WIRE-CUT ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE MACHINING APPARATUS

Abstract: Wire-cut electrical discharge machining apparatus is provided with a wire-cut electrical discharge machining function and a laser machining function. The laser machining is used to effect coarse machining at high speeds. The finishing is effected by the wire-cut electrical discharge machining maintaining high precision. The wire-cut electrical discharge machining appts. is equipped with a laser oscillator (9) for laser machining, and a column (8) is equipped with laser beam irradiation means (10) which adjoins an upper wire electrode to a work (3) that is to be irradiated with a laser beam (12). The wire-cut electrical discharge machining appts. is also provided with a numerical controller which alternatingly switches the wire-cut discharge machining operation and the laser machining operation and moves relative positions of the wire electrode (6) and the work (3) as well as relative positions of the laser beam irradiation means (10) and the work (3) along predetermined loci.

Description: This invention relates to an improvement applicable to a wire electrode type electrical discharge machining equipment. More specifically, this invention relates to an improvement which is applicable to a wire electrode type electrical discharge machining equipment and which is developed for the purpose to decrease the length of time required for machining particularly for roughing (rough machining), without being accompanied by an increase in the floor space and/or in the economical burden. The major one of the conventional methods for producing a metal mold to be employed for pressing work was a method in which a die sinking machine and a grinder were employed in combination. At present, however, electrical discharge machining, particularly wire electrode type electrical discharge machining has replaced the foregoing conventional method. Wire electrode type electrical discharge machining allows a workpiece of a conductor e.g. an extremely hard metal to be machined in a complicated and irregular shape with high accuracy or within the maximum error range of 1 micrometer and with a very high grade of smoothness for the machined surface. On the other hand, laser machining equipment is available with which an arbitrary workpiece can be machined in a complicated and irregular shape at an extremely high machining rate (approximately 1 m/min). The laser machining is, however, involved with a drawback in which the machining accuracy is unsatisfactory and particularly the smoothness of the machined surface is awkward.This is due to the principle of laser machining which is based on a local melting of an extremely small part of a workpiece, the local melting being caused by exposure of the small part of the workpiece with a laser beam having a small area and a very high energy density. A wire electrode type electrical discharge machining generally consists of two steps including the first step in which roughing is conducted at a relatively high machining rate and the second step in which finishing is conducted at a relatively low machining rate. In any case, however, wire electrode type electrical discharge machining is involved with a drawback wherein the machining rate is low, resultantly requiring a long time for machining a unit quantity of a workpiece. Even in the case of roughing, the machining rate is approximately 10 mm/min, provided the thickness of the workpiece is approximately 10 mm, despite the corresponding rate of laser machining is approximately 1 m/min. The object of this invention is to remove the drawback presented above and to provide a wire electrode type electrical discharge machining equipment having a high machining rate, particularly for a rough machining step. JP-A-61-219535 implicitly discloses machining equipment comprising a laser machining device, for rough machining of a workpiece; in conjunction with a wire electrode type electrical discharge machining device which includes a wire electrode fed by a feeder so that it extends under tension between upper and lower wire electrode guides, and an electric power supply for supplying electrical pulses to the wire electrode, for subsequent finish machining of the crankpiece; and, according to the invention; such equipment is characterised by numerical control equipment; an X-Y table for supporting the workpiece during both the rough and finish machining and being driven by a servomechanism which is controlled by the numerical control equipment; a column adjacent to the X-Y table, the column supporting adjacent to one another both the upper wire electrode guide and a laser emitter of the laser machining device, the laser emitter being supplied with light by a laser generator; and an arm extending from the column and supporting the lower wire electrode guide; and by the numerical control equipment comprising a first means for issuing commands to the servomechanism for controlling the relative location of the workpiece and the wire electrode, a second means for issuing commands to the servomechanism controlling the relative location of the workpiece and the laser emitter, and a third means for selecting one of the first and second means. In the accompanying drawings: Fig. 1 is a schematic side view of machining equipment in accordance with one embodiment of this invention. Referring to Fig. 1, a numerical control equipment 1 memorises the shape to which a workpiece is to be machined, variable conditions of machining including the algorithms both for laser machining which is roughing and for a wire electrode type electrical discharge machining which is finishing, and a function to select either the laser machining mode or the wire electrode type electrical discharge machining mode. A workpiece 3 is placed on an X-Y table 2 which is transfered in a horizontal plane by a servomechanism (not shown) controlled by the numerical control equipment 1, which controls the servomechanism (not shown) to guide the X-Y table 2 with respect to a laser emitter 10 or a wire electrode 6 to allow the workpiece 3 to move along a route predetermined with respect to the laser emitter 10 or the wire electrode 6, for the purpose to allow the laser emitter 10 or the wire electrode 6 and the workpiece 3 to maintain a predetermined geometrical relation. A column 8 which is arranged close to the X-Y table 2, supports the laser emitter 10 for laser machining and an upper wire electrode guide 4 for a wire electrode type electrical discharge machining. The laser emitter 10 functions to collect the laser light emitted by the laser generator 9 and to emitt a laser beam 12 toward the workpiece 3 for laser machining. An arm 13 supports a lower wire electrode guide 5, and allows the wire electrode 6 which is fed by a wire electrode feeder 7 to penetrate the workpiece 3 and to extend under tension between an upper wire electrode guide 4 and the lower wire electrode guide 5. The wire electrode 6 is supplied with electric pulses by an electric power supply (not shown) for wire electrode type electrical discharge machining. Presented below will be the procedure for wire electrode type electrical discharge machining employing the foregoing wire electrode type electrical discharge machining equipment. The first step is an employment of the numerical control equipment 1 and the servomechanism (not shown) for the purpose to move the X-Y table 2 with respect to the laser emitter 10 to allow the relative location of these members to maintain a predetermined relation. During this move, laser machining is conducted for roughing a workpiece. The machining rate of this roughing is approximately 1 m/min, which is 100 times as fast as that of wire electrode type electrical discharge machining. The second step is another employment of the numerical control equipment 1 and the servomechanism (not shown), such control being conducted, using the wire electrode 6 rather than the laser emitter 10 as the refence, for the purpose to move the X-Y table 2 with respect to the wire electrode 6 to allow the relative location of these members to maintain a predetermined relation. During this move, a wire electrode type electrical discharge machining is conducted for finishing the foregoing workpiece. The foregoing procedure including two steps realizes a combined advantage including the excellent machining accuracy and smoothness of the machined surface inherent to the wire electrode type electrical discharge machining and high machining rate inherent to the laser machining. The foregoing description has clarified that this invention is a combination of laser machining and wire electrode type electrical discharge machining, developed for the purpose to allow a wire electrode type electrical discharge machining equipment to enjoy an advantage which can not be allowed without using this combination of the two independent machinings. In other words, after a roughing is conducted at a high rate of 1 m/min employing a laser machining equipment, a finishing is conducted with excellent accuracy in which the error is no larger than 1 micrometer, employing a wire electrode type electrical discharge machining equipment. The machining procedure of this invention can be assumed to be realized by a laser machining equipment and a wire electrode type electrical discharge machining equipment each of which is installed independently from each other. In reality, however, this concept is unrealistic particularly from the practical viewpoints. Moreover, realization of the above concept is understood to be entirely impossible from the practical viewpoints, based on the following reasons. a. Since a laser machining equipment and a wire electrode type electrical discharge machining equipment independently require a numerical control equipment, a servomechanism, an X-Y table, a column, and the like of its own, the above concept is inevitably accompanied by a double investment, causing an unreasonablly heavy economical burden. b. The required floor space is two times as large as either a laser machining equipment or a wire electrode type electrical discharge machining equipment. c. After roughing conducted employing a laser machining equipment, a procedure for fitting a wire electrode type electrical discharge machining equipment with a workpiece is required with high accuracy, such a fitting procedure requiring a long working time including the time for preparation. Even if this long working time required for fitting a wire electrode type electrical discharge machining equipment with a workpiece, is ignored, it is absolutely difficult to fit a wire electrode type electrical discharge machining equipment with a roughed workpiece with high accuracy. Therefore, the burden for a wire electrode type electrical discharge machining equipment will be identical to that which is required for an unroughed or entirely new workpiece. In other words, if a laser machining equipment and a wire electrode type electrical discharge machining equipment are independently installed, a single workpiece requires fitting procedure independently two times. This means a waiver of the most important item of the advantages which are realized by the wire electrode type electrical discharge machining equipment in accordance with this invention. The foregoing description has clarified that the above concept wherein a laser machining equipment and a wire electrode type electrical discharge machining equipment are independently installed is entirely insignificant from the practical viewpoints. The foregoing description has clarified that the wire electrode type electrical discharge machining equipment in accordance with this invention, is allowed to enjoy the advantage inherent to the laser machining and the advantage inherent to the wire electrode type electrical discharge machining, because a roughing is conducted at a high machining rate of 1 m/min, before a finishing is conducted with high accuracy in which the error is no larger than 1 micrometer. Further, since this invention is a combination of a laser machining equipment and a wire electrode type electrical discharge machining equipment, a wire electrode type electrical discharge machining equipment in accordance with this invention is allowed to enjoy various advantages which are caused exclusively by this combination, including (a) a less economical burden and a less floor space, because the numerical control equipment, the servomechanism, the X-Y table, the column et al. can be employed both for a laser machining equipment and for a wire electrode type electrical discharge machining equipment, (b) a less magnitude of error to be caused by fitting of a workpiece, because a single fitting is enough both for a laser machining equipment and for a wire electrode type electrical discharge machining equipment, and a less nagnitude of working time employed for fitting and for the preparation therefor, because a single fitting is enough both for a laser machining equipment and for a wire electrode type electrical discharge machining equipment. The foregoing description has clarified that a wire electrode type electrical discharge machining equipment having advantages that the economical burden and floor space are less, the machining time particularly required for roughing is less, is successfully provided by this invention.

