Fanuc Corporation

Soichiro Ide

Toshiaki Otsuki

Osamu Hanaoka

Takafumi Sasaki

Kouichi Noda

Hideo Ogino

Takenori Ono

Daijirou Koga

Takuji Chiba

Yousuke Ootomo

Yusaku Yamada

Takeshi Miyazaki

Tooru Mizuno

Masako Sudou

Michiharu Kawahara

Hisashi Shiobara

Takuji Room 14-502 Chiba

A numerical control apparatus includes a command argument determination unit which determines whether a vector is included in an argument of a circular arc interpolation command which is included in command data and a circular arc shape forming unit which forms a circular arc shape based on a machining program, and a start point, an end point, and the vector, which are specified by the argument of the circular arc interpolation command, when the command argument determination unit determines that the vector is included in the argument of the circular arc interpolation command.

Numerical control apparatus enabling specification of a circular arc shape movement trajectory

A CAD/CAM-CNC integrated system, configured with devices related to processes from design of a product to machining and including CAD, CAM and a CNC machine tool, has a shared database that stores information collected during machining or a change made to a machining command by an operator in association with structured information of the machining command. The information collected from a machining site is fed back to the CAM via the shared database, and the fed back information is analyzed to update the machining technique information, thereby making it easy to make use of the know-how accumulated in the machining site.

CAD/CAM-CNC integrated system

Numerical control apparatus

A numerical controller controls a three-axis machine tool that machines a workpiece, mounted on a table, with at least three linear axes. The numerical controller includes a workpiece mounting error compensation unit that compensates a mounting error caused when the workpiece is mounted. The workpiece mounting error compensation unit performs an error compensation with respect to an instructed linear-axis position with amounting error which is set beforehand, in order to keep a position with respect to the workpiece at a tool center point position, based on the instructed linear-axis position of the three linear axes to obtain a compensated linear-axis position. The three linear axes are driven based on the obtained compensated linear-axis position.

Numerical controller having workpiece mounting error compensation unit for three-axis machine tool

A numerical controller for machine tools that has function of controlling the speed of arc operation calculates a first operable feedrate based on the arc radius of a machining path and the allowable frequency (or allowable angular speed) to which servo position control is capable of responding. The numerical controller also calculates a second operable feedrate based on the arc radius of the machining path and the allowable acceleration to which servo position control can respond, and selects the minimum feedrate from the commanded feedrate and the calculated first and second feedrate to perform speed control.

Numerical controller for machine tool with function of controlling speed of arc operation

A numerical controller for controlling a multi-axis machine calculates an axis-dependent translation error amount and an axis-dependent rotation error amount based on a command axis position. Translation and rotation compensation amounts are calculated based on the axis dependent translation and rotation error amounts, respectively. The translation and rotation compensation amounts are added to command linear and rotary axis positions, respectively. Three linear axes and three rotary axes are driven to the added positions, individually. Thus, there is provided a numerical controller that enables even machining with a side face of a tool or boring to be in commanded tool position and posture (orientation) in the multi-axis machine.

Numerical controller for multi-axis machine

A five-axis machining tool that machines a workpiece mounted on a table using three linear axes and two rotary axes is controlled by a numerical controller. The numerical controller calculates a translational compensation amount and a rotational compensation amount by obtaining axis-dependent translational compensation amounts and axis-dependent rotational compensation amounts on the basis of commanded axis positions. Then, the numerical controller moves the three linear axes and the two rotary axes of the five-axis machining tool to positions obtained by adding the translational compensation amount and the rotational compensation amount thus calculated to a command linear axis position and a command rotary axis position, respectively.

Numerical controller controlling five-axis machining tool

A numerical controller for controlling a five-axis machining apparatus, in which a tool orientation command is corrected to thereby attain a smooth machined surface and a shortened machining time. The numerical controller includes command reading device that successively reads a tool orientation command, tool orientation command correcting device that corrects the tool orientation command so that a ratio between each rotary axis motion amount and a linear axis motion amount is constant in each block, interpolation device that determines respective axis positions at every interpolation period based on the tool orientation command corrected by the tool orientation command correcting device, a motion path command, and a relative motion velocity command such that a tool end point moves along a commanded motion path at a commanded relative motion velocity, and device that drives respective axis motors such that respective axis positions determined by the interpolation device are reached.

Numerical controller for controlling five-axis machining apparatus

A numerical controller for controlling a multi-axis machine tool having three linear axes and three rotating axes obtains an interpolated tool direction vector by interpolating a tool direction command and computes multiple solutions for three rotating axes from the vector. The three rotating axis positions are computed by synthesizing these multiple solutions. The three linear axis positions on a machine coordinate system are computed by adding to the interpolated tool center point position the product of the interpolated tool direction vector, or a verified tool direction vector based on the three rotating axis positions determined by the rotating axis position computing means, and a tool length compensation amount. The three rotating axes are moved to the positions computed above and the three linear axes are moved to the positions computed above.

