Patent GB-1385317-A (GB)
Title: Method of in-feed control for improving the accuracy of machining of a workpiece and an apparatus for use in said method
IPC: B23Q15/12
Filed: 1971-12-29
Abstract: 1385317 Machine tool control TOSHIBA MACHINE CO Ltd 29 Dec 1971 [29 Dec 1970 (2)] 34572/74 Divided out of 60469/71 Heading B3D [Also in Division G3] A method of controlling the infeed, e.g. of a grinding wheel 54 during traverse grinding, e.g. of a roll 53 in order to compensate for wear of the wheel 54 and preferably also for resilient deflection of the wheel 54, roll 53 and their supporting structure, is based on deriving a first signal dependent on the cutting load on the grinding wheel 54 or other tool member during traverse. A control signal, having a valve dependent on the rate of wear of the tool is derived from the first signal and controls an infeed electric motor of the wheel 54. The first signal is compared with a second signal dependent on a predetermined cutting load figure. With the difference between the first and second signals within a given range, the infeed rate is increased when the first signal is larger than the second and decreased when the first signal is smaller than the second, so that wear of the wheel 54 is compensated as the wheel wears to a greater or lesser degree with greater or lesser load during a traversing movement. For deflection compensation in accordance with the load on the wheel 54, a second control signal having a valve dependent upon the deflection is derived from the first signal and the two control signals are summed to provide a composite third control signal for controlling the infeed motor in accordance with wear and deflection, the difference between the earlier mentioned first and second signals being used as before to determine the infeed rate and the tool being moved away from the work when the first signal is smaller than the second. Preferably the second control signal is derived by differentiating the first signal, to the product of the second signal and a factor depending on the deformation characteristics of the arrangement, with respect to time and the resultant third control signal is used to control the infeed speed, the latter being proportional to the differentiated signal, and governed in direction by the sign of said signal. The actual cutting load at the end of each traverse may be compared with a predetermined reference value of cutting load for determining the cutting power during the succeeding traverse to control the wear compensation rate, the actual cutting load being reduced when it is the greater at the end of traverse and increased when it is the smaller. In an example, Fig. 9, an infeed mechanism 44 producing a compensating infeed amount 25 included in a total amount 24 of material removed during grinding traverse is controlled by a signal 45 resulting from components produced by a resiliency compensating circuit 47 acting through a differentiator 46, and a wear compensating circuit 43, an input 23 to the circuits 43, 47 being provided from the armature current of a D.C. motor driving the grinding wheel 54. Further, Fig. 13 (not shown), in the grinding machine of Fig. 12, the control system may include limit switches (LS1), (LS2) operable to start and stop infeed at either end of the traverse, the monitored cutting load 23 and preset load figure (52) being fed into the circuit so that with the monitored power below the figure (52) infeed occurs at a constant rate, while above the value (52) the control comes into effect to feed the wheel 54 in accordance with the measured load.