A method of cutting metallic foams that eliminates the problem of smeared surfaces is provided. The method involves infiltration of the foam with another material to serve as a support structure to the foam when being cut. The method can be executed using softer polymeric materials such as waxes, which are then frozen for machining. These materials are subsequently heated and removed from the foam. In a similar manner, epoxy material can be used, which requires no freezing. In this method, the epoxy material is burnt from the foam upon completion of machining. The method allows for machining foams using conventional machining processes, rather than non traditional methods such as electrical discharge machining.

A machine tool and a control apparatus thereof include an amplitude control unit to control the amplitude of reciprocal vibration by a vibration unit. The amplitude control unit is configured to reduce the amplitude of the reciprocal vibration by the vibration unit as a cutting tool is fed in a feeding direction when the cutting tool reaches a predetermined cutting tool work stopping position on a workpiece in the feeding direction (Z-axis direction) to prevent the cutting tool from cutting the workpiece beyond the cutting tool work stopping position.

A plurality of mass-produced identical multi-component housings for toothbrush handles, each housing having a length of about 120-200 mm, which is at least three times greater than a maximal orthogonal dimension thereof. Each housings includes at least a first component made of a first hard-plastic material, a second component made of a second hard-plastic material, and a third component made of a soft-plastic material, which are integrally joined together to form a generally tubular structure. Each housing includes a tolerance-elimination element made of the second plastic material, attached to one of first component's ends, at least partially overmolded by the soft-plastic material, and having an average length of about 3-20 mm, which average length varies among at least some of the tolerance-elimination elements by a lengthwise dimension that is at least ten times greater than the lengthwise maximal dimension variations of the length among the individual multi-component housings.

A control device for a machine tool and a machine tool, for which settings of the number of vibrations per rotation become easy, is provided. The control device of the machine tool controls a relative rotation between a workpiece and a cutting tool and a relative reciprocal movement between the workpiece and the cutting tool in a feed direction to perform vibration cutting to the workpiece. The control device includes a control section for controlling a spindle headstock, a first tool post, and a second tool post, the workpiece W being installed on the spindle headstock, the first tool post being provided to be reciprocally movable along the feed direction with respect to the spindle headstock and installed with a first cutting tool for cutting the workpiece, and the second tool post being provided to be reciprocally movable along the feed direction with respect to the spindle headstock independently of the first tool post and installed with a second cutting tool for cutting the workpiece.

A control device for a machine tool and a machine tool, for which settings of the number of vibrations per rotation become easy, is provided. The control device of the machine tool controls a relative rotation between a workpiece and a cutting tool and a relative reciprocal movement between the workpiece and the cutting tool in a feed direction to perform vibration cutting to the workpiece. The control device includes a control section for controlling a spindle headstock, a first tool post, and a second tool post, the workpiece W being installed on the spindle headstock, the first tool post being provided to be reciprocally movable along the feed direction with respect to the spindle headstock and installed with a first cutting tool for cutting the workpiece, and the second tool post being provided to be reciprocally movable along the feed direction with respect to the spindle headstock independently of the first tool post and installed with a second cutting tool for cutting the workpiece.

In a machine tool and a control apparatus thereof, a repetitive movement unit is configured so that the cutting tool performs one repetitive movement with respect to multiple relative rotations between the workpiece and the cutting tool and so that a rotation angle of the relative rotation between the workpiece and the cutting tool during relative movement at a second speed is smaller than a rotation angle of the relative rotation during relative movement at a first speed in one repetitive movement. This configuration limits degradation of machining efficiency when the cutting tool machines the workpiece by performing one repetitive movement with respect to multiple relative rotations between the workpiece and the cutting tool.

A numerical controller stores tool data (including information on an inclination and length of a linear blade of a tool), reads an instruction block from a program, analyzes the instruction block, and generates instruction data indicating a movement amount of the tool on each axis instructed by the instruction block. Further, when performing taper machining, the numerical controller calculates a compensating amount for compensating an instructed path, based on the stored tool data, such that an actually-machined taper angle matches a taper angle instructed by the instruction block, compensates the generated instruction data based on the calculated compensating amount, and outputs the compensated instruction data.

A rotation mechanism 9 rotates a spindle 2a to which a workpiece 6 is attached. A feed mechanism 8 feeds a cutting edge 4a positioned obliquely relative to a rotation axis of the workpiece 6 in a direction containing a cutting direction component orthogonal to the rotation axis with the cutting edge 4a cutting into the workpiece 6 to machine a surface of the workpiece 6. The cutting edge 4a of a cutting tool 4 has been formed by scanning a cylindrical irradiation region including a focused spot of laser light over a diamond-coated layer of a chip base material.

A rotation mechanism 9 rotates a spindle 2a to which a workpiece 6 is attached. A feed mechanism 8 feeds a cutting edge 4a positioned obliquely relative to a rotation axis of the workpiece 6 in a direction containing a cutting direction component orthogonal to the rotation axis with the cutting edge 4a cutting into the workpiece 6 to machine a surface of the workpiece 6. The cutting edge 4a of a cutting tool 4 has been formed by scanning a cylindrical irradiation region including a focused spot of laser light over a diamond-coated layer of a chip base material.

The invention relates to a method, a tool receptacle (13), and an apparatus for turning a face of a workpiece (2, 102) with a tool (3), wherein the workpiece (2, 102) is held in a workpiece receptacle (12) rotating about an axis of rotation (100) of a workpiece spindle, wherein, for producing and/or machining a workpiece contour having convex and/or concave portions on the face (20) that extend over defined angles of rotation, the tool (3) and the workpiece (2, 102) are moved back and forth relative to one another in an axial movement along the axis of rotation (100) of the workpiece spindle, said axis being synchronized with the rotational movement of the workpiece (2, 102), and wherein a blade (30) of the tool (3) is aligned at least in the cutting direction and/or transverse to the cutting direction opposite to the surface normals (N) of the workpiece contour to be produced and/or machined, in such a way that an effective clearance angle (α) and an effective cutting angle (γ) remain at least virtually constant opposite to the surface normals (N). The invention relates to a workpiece (2, 102) having a turned face.