Quick change spindle adaptor for tool holder

A quick change spindle adaptor for a power driven spindle having an axial bore and a tool holder having a shank axially projected into the spindle. A sleeve is secured upon the spindle and an outer shell is rotatably mounted upon the sleeve and retained thereon and includes a nut. A conical recess within the inner bore surface at the forward end of the spindle defines an axial bearing and receives a centering cone on the tool holder for maintaining an axial self alignment of the tool holder and spindle. Spaced threaded segments upon the tool holder are threadedly engaged by the nut for axially anchoring the tool holder upon the spindle and for biasing the centering cone into engagement with the spindle bearing.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to over spindle adaptors for quick change 
tooling on high volume multiple spindle machine tools. 
RELATED PATENT APPLICATION 
The present application is co-pending with application Ser. No. 943,825 
filed Dec. 29, 1986 of Applicant's Assignee, entitled Quick Change Spindle 
Adaptor For Tool Holder, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,710,079, dated Dec. 1, 1987. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Previously in the use of over the spindle adaptors for quick change tool 
holders such as set forth in the co-pending application there was employed 
a retractible spring biased sleeve mounted upon a body on a spindle having 
an internal taper engaging a series of balls mounted within the body 
extending from its opposite sides for operative retaining engagement with 
a tapered collar on the tool holder for operatively retaining the tool 
holder within and upon the spindle. In working with aluminum parts, the 
cuttings often got into and piled up within the ball assemblies and 
related parts. 
With increased usage of aluminum castings and the boring into such castings 
with certain types of multiple spindle tools, the tools employed are 
approximately one-third the length of the tools previously used on 
multiple spindle drill heads or on single spindle applications. 
There is a need for an improved quick change spindle adaptor wherein ball 
bearings are not needed to effectively anchor the tool holder within and 
upon the spindle and to axially bias the tool holder and the tool mounted 
thereon into the spindle. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
An important feature of the present invention is to provide an improved 
quick change spindle adaptor for a tool holder assembly, wherein the ball 
bearings have been omitted and replaced by a fastening nut rotatably 
mounted and anchored upon the quick change spindle adaptor assembly for 
cooperative registry with a threaded means upon the tool holder. Such 
threaded means is operatively received and threadedly engaged by the nut 
upon the adaptor so as to axially secure the tool holder upon the spindle 
with the tool holder shank projected into the spindle bore and 
self-centered therein. 
As an important feature the power rotated spindle includes an axial bore 
and at its forward end is adapted to receive the tool holder. A conical 
recess is formed within the inner bore surface at the forward end of the 
spindle defining a conical bearing adapted to receive a centering cone 
upon and around the tool holder. The centering cone is arranged forwardly 
of the tool holder shank and is in snug axial registry with said bearing 
for maintaining an axial self-alignment of the tool holder and spindle. 
As still another feature a nut it rotatably mounted and anchored upon a 
sleeve secured to the spindle for limited rotary adjustment and adapted to 
threadedly receive the corresponding threaded member upon the tool holder 
forwardly of the centering cone thereon for axially anchoring the tool 
holder upon the spindle and for biasing the centering cone into continuous 
inward engagement within the spindle bearing. 
As still another feature, a sleeve is mounted upon the spindle and secured 
thereto and over the sleeve is rotatably mounted an outer shell retained 
thereon against longitudinal movement and including a forwardly arranged 
internally threaded nut adapted to threadedly engage a corresponding 
threaded member upon the tool holder for axially anchoring the tool holder 
upon the spindle. 
As another feature the internally threaded nut upon the outer shell 
includes a pair of 180.degree. related axial windows or interruptions in 
the threads adapted to cooperatively receive a pair of opposed 180.degree. 
related threaded segments upon the tool holder whereby a limited angular 
rotation of the nut relative to the threaded segments is adapted to 
axially anchor the tool holder upon the spindle and at the same time bias 
the centering cone into continuous inward engagement and nesting within 
the conical spindle bearing. 
As still another feature, mounted upon the tool holder is an annular chip 
guard of a flexible material such as rubber having at one end an annular 
sleeve snugly engaging the tool holder and at its outer periphery a 
tapered flange in wiping and sealing registry with the nut on the outer 
shell for excluding chips, debris and lubricants from the interior of the 
nut, adaptor and the spindle. 
