Patent ID: 6167324
Filing Date: 2000-12-26
Classification: B23D,Y10T

Abstract:
A monitoring system for a band saw machine of the type having a support bed for supporting a workpiece and a tool carriage which supports a band saw blade driven in a direction transverse to the workpiece, wherein at least one of the tool carriage and support bed is movable relative to the other, and the saw blade is driven relative to the workpiece during a cutting operation, said monitoring system comprising:at least one position sensor mounted on at least one of the tool carriage and the support bed for providing output signals representing the relative position of the band saw blade with respect to the support bed and the direction of movement of the saw blade relative to the support bed during the cutting operation;a processor coupled to the at least one position sensor for receiving the output signals provided by the position sensor and continuously calculating the feed rate of the saw blade with respect to the support bed and continuously tracking the direction of movement of the saw blade toward or away from the support bed;a data storage device coupled to the at least processor for storing data representing the feed rate calculated by the controller; anda display unit for providing a real-time display of the calculated feed rate.