Centering apparatuses and methods for precision placement of a product or component, such as a ceramic honeycomb body, prior to a post-production processing steps are provided. In particular, after extrusion of a component or ware, the component or ware oftentimes requires one or more post-production processing steps in order to obtain a final product. The centering apparatuses and methods described herein provide for the precise and accurate centering of the product (or component) prior to performing these post-production processing steps, thereby obtaining repeatable, consistent, high-quality final products.

A complex machine tool for cylindrical workpieces has a bed, a headstock assembly, at least one supporting assembly, and at least one machining assembly. The bed has three tracks being respectively a first track, a second track, a third track arranged in order. Each one of the three tracks defines a respective guiding direction, and the three guiding directions of the three tracks are mutually parallel. The headstock assembly is connected to the bed, and is located near one of two ends of the second track. The at least one supporting assembly is mounted on one of the three tracks and is used for supporting the cylindrical workpiece. The at least one machining assembly is mounted on one of the three tracks, is slidable along the track, and is located on a position at a spaced interval from the at least one supporting assembly.

A workpiece support device includes a shaft rotatable about a shaft rotation axis of the shaft, a first support, a first reciprocating mechanism, and a first connecting rod having one end and another end. The shaft extends along a longitudinal direction of a workpiece. The first support includes a first support roller that is rotatable about a first roller rotation axis orthogonal to the shaft rotation axis and that is configured to contact the workpiece to support the workpiece. The first reciprocating mechanism has one end connected to the first support and is configured to reciprocate in a first expansion-contraction axis direction. The one end of the first connecting rod is rotatably connected to the first support. The another end of the first connecting rod is connected to the shaft such that the another end of the first connecting rod is rotatable together with the shaft.

A spindle apparatus for use at a machine tool, having: an assembly including a workpiece spindle to receive an elongated workpiece and a motor for driving spindle rotation of the workpiece spindle about a spindle axis; a rotary guide-bush assembly being axially arranged with the workpiece spindle with respect to the spindle axis, the rotary guide-bush assembly receiving the elongated workpiece supported at the rotary guide-bush assembly to rotate about the spindle axis enabling movement of the elongated workpiece; wherein the rotary guide-bush assembly includes a portion to clamp the elongated workpiece, received in the rotary guide-bush and in the workpiece spindle, to transfer driving torque applied from the spindle motor during a driven acceleration of the rotation through the clamped elongated workpiece for rotation of the rotary guide-bush synchronized with the driven acceleration of the rotation of the workpiece spindle.

Apparatus (101) for supporting a workpiece (201), comprising a frame structure (102) for holding a workpiece (201), a base element (103) for supporting the frame structure (102), and a tool support element (110) for holding a tool. The frame structure (102) comprises lower and upper frame elements (107, 108) between which a workpiece (201) is receivable, and the upper frame element (108) is movable with respect to the lower frame element (107) in a Z-axis direction (106), for clamping a workpiece (102) therebetween. The tool support element (110) is movable with respect to the upper frame element (108) in an X-axis direction (104). The frame structure (102) is movable with respect to the base element (103), and with respect to a workpiece held between the lower and upper frame elements (107, 108), in a Y-axis direction (105). A CNC machine comprising the apparatus (101).

The invention relates to a support device (200) for supporting a rod-shaped workpiece (110) for a machine tool (100) along a longitudinal axis (L) of a support area (220). The support device (200) comprises at least one twin support (210) adapted to support a section of the workpiece (110) in the support area (220), wherein the twin support (210) comprises two support elements (300, 310) each being rotatable around a rotational axis (R1, R2), wherein each of the rotational axes (R1, R2) is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis (L), wherein each support element (300, 310) comprises a quadrant shaped support surface (330) forming together a semicircular shaped support surface (340) adapted for supporting a section of the workpiece (110), wherein the support area (220) comprises an open side opposed to the semicircular shaped support surface (340), and wherein the support elements (300, 310) are adapted to provide a varying diameter of the semicircular shaped support surface (340) based upon the position of rotation around the rotational axis (R1, R2) in order to support varying workpieces (110).

The invention relates to a support device (200) for supporting a rod-shaped workpiece (110) for a machine tool (100) along a longitudinal axis (L) of a support area (220). The support device (200) comprises at least one twin support (210) adapted to support a section of the workpiece (110) in the support area (220), wherein the twin support (210) comprises two support elements (300, 310) each being rotatable around a rotational axis (R1, R2), wherein each of the rotational axes (R1, R2) is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis (L), wherein each support element (300, 310) comprises a quadrant shaped support surface (330) forming together a semicircular shaped support surface (340) adapted for supporting a section of the workpiece (110), wherein the support area (220) comprises an open side opposed to the semicircular shaped support surface (340), and wherein the support elements (300, 310) are adapted to provide a varying diameter of the semicircular shaped support surface (340) based upon the position of rotation around the rotational axis (R1, R2) in order to support varying workpieces (110).

The invention relates to a support device (200) for supporting a rod-shaped workpiece (110) for a machine tool (100) along a longitudinal axis (L) of a support area (220). The support device (200) comprises at least one twin support (210) adapted to support a section of the workpiece (110) in the support area (220), wherein the twin support (210) comprises two support elements (300, 310) each being rotatable around a rotational axis (R1, R2), wherein each of the rotational axes (R1, R2) is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis (L), wherein each support element (300, 310) comprises a quadrant shaped support surface (330) forming together a semicircular shaped support surface (340) adapted for supporting a section of the workpiece (110), wherein the support area (220) comprises an open side opposed to the semicircular shaped support surface (340), and wherein the support elements (300, 310) are adapted to provide a varying diameter of the semicircular shaped support surface (340) based upon the position of rotation around the rotational axis (R1, R2) in order to support varying workpieces (110).

The invention relates to a support device (200) for supporting a rod-shaped workpiece (110) for a machine tool (100) along a longitudinal axis (L) of a support area (220). The support device (200) comprises at least one twin support (210) adapted to support a section of the workpiece (110) in the support area (220), wherein the twin support (210) comprises two support elements (300, 310) each being rotatable around a rotational axis (R1, R2), wherein each of the rotational axes (R1, R2) is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis (L), wherein each support element (300, 310) comprises a quadrant shaped support surface (330) forming together a semicircular shaped support surface (340) adapted for supporting a section of the workpiece (110), wherein the support area (220) comprises an open side opposed to the semicircular shaped support surface (340), and wherein the support elements (300, 310) are adapted to provide a varying diameter of the semicircular shaped support surface (340) based upon the position of rotation around the rotational axis (R1, R2) in order to support varying workpieces (110).

A method for correcting non-rigid thin-walled tubular elements having geometric deficiencies, wherein, following correction, the tubular elements may perform over a wide range of pressure and temperatures, for example as a rocket motor beaker, from about −70 C to about 1000 C. Correction is required to remove asperities, maximize cylindricity, squaring a forward end wall and a rearward end wall, so that the forward end wall of the tube product may be fitted, bonded and sealed to a circular planar element using a labyrinth-joint closure. The method provides uniformity so that both the tubular elements and the circular planar elements are interchangeably uniform in size, shape and performance, and may be readily assembled into non-rigid thin-walled tube products.