Claims: Machining equipment comprising a laser machining device (9,10), for rough machining of a workpiece (3); in conjunction with a wire electrode type electrical discharge machining device which includes a wire electrode (6) fed by a feeder (7) so that it extends under tension between upper and lower wire electrode guides (4,5), and an electric power supply for supplying electrical pulses to the wire electrode, for subsequent finish machining of the workpiece (3); characterised by numerical control equipment (1); an X-Y table (2) for supporting the workpiece (3) during both the rough and finish machining and being driven by a servomechanism which is controlled by the numerical control equipment (1); a column (8) adjacent to the X-Y table (2), the column supporting adjacent to one another both the upper wire electrode guide (4) and a laser emitter (10) of the laser machining device, the laser emitter (10) being supplied with light by a laser generator (9); and an arm extending from the column and supporting the lower wire electrode guide (5); and by the numerical control equipment (1) comprising a first means for issuing commands to the servomechanism for controlling the relative location of the workpiece (3) and the wire electrode (6), a second means for issuing commands to the servomechanism controlling the relative location of the workpiece (3) and the laser emitter (10), and a third means for selecting one of the first and second means.

Inventors: GAMO, GOTARO 9-13, KINUGAOKA 1-CHOME, KARUBE, NORIO 9-28, MINAMITUKUSHINO 1-CHOME
Applicants: FANUC LTD.
Application year: 1989
Main classification: B23P23
IPC codes: B23P23, B23H7, B23K26, B23H5