The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 13, 1990
Filed:
Jun. 13, 1988
Daniel J Seichter, Fond du Lac, WI (US);
David L Olofson, Fond du Lac, WI (US);
AMCA International Corporation, Hanover, NH (US);
Abstract
A dynamically compensating counterbalance enables a numerically controlled contouring head to maintain proper balance through large slide travels, cutting tool radial travels, and weight changes in the cutting tool at high speeds. A counterweight within the contouring head moves oppositely to the slide direction by means of a pair of interconnected fluid cylinders. Slide reciprocation under numerical control pumps the first cylinder to slave the second cylinder and the counterweight connected thereto. The counterweight is of a high density material, thereby enabling the counterweight to have lesser and proportional travel than the corresponding slide travel while maintaining proper counterbalance. Proportional slide and counterweight travels are accomplished by employing cylinders of an unequal areas. The invention includes a servo operated third cylinder in fluid communication with the first and second cylinders. The servo control senses certain imbalances and strokes the third cylinder to alter the fluid in the counterweight cylinder, thereby causing displacement of the counterweight without corresponding displacement of the slide, which remains under numerical control.