Workpiece support apparatus and method
US4585217A · kind A · utility
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 20, 1983 |
| Grant date | Apr 29, 1986 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 20, 2003 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T409/309072
- WIPO fieldMachine tools
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
Four square tooling plates each have an outer surface on which a plurality of workpieces are attached. The inner face of each tooling plate is precisely attached to a respective vertical surface of a rectangular block by means of a dowel extending into geometrically centered holes in the vertical face of the block and the tooling plate. Precise rotational alignment of the tooling plate with the block is achieved by a peg extending from the vertical face of the block into a timing hole in the tooling plate spaced from the center hole thereof. The block, with workpiece-loaded tooling plates thereon, is lowered onto a rotary table so that a geometric axis of the block is perfectly aligned with the rotational axis of the rotary table. Rotational alignment of the block with the rotary table is achieved by mating of keys extending from the bottom of a base plate of the block into keyways in the surface of the rotary table. A numerically controlled machining device automatically machines each workpiece on the first tooling plate, causes rotation of the rotary table by 90 degrees, machines the workpieces on the second tooling plate, again indexes the rotary table 90 degrees, etc. After all…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.