Numerical controller for multi-axis machine tool

A numerical controller having an interference prevention function whereby calculation for preventing interference is reliably performed. The numerical controller has the function of defining interference regions corresponding to multiple machine structural objects, respectively, moving the interference regions in accordance with machine coordinate values of the machine structural objects updated by interpolation, and performing an interference check to determine whether or not the interference regions interfere with each other. Interference check computation period automatic adjusting means automatically adjusts an interference check computation period, based on the value obtained by dividing a computation time required for the interference check by time of occupancy of the interference check within one interpolation period. Interference region expanding means expands the interference regions, based on the highest of feed velocities of respective axes and the interference check computation period. Checking means determines whether or not the expanded interference regions interfere with each other.

Numerical controller with interference check function

A numerical controller controlling a 5-axis machine tool compensates setting error that arises when a workpiece is set on the table. Error in the three linear axes and the two rotation axes are compensated using preset error amounts to keep the calculated tool position and tool direction in a command coordinate system. If a trigonometric function used for error compensation has a plurality of solution sets, the solution set closest to the tool direction in the command coordinate system is selected from the plurality of solution sets and used as the positions of the two rotation axes compensated in the above error compensation.

Numerical controller having workpiece setting error compensation means

If the angle &#x3b1; formed between the interpolated cutting surface perpendicular direction vector (It, Jt, Kt) and the interpolated tool direction vector (Ttx, Tty, Ttz) becomes smaller, movement of a tool becomes unstable. In this case, the tool diameter compensation vector (TCx, TCy, TCz) is set to the tool diameter compensation vector calculated in the immediately previous interpolation cycle, thereby preventing unstable movement. Further, in case of a block instruction where a distance between positions in cutting point instructions is large whereas distance of movement of linear axis control point is small, an excessive cutting may occur. To deal with this problem, movement of linear axis control point in a current block is stopped or converted into linear movement so as to prevent a loop-shaped movement of the linear axis control point.

Numerical control method for five-axis processing machine

A numerical controller configured to enable machining of a conical surface such that vectors at a start point, an end point, and an interpolation point of a circular arc and their extensions never cross one another. Normal direction vectors Vnors and Vnore, tangential direction vectors Vtans and Vtane, and tool posture vectors Vts and Vte at the starting and end points are obtained based on programmed positions PA' and PB&#x2032; of the starting and end points, a circle center position, and rotational positions of two rotary axes. Based on these vectors, tangential direction angles as and ae and the normal direction angles bs and be with respect to tool postures at the starting and end points are obtained. Normal and tangential direction vectors Vnori and Vtani and angles ai and bi at the interpolation point are obtained by interpolating the normal and tangential direction vectors and angles at the starting and end points, whereby a tool posture vector Vti at the interpolation point is obtained. The rotational positions of the rotary axes and positions of linear axes are obtained based on the tool posture vector Vti at the interpolation point. Circular machining can be also performed for a three-dimensional programmed circular arc.

Numerical controller

A method of generating a smooth curve to perform interpolation from a commanded sequence of points by a numerical controller for a multi-axis machine tool having three linear axes and two or more rotary axes. Corrected command points are obtained for linear axes and for rotary axes. Components of corrected command points for linear axes and corrected command points for rotary axes are synthesized with each other so as to obtain a synthesized corrected command point. A curve passing through the synthesized corrected command points is generated to perform interpolation. As a result, a more appropriate curve interpolation method for a multi-axis machine tool having two or more rotary axes can be performed.

Curve interpolating method

A work is installed on a table of a machine tool, and the coordinate system on the work is (X', Y&#x2032;, Z&#x2032;). Each three points on respective three faces of the work, which are orthogonal to one another, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H and I, are detected with a touch probe. From three points on the same plane, each of three formulas of planes which lies on the three points, respectively, are obtained. A position O&#x2032; (X, Y, Z) of a point where the three plane intersect with one another is obtained. This position is a parallel translation error. From these three plane formulas, points on the X&#x2032;, Y&#x2032; and Z&#x2032; axes each being distant from the position O&#x2032; by the length L are obtained. Rotation matrices are obtained from the respective points, position O&#x2032; (X, Y, Z), and L. Rotary direction errors are obtained using the rotation matrices. In this manner, a work location error which is composed of the three-dimensional parallel translation error and three-dimensional rotary direction errors is obtained.

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Yamanashi, Japan

Soichiro Ide