Excellon Automation

William V Smith

A cable passes over pulleys to precisely control the linear movement of a machine element back and forth along a guideway. The cable path connects multiple pulleys on stationary machine elements to multiple pulleys on the movable machine element, affording mechanical advantage to one driven pulley. A particular arrangement and alignment of the pulleys that pull in one direction with the pulleys that pull in the opposite direction cancel extraneous forces and moments and cause the resultant force to act on the center of gravity of the moving element.

Cable drive for drilling machine Z-axis

A method of precisely calibrating a spindle position with respect to a drilling apparatus worktable. The drilling apparatus includes a control device, which calculates an expected relative position of the spindle and the worktable based upon predetermined information, and the controlled movement of the spindle relative to the worktable. The method includes positioning the spindle in a first position, empirically determining the position of the spindle with respect to the worktable in both a first and a second direction, and determining a 'correction factor' between the expected spindle position relative to the worktable at the first position and the empirically determined spindle position relative to the worktable in the first and second directions. Also, a calibration device, including a body defining an aperture and an opening spaced from the aperture, a first sensor measuring the position of an object in the aperture in a first direction, a second sensor measuring the position of an object in the aperture in a second direction different from the first direction, and a third sensor measuring the direction of an object in the opening in the first direction. The sensors may be differential pressure transducers. The device includes means for securing the device to a worktable to prevent movement of the device in the first and second directions.

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Tustin, CA, United States of America

William V Smith