As a further feature an additional flexible boot of rubber or equivalent 
material is snugly mounted around the outer shell and extends axially over 
exposed portions of the sleeve upon the spindle and includes a radial 
apertured flange at one end in sealing registry with the spindle for 
excluding chips, debris, and lubricants from the interior of the quick 
change adaptor, spindle and nut assembly. 
As an important feature of the present invention the threaded means by 
which the adaptor is anchored to a tool holder may be employed to other 
tool holders mounting a tool and having a elongated shank projected into 
the bore of a power rotated spindle and keyed thereto, and wherein 
independent means are employed for centering the tool holder with respect 
to the spindle. 
These and other objects and features will be seen from the following 
specification and claims in conjunction with the appended drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION 
Referring to the Drawings the present quick change spindle adaptor 11 for a 
tool holder assembly, FIG. 3, is used in conjunction with the power 
rotated spindle 13, fragmentarily shown, adapted for connection to a power 
rotated multiple spindle drill head 15 of a machine tool schematically 
shown. The present quick change spindle adaptor may be used upon a single 
power driven spindle, but in most systems is employed in conjunction with 
high volume multiple spindle machine tools. 
Spindle 13 has a forward end of a reduced diameter and a longitudinal bore 
19 adapted to receive tool holder 49, FIG. 1. Said spindle has a 
longitudinal keyway 21 therein adapted to receive a Woodruff Key 59 or 
other key normally mounted upon the tool holder. 
The spindle 13 sometimes referred to as having a forward end includes a 
conical recess 23 within its inner bore surface at its forward end 
defining a conical bearing. The conical recess 23 opens forwardly and 
outwardly. The included angle between opposite sides of the conical 
bearing, FIG. 3, is 50.degree., approximately, in the illustrative 
embodiment. 
Sleeve 25 is mounted over spindle 13 at its forward end and is secured in 
position by the radial set screw 27. Said set screw extends through a 
radial aperture 29 in sleeve 25 and is threaded at 31 into spindle 13, 
FIGS. 3 and 5. 
In the modification shown in FIG. 6, the set screw 27' has a button head 
adapted to operatively engage the normally convex thrust washer 30 within 
sleeve 25 and bearing against spindle 13. The button head is held in 
compression to more firmly retain said sleeve. 
A pair of annular grooves 33 are formed within sleeve 25 adapted to receive 
locking rings 35 and 37, FIGS. 3 and 6. Annular outer shell 39 is 
rotatively positioned upon sleeve 25 and includes an internal annular 
flange 41 in engagement with said sleeve. Said flange upon its opposite 
sides is retainingly engaged bythe lock rings or snap rings 35 and 37. 
This provides a means of rotatably mounting the outer shell 39 upon sleeve 
25 and restraining said sleeve against relative longitudinal movements. 
The forward end of the outer shell 39 terminates in the nut 43 which is 
interiorly threaded at 45 throughout 360.degree., with the exception of a 
pair of 180.degree. axial windows 47 therein FIG. 4. 
QUICK CHANGE TOOL HOLDER ASSEMBLY 
The present tool holder assembly is generally indicated at 49, FIGS. 1 and 
3, sometimes referred to as a true tapered collet chuck holder assembly 
for supportively mounting the tool T which may be a drill, a reamer or a 
counter boring tool, fragmentarily shown in FIG. 1. The tool holder 
assembly includes annular body 51 intermediate its ends upon which are 
arranged a pair of opposed 180.degree. related thread segments 53, FIGS. 1 
and 2. Thread segments 53 are adapted for registry within nut windows 47 
and with the interior threads 45 of nut 43, FIG. 3. In such assembly as 
the tool holder 49 is assembled into the bore of spindle 13 the 
corresponding opposed thread segments 53 are axially projected into and 
through the axial windows 47 in nut 43 which is a part of outer shell 39. 
