The present invention relates to an actuating device (10) for actuating jaws (12) of a steady rest (11), which jaws can be used for clamping or supporting a workpiece (13). The actuating device comprises a carrier (18) with a mounting side (20) to which the steady rest (11) can be mounted. An outer end (27b) of an actuating part (27) projects away from the mounting side (20) of the carrier (18) and comprises a connecting arrangement (29) as the interface for the connection with an input part (14) of the steady rest (11). An inner end (27c) of the actuating part (27) is movably coupled with a piston (35) of a pneumatic cylinder (36) via a coupling arrangement (34). The coupling arrangement 34 comprises a slide (40) that is immovably connected to the piston (35), said slide having on it at least one slotted gate (44). The slotted gate (44) defines a gate path oriented obliquely to longitudinal direction L and to height direction H, along which gate path the at least one gate element (46) can be guided in a movable manner. The gate element is connected to the inner end (27c) of the actuating part (27).

The present invention relates to an actuating device (10) for actuating jaws (12) of a steady rest (11), which jaws can be used for clamping or supporting a workpiece (13). The actuating device comprises a carrier (18) with a mounting side (20) to which the steady rest (11) can be mounted. An outer end (27b) of an actuating part (27) projects away from the mounting side (20) of the carrier (18) and comprises a connecting arrangement (29) as the interface for the connection with an input part (14) of the steady rest (11). An inner end (27c) of the actuating part (27) is movably coupled with a piston (35) of a pneumatic cylinder (36) via a coupling arrangement (34). The coupling arrangement 34 comprises a slide (40) that is immovably connected to the piston (35), said slide having on it at least one slotted gate (44). The slotted gate (44) defines a gate path oriented obliquely to longitudinal direction L and to height direction H, along which gate path the at least one gate element (46) can be guided in a movable manner. The gate element is connected to the inner end (27c) of the actuating part (27).

An adjustable lathe mounting system for turning a work piece on a rotating lathe having a lathe bed, headstock, and a headstock spindle, where the work piece is attached to the headstock spindle. The lathe mounting system includes an adjustable base releasably attached to the slotted way of the bed via a locking plate and a pair of laterally adjustable way spacers moveable within a laterally extending slot that engage each side of the slotted way.

An adjustable lathe mounting system for turning a work piece on a rotating lathe having a lathe bed, headstock, and a headstock spindle, where the work piece is attached to the headstock spindle. The lathe mounting system includes an adjustable base releasably attached to the slotted way of the bed via a locking plate and a pair of laterally adjustable way spacers moveable within a laterally extending slot that engage each side of the slotted way.

In a steady rest (1) for centring a rotationally symmetrical workpiece (2) in the space, consisting of: two housing halves (4, 5) arranged at a distance from one another and firmly connected together, a middle steady rest arm (6) arranged between the two housing shells (4, 5) that is mounted in the housing shells (4, 5) by means of an actuation piston (7) so as to be moved in an axial direction (3) towards the workpiece (2), and two outer steady rest arms (11, 12) that are in a driving connection with the middle steady rest arm (6) by means of a guide slide (13) which has a control track (14) on two opposite outside sides, on which a roller (16) attached to the free ends (15) of both outer steady rests (11, 12) is arranged which roll along the control track (14), workpieces (2) with different diameters should be held in the space. This is achieved in that the particular control track (14) of the guide slide (13) has at least two control sections (21, 22, 25) and that at least two rollers (16) spaced apart from one another are provided on the particular outer steady rest arm (11, 12), which are in an active contact with one each of the control sections (21, 22, 25) depending on the position of the guide slide (13) in the housing shells (4, 5).

