Rotary table apparatus and electric discharge machine having the same

Abstract

A rotary table apparatus includes: a rotary table casing; a face plate which is pivotally supported by the rotary table casing and which can freely rotate; and a joint and a free tube into which a power cable is inserted, the power cable supplying power to rotate the face plate, and an adaptor whose mounting direction with respect to the rotary table casing can be changed and which can be attached to and detached from the rotary table casing is placed between the rotary table casing and the joint.

Claims

1. A rotary table apparatus comprising: a rotary table casing; a face plate which is pivotally supported by the rotary table casing so as to be freely rotatable; a joint and a flexible tube into which a power cable is inserted for supplying power to rotate the face plate; and an adaptor arranged between the rotary table casing and the joint, wherein the adaptor is attachable to and detachable from the rotary table casing in such a manner that the orientation of the attachment of the adaptor relative to the rotary table casing is freely changeable before being fixed.

2. The rotary table apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adaptor and the joint are integrally formed.

3. An electric discharge machine, wherein the rotary table apparatus according to claim 1 is used as a rotary table apparatus on which a workpiece is mounted, and the electric discharge machine includes a controller which controls the rotary table apparatus for electric discharge machining.

4. The rotary table according to claim 3, wherein the electric discharge machine further includes a machining tank in which the rotary table casing is installed, and a discharging cable disposed in the machining tank for machining the workpiece, and wherein the orientation of the attachment of the adaptor relative to the rotary table casing is set depending on a location of the discharging cable relative to the machining tank.

5. The rotary table according to claim 1, wherein the orientation of the attachment of the adaptor relative to the rotary table casing is set depending on a location of the attachment of the adaptor relative to an orientation of the joint and the flexible tube extending from the adaptor.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The above-described and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of an embodiment with reference to the attached drawings, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a rotary table apparatus;

(3) FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing that the rotary table apparatus is placed on a left table in a machining tank of an electric discharge machine;

(4) FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing that the rotary table apparatus is placed on a right table in the machining tank of the electric discharge machine;

(5) FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of a rotary table apparatus using an adaptor;

(6) FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing that the rotary table apparatus (orientation of joints is changed) is placed on a right table in the machining tank of the electric discharge machine; and

(7) FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a wire cut electric discharge machine provided with the rotary table apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(8) An embodiment of the present invention will be described together with the drawings.

(9) FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of a rotary table apparatus using an adaptor. A bearing (not shown) is mounted in the rotary table apparatus 1 with reference to a rotary table casing 2, a face plate 3 is mounted on an inner wheel of the bearing (not shown), and the face plate 3 can freely rotate with respect to the rotary table casing 2. As shown in FIG. 4, an adaptor 13 is placed directly on a cable-insertion hole 4 of the rotary table casing 2. A cable-insertion hole 14 is formed also in the adaptor 13. The adaptor 13 is a lid-shaped member, and a plurality of bolt holes (taps) are provided around the adaptor 13. The rotary table casing 2 is provided with a bolt hole. Therefore, the adapter 13 is fixed to the rotary table casing 2 with a bolt or a combination of a bolt and a lock-nut.

(10) Joints 5 are mounted directly on a cable-insertion hole 4 of the adaptor 13, and free tubes 6 are inserted into the joints 5. Motor-driving cables are inserted into the adaptor 13, the joint 5 and the free tubes 6. According to this, it is possible to supply motor-driving electric power to the rotary table apparatus 1 while keeping waterproof of the rotary table apparatus 1.

(11) Since the adaptor 13 has