive (32) secured thereto for performing a cutting operation upon tool rotation. The washers each have a frustoconical shape that points toward one axial end of the insert. A threaded clamp (38, 40, 42, 44) which provides a means for clamping the ends (34, 36) of the insert is adjustable to increase the clamping force in order to flatten the washers and thereby control the washer diameters. The insert can thus be initially sized for use and can be adjusted to compensate for wear of the abrasive. Different embodiments of the abrasive insert include the washers with slightly smaller spacers (28) interposed therebetween in an alternating relationship, the washers directly engaged with each other, and flutes (46) in the outer edges of the washers. It is preferable but not absolutely necessary that the flutes (46) be aligned in an axial relationship along the insert length. The washers are made from a suitable spring metal, preferably a copper alloy such as bronze with a component such as beryllium, so that the clamping force required to provide the flattening thereof is not too great. The flutes (46) also lessen the required clamping force to flatten the washers.

Expandable abrading tool and abrasive insert and washers thereof

A multiple spindle honing machine of the disclosure includes automatically controlled feed cylinders for initially expanding honing tools driven by the spindles and also includes a constant rate feed mechanism that continues to expand the tools after the initial expansion actuated by the feed cylinders. Each spindle includes a connector that extends between one of the feed cylinders and its associated honing tool. Mechanical locks respectively lock first threaded members of the connectors after the initial tool expansion. Second threaded members of the connectors are unthreaded from the first members thereof by an actuating member, preferably embodied by the gear rack, of the constant rate feed mechanism so as to continue the tool expansion and completion of honing operation. Electrical and hydraulic circuits control operation of the pressure feed cylinders, the constant rate feed mechanism, and the mechanical locks. Each honing tool is automatically contracted independently of the other tools after the bore being machined thereby reaches the required size and, after all of the tools are contracted, the feed cylinders may be actuated to re-expand the tools for a finishing operation.

Dual feed apparatus for multiple spindle honing machine

A rotatable cutting tool (10) of the disclosure includes an expandable cutting section (40) and a leading end having an expandable pilot (16) for properly aligning the tool during use. The trailing end of the tool preferably also has an expandable pilot (18) for aligning the tool during movement back through a bore which has been machined. A unitary body (20) of the tool has a helical slot (24) extending axially therethrough and has an inner tapered surface (26) for mounting the tool on a tapered arbor (12) such that movement therealong by nuts (34, 36, 38) engaged with axial end surfaces of the pilots controls the size of the cutting section and the pilots. The expandable tool construction is particularly adaptable for abrasion tools and is disclosed with abrasive particles (22) secured to the cutting section.

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Holland, MI, United States of America

Paul Fitzpatrick