Patent Publication Number: US-2022219273-A1

Title: Coolant supply device and machine tool

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a coolant supply device and a machine tool. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Supplying a coolant, while cutting a portion to be machined, can restrain heat generation of a workpiece and a tool due to cutting resistance and friction. Patent Literatures 1 and 2 disclose a configuration of a coolant supply device capable of changing an ejection direction of a coolant. 
     PRIOR ART LITERATURE 
     Patent Literature 
     Patent Literature 1: Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open No. S60-172646 
     Patent Literature 2: Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open No. H7-24542 
     SUMMARY 
     Technical Problem 
     However, according to the configurations of Patent Literatures 1 and 2, ejection of a coolant cannot be easily switched on and off. 
     The present invention has been made in view of the above problem, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a coolant supply device and a machine tool in which ejection of a coolant is easily switched on and off. 
     Solution to Problem 
     Firstly, the present invention provides a coolant supply device for supplying a coolant to a workpiece machining area in a machine tool, the coolant supply device comprising: a rotary nozzle formed to have a cylindrical shape and having, at an outer circumferential face thereof having the cylindrical shape, an ejection port for ejecting the coolant; and a supply device body rotatably supporting the rotary nozzle and configured to be capable of supplying the coolant to the rotary nozzle, characterized in that the supply device body is configured to be capable of switching an ejection allowed range in which the ejection port is opened and an ejection stopped range in which the ejection port is blocked from each other in accordance with rotation of the rotary nozzle. 
     Secondly, the present invention provides the coolant supply device, characterized in that the supply device body includes an opposed curved wall capable of blocking the ejection port by being opposed to the ejection port. 
     Thirdly, the present invention provides the coolant supply device, characterized in that the rotary nozzle includes an adjustment groove provided at an end face of the rotary nozzle and formed along the same direction as an ejection direction of the coolant from the ejection port. 
     Fourthly, the present invention provides a machine tool comprising any of the above coolant supply devices. 
     Effects of Invention 
     The present invention can produce the following effects. 
     In accordance with rotation, an ejection direction of a coolant can be changed, and accordingly the coolant supply device can be disposed, for example, below a spindle. Further, when the rotary nozzle rotates so that the supply device body blocks the ejection port, ejection of the coolant is stopped. Accordingly, ejection of the coolant can be easily switched on and off. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a view illustrating a machine tool in which a coolant supply device according to one embodiment of the present invention is installed. 
         FIG. 2  is an external perspective view of the coolant supply device. 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded front view of the coolant supply device. 
         FIG. 4  is a right side view of a supply device body. 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view taken along the line V-V in  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 7  is a view illustrating a coolant ejection allowed state. 
         FIG. 8  is a view illustrating a coolant ejection stopped state. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     Hereinafter, a coolant supply device  10  and a machine tool  1  of the present invention will be described in conjunction with the drawings. As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the machine tool  1  includes a spindle  2  and a tool rest  3 . The spindle  2  can grasp (hold) a workpiece W to be machined by means of a chuck. The workpiece W is formed to have a round rod shape, supported by the spindle  2  in a manner rotatable about a Z-axis, and supplied from rearward of the spindle  2  into a workpiece machining area P. 
     The coolant supply device  10  is disposed, for example, below the spindle  2  in the workpiece machining area P. The coolant supply device  10  is coupled to a coolant tank, and a coolant (also called a cutting oil) stored in the coolant tank is pumped up by a pump and supplied through the coolant supply device  10  to the workpiece W. The workpiece W is machined, while the coolant is poured thereon, into a predetermined shape using a tool  4  provided to the tool rest  3 . 
     The coolant supply device  10  includes a supply device body  20  and a rotary nozzle  40 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the supply device body  20  has a shape, for example, of substantially a rectangular solid with one corner cut off, and has a rectangular fixing face  21 . The fixing face  21  is fixed on a wall face which delimits the workpiece machining area P. The fixing face  21  is continuous with a front face  22  and a back face  23  in an X-axis direction, with a top face  24  and a bottom face  25  in a Y-axis direction, and is opposed to an open face  26 . 
     For example, the open face  26  has a stepped shape. The open face  26  has an open face  26   a  on a front face side and an open face  26   b  on a back face side, and the open face  26   a  on the front face side is disposed lower than the open face  26   b  on the back face side (closer to the fixing face  21 ). 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , an insertion hole  31  is formed in such a manner as to penetrate between the fixing face  21  and the open face  26   a  on the front face side. The insertion hole  31  has an inner diameter of a size allowing the rotary nozzle  40  to be inserted therein. The rotary nozzle  40  is rotatably inserted in the insertion hole  31 . 