Tool holder 49 includes an elongated cylindrical shank 55 which extends to 
one end thereof and is adapted for a sliding projection into the forward 
end of the corresponding bore 19 of the spindle. Annular centering cone 57 
is formed upon the tool holder forwardly of shank 55 and adjacent the 
annular body 51 and thread segments 53. The centering cone surfaces define 
an included angle of 50.degree., approximately, corresponding to the 
included angle between the corresponding opposed walls of conical recess 
23 formed in the forward end of spindle 13. Centering cone 57 is 
complimental to conical recess 23 and adapted for cooperative snug nesting 
and axial assembly thereinto, FIG. 3. 
In the basic assembly using the conical bearing surface 23 and the 
centering cone 57, said cone is designed to seat solidly against the 
spindle face. The independant movement of the lock in cone 57 permits 
proper clamping on the center line of the spindle utilizing the present 
quick change spindle adapter and including the nut 43. 
The positive drive assembly 63 is threaded into the bore 61 and is adapted 
to operatively engage the tang 71 upon the inner end of tool T for a 
driving relation therebetween. By longitudinally adjusting the positive 
drive assembly 63 relative to bore 61 the extension of tool T from the 
outer end of the tool holder may be adjusted. 
The body extension 65 of the tool holder 49 is exteriorly threaded. There 
is mounted thereon a conventional threaded nose piece 67 which mounts a 
conventional split collet assembly 69 adapted to axially grip the tool T, 
fragmentarily shown which may be a drill, a counter boring tool, a reamer 
or other tool. Such tool is normally arranged upon the longitudinal axis 
of tool holder 49 and secured therein upon the tightening of nose piece 67 
in an conventional manner. Its description is not repeated herein. 
As shown in FIG. 3 a chip guard 73 of flexible material such as rubber 
includes an annular mount sleeve 75 which surrounds the tool holder body 
extension 65. Portions of the chip guard extend radially outward and 
terminate in the tapered annular flange 77 in operative wiping and sealing 
engagement with the outer shell and nut assembly 39. The chip guard serves 
to exclude chips, debris and lubricants from the interior of the nut 
assembly, spindle and spindle adaptor. 
The protective boot 79 of cylindrical shape, FIG. 5, is mounted around 
outer shell 39 and is constructed of flexible material such as rubber. The 
boot extends over an exposed portion of sleeve 25 and includes radial wall 
81 apertured to cooperatively register with the forward end of spindle 13. 
Boot 79 protectively seals and encloses outer shell 39, sleeve 25 and the 
spindle to exclude chips, debris and lubricant from the interior of the 
quick change adaptor, from the nut assembly and from the spindle. 
In the modification shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 there is shown a tool holder 
shaft 83 of general construction which is exteriorly threaded at 85 over 
which a nut 87, internally threaded at 89, is threaded, and secured as by 
a set screw 27 and includes a pair of 180.degree. related thread segments 
91 adapted for use in conjunction with the adaptor assembly of FIG. 6. 
The quick change spindle adapter, shown in FIG. 6, is substantially the 
same as above described with respect to FIG. 5 except that the sleeve 25 
has been elongated. The spindle element 13 receiving sleeve 25 is longer. 
There is the longitudinal bore 19 axially of spindle 13 to receive a tool 
holder. There is no centering cone as shown at 23 in FIG. 5. The spindle 
adapter assembly 39, 25 shown in FIG. 6 may be used with other types of 
tool holders which have different means for effecting an alignment between 
the tool holder and the spindle. 
All that is required is that the tool holder shank 83 in FIGS. 7 and 8 is 
exteriorly threaded at 85 to receive the nut 87 having the threaded bore 
89, secured in position upon the shaft 83 by set screw 27. The adapter 
assembly including outer shell 39 and nut 43, 45 retained on sleeve 25 
cooperatively receives the pair of opposed thread segments 91 upon nut 87 
in the same manner as above described relative to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5. Here 
also the corresponding thread segments 91 are initially assembled axially 
into the corresponding windows 47 of the nut 43 upon the quick change 
adapter outer shell 39 and thereafter the nut 45 is rotated a limited 
distance as for example up to 90.degree. more or less, or such sufficient 
angle as to fixedly anchor the tool holder to the spindle. 
This is effective for securing the tool in holder and tool axial alignment 
within and upon the power rotated spindle. 
With the present quick change spindle adapter changes in tooling will take 
five (5) seconds as compared to standard methods taking up to two (2) 
minutes. Having described our invention, reference should now be had to 
the following claims.