In a steady rest (1) for centring a rotationally symmetrical workpiece (2) in the space, consisting of: two housing halves (4, 5) arranged at a distance from one another and firmly connected together, a middle steady rest arm (6) arranged between the two housing shells (4, 5) that is mounted in the housing shells (4, 5) by means of an actuation piston (7) so as to be moved in an axial direction (3) towards the workpiece (2), and two outer steady rest arms (11, 12) that are in a driving connection with the middle steady rest arm (6) by means of a guide slide (13) which has a control track (14) on two opposite outside sides, on which a roller (16) attached to the free ends (15) of both outer steady rests (11, 12) is arranged which roll along the control track (14), workpieces (2) with different diameters should be held in the space. This is achieved in that the particular control track (14) of the guide slide (13) has at least two control sections (21, 22, 25) and that at least two rollers (16) spaced apart from one another are provided on the particular outer steady rest arm (11, 12), which are in an active contact with one each of the control sections (21, 22, 25) depending on the position of the guide slide (13) in the housing shells (4, 5).

A workpiece clamping apparatus for a machine tool is proposed, including at least one receptacle for a workpiece, wherein the at least one receptacle includes a wall and an opening via which the workpiece is insertable into the receptacle in a linear direction and removable therefrom in a counter-direction, a clamping device for fixing the workpiece at the at least one receptacle, a first access area via which a first tool engages the workpiece for a first working operation, a counter-bearing for the first tool, and a second access area via which a second tool engages the workpiece for a second working operation, wherein the first working operation and the second working operation are performed at different locations on the workpiece using different tools and wherein the workpiece clamping apparatus is free of a counter-bearing for the second tool.

In a steady rest (1) for centering a rotationally symmetrical workpiece (2) in the space, consisting of: two housing halves (4, 5) arranged at a distance from one another and firmly connected together, a middle steady rest arm (6) arranged between the two housing shells (4, 5) that is mounted in the housing shells (4, 5) by means of an actuation piston (7) so as to be moved in an axial direction (3) towards the workpiece (2), and two outer steady rest arms (11, 12) that are in a driving connection with the middle steady rest arm (6) workpieces (2) with the largest possible diameters should be held centerd in the space by the steady rest (one), while retaining the greatest possible movement of travel of the actuation piston (7). This is achieved in that the actuation piston (7) is formed from at least one first advance piston (31) and one second advance piston (32) that are mounted in an axially moving relationship with one another, that a pressure space (33) or (34) is assigned to each advance piston (31, 32) of the actuation piston (7) and that a line (35) emerges in each pressure space (33, 34) through which a pressurized medium can be pressed into the particular pressure space (33 or 34) or drawn out of it.

In a steady rest (1) for centering a rotationally symmetrical workpiece (2) in the space, consisting of: two housing halves (4, 5) arranged at a distance from one another and firmly connected together, a middle steady rest arm (6) arranged between the two housing shells (4, 5) that is mounted in the housing shells (4, 5) by means of an actuation piston (7) so as to be moved in an axial direction (3) towards the workpiece (2), and two outer steady rest arms (11, 12) that are in a driving connection with the middle steady rest arm (6) workpieces (2) with the largest possible diameters should be held centerd in the space by the steady rest (one), while retaining the greatest possible movement of travel of the actuation piston (7). This is achieved in that the actuation piston (7) is formed from at least one first advance piston (31) and one second advance piston (32) that are mounted in an axially moving relationship with one another, that a pressure space (33) or (34) is assigned to each advance piston (31, 32) of the actuation piston (7) and that a line (35) emerges in each pressure space (33, 34) through which a pressurized medium can be pressed into the particular pressure space (33 or 34) or drawn out of it.

A process for creating custom fixtures for parts that are to be CNC lathe machined is fully automatic and requires no human interaction. The customer's CAD file is computer analyzed to determine whether the part's dimensions fit within an available CNC lathe turning center for forming out of a cylindrical stock bar. The longitudinal axis is identified, and a set of tool paths is developed for cutting the part from two respective directions. A corresponding tool path is developed for CNC lathe cutting a bushing, preferably from the same bar stock, which generally represents the negative space around circular cross-sections of the part, in monotonically increasing diameters from the first end of the part. The bushing is then used to hold the part in the chuck during machining the second end of the part from the opposite direction.