     The insertion hole  31  has an inner wall extending to the open face  26   b  on the back face side and forming an opposed curved wall  32  which can be opposed to an outer circumferential face of the rotary nozzle  40 . The opposed curved wall  32  is formed between the open face  26   a  on the front face side and the open face  26   b  on the back face side and formed, for example, at a position from 12 o&#39;clock direction to 7 o&#39;clock direction, where, as illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the open face  26  as seen from the open face  26  side is regarded as a clock dial. In such a range from 12 o&#39;clock direction to 7 o&#39;clock direction (ejection stopped range S: indicated by the solid line in  FIG. 4 ), the opposed curved wall  32  is opposed to an ejection port  51  of the rotary nozzle  40  so as to block the ejection port  51 . 
     On the other hand, when the open face  26  is similarly regarded as a clock dial, for example, in a range from 7 o&#39;clock direction to 12 o&#39;clock direction (ejection allowed range V: indicated by the one-dot chain line in  FIG. 4 ), the opposed curved wall  32  is not opposed to the ejection port  51  and the ejection port  51  is opened. 
     Note that a curved face  33  is also formed at the front of the opposed curved wall  32 , and this curved face  33  extends downward from an end of the opposed curved wall  32  and does not block the ejection port  51 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the open face  26   a  on the front face side is provided with a fixing bolt hole  34  near the top face  24 . The fixing bolt hole  34  is provided parallel to the insertion hole  31  and penetrates the open face  26   a  on the front face side and the fixing face  21 . The open face  26   b  on the back face side is provided with a fixing bolt hole  35  near the bottom face  25 . The fixing bolt hole  35  is provided parallel to the insertion hole  31  and penetrates the open face  26   b  on the back face side and the fixing face  21 . A fixing bolt  71  is inserted into the fixing bolt hole  34  and a fixing bolt  72  is inserted into the fixing bolt hole  35 , and each of the fixing bolts  71 ,  72  is tightened, whereby the supply device body  20  can be fixed to a wall face of the workpiece machining area P. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , a hose hole  37  for providing a coolant supply hose  70  is provided between the bottom face  25  and the insertion hole  31  to penetrate the same (indicated by the broken line in  FIG. 3 ). The coolant can be supplied into the insertion hole  31  by connecting the coolant supply hose  70  to the hose hole  37  from the bottom face  25 . On the other hand, a stopper bolt hole  36  is provided between the top face  24  and the insertion hole  31  to penetrate the same (indicated by the broken line in  FIG. 3 ). A stopper bolt  73  is inserted into the stopper bolt hole  36  from the top face  24  so that a head end of the stopper bolt  73  comes into contact with a side wall of a small diameter portion  47  of the rotary nozzle  40 , thereby being capable of preventing the rotary nozzle  40  from slipping off of the supply device body  20 . 
     The rotary nozzle  40  includes a base portion  45  inserted into the insertion hole  31 , a trunk portion  50  having the ejection port  51  for the coolant at an outer circumferential face, and a head end portion  55  located on a side opposite to the base portion  45  to have the trunk portion  50  therebetween. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the rotary nozzle  40  has a cylindrical shape, and in the interior of the rotary nozzle  40 , a coolant flow passage  41  is formed along a rotation axis direction of the rotary nozzle  40  (the same as a Z-axis direction indicated in  FIG. 3 ). The coolant flow passage  41  extends from an end of the base portion  45  via the inside of the trunk portion  50  before the head end portion  55 . The coolant flow passage  41  is closed at the base portion  45  by a stopper member  60 . 
     The base portion  45  has an outer circumferential face formed with an annular groove  46  and provided with a seal member (for example, an O-ring)  61 . Thereby, leakage of the coolant from between the outer circumference of the rotary nozzle  40  and an inner circumference of the insertion hole  31  is prevented. 
     The small diameter portion  47  is formed near the annular groove  46 . The small diameter portion  47  can be opposed to a head end of the coolant supply hose  70  and functions as a coolant storage chamber before the coolant supplied from the coolant supply hose  70  is introduced into the coolant flow passage  41 . The small diameter portion  47  and the coolant flow passage  41  communicate with each other through an inlet hole  48 . Four pieces of inlet holes  48  in total are pierced in the small diameter portion  47 , for example, at certain intervals (for example, 90°). Into the small diameter portion  47 , the head end of the stopper bolt  73  can be also inserted. 
     For example, two pieces of ejection ports  51  are provided at the outer circumferential face of the trunk portion  50  along the rotation axis direction of the rotary nozzle  40  (the same as the Z-axis direction indicated in  FIG. 3 ). As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , an outlet hole  52  is formed in the trunk portion  50  in such a manner as to communicate the ejection portion  51  and the coolant flow passage  41  with each other. A direction in which the outlet hole  52  is formed corresponds to an ejection direction of the coolant from the ejection portion  51 . 
     The head end portion  55  has an adjustment groove  56  formed along the direction in which the outlet hole  52  is formed. The rotary nozzle  40  can be easily rotated relative to the supply device body  20  by disposing, for example, a flat head screwdriver at the adjustment groove  56  and then rotating the adjustment groove  56 . From a direction in which the adjustment groove  56  is formed, the ejection direction of the coolant can be estimated. Note that a joint for rotating the rotary nozzle  40  may be attached to the head end portion  55 . 
     Thus, the supply device body  20  allows the ejection allowed range V and the ejection stopped range S for a coolant to be switched from each other in accordance with rotation of the rotary nozzle  40 . 
     Specifically, when the coolant supply device  10  is disposed below the spindle  2 , as described with reference to  FIG. 1 , the adjustment groove  56  is rotated to orient the ejection port  51  toward diagonally upward. Accordingly, as illustrated in  FIG. 7(A) , a coolant C is supplied diagonally left upward, as seen in  FIG. 7(A) , to the workpiece W. 
     Meanwhile, when the coolant supply device  10  is disposed above the spindle  2 , the adjustment groove  56  can be also rotated to orient the ejection port  51  toward diagonally downward. Then, the coolant C is supplied diagonally left downward, as illustrated in  FIG. 7(B) , to the workpiece W. 
     On the other hand, when the coolant C is not to be supplied to the workpiece W, the adjustment groove  56  is rotated such that the ejection port  51  is oriented toward the opposed curved wall  32 . Specifically, when the open face  26  is regarded as a clock dial, placing the adjustment groove  56 , for example, at a position of 1 o&#39;clock direction, as illustrated in  FIG. 8(A) , allows the opposed curved wall  32  to block the ejection port  51  so that the coolant C is not supplied. 
     Further, placing the adjustment groove  56 , for example, at a position of 5 o&#39;clock direction, as illustrated in  FIG. 8(B) , also allows the opposed curved wall  32  to block the ejection port  51  so that the coolant C is not supplied. 
     Thus, the rotary nozzle  40  rotates so that an ejection direction of the coolant C can be changed, and accordingly the coolant supply device  10  can be disposed at any position, for example, below the spindle  2 , in the workpiece machining area P. Further, when the rotary nozzle  40  rotates so that the supply device body  20  blocks the ejection port  51 , ejection of the coolant C is stopped. Accordingly, ejection of the coolant C can be easily switched on and off. 
     The adjustment groove  56  may be rotated during ejection of the coolant C. In such a case, during coolant ejection, the ejection direction of the coolant C can be changed. Further, during ejection of the coolant C, the ejection allowed range V and the ejection stopped range S can be also switched from each other. 
     REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 
       1  machine tool 
       2  spindle 
       3  tool rest 
       4  tool 
       10  coolant supply device 
       20  supply device body 
       21  fixing face 
       22  front face 
       23  back face 
       24  top face 
       25  bottom face 
       26  open face 
       26   a  open face on front face side 
       26   b  open face on back face side 
       31  insertion hole 
       32  opposed curved wall 
       33  curved face 
       34  fixing bolt hole 
       35  fixing bolt hole 
       36  stopper bolt hole 
       37  hose hole 
       40  rotary nozzle 
       41  coolant flow passage 
       45  base portion 
       46  annular groove 
       47  small diameter portion 
       48  inlet hole 
       50  trunk portion 
       51  ejection port 
       52  outlet hole 
       55  head end portion 
       56  adjustment groove 
       60  stopper member 
       61  seal member 
       70  coolant supply hose 
       71  fixing bolt 
       72  fixing bolt 
       73  stopper bolt 
     W workpiece 
     P workpiece machining area 
     C coolant 
     V ejection allowed range 
     S ejection stopped range