Flexible rail multiaxis machine tool and method
US7216408B2 · kind B2 · utility
31Cited by
18References
25Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 27, 2004 |
| Grant date | May 15, 2007 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 27, 2024 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T409/306384
- WIPO fieldMachine tools
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A flexible rail machine tool couples temporarily to a structure by vacuum cups and positions a tool head at any desired point over an area. The toolhead can perform operations such as drilling, bolt insertion, and acquisition of dimension data. The flexible rail can conform to surface curvature in one or more axes. Tool head perpendicularity to the structure can be sensed and adjusted as needed. The as-attached position of the rail may be compensated for through coordinate transformation, allowing holes, for example, to be placed with substantial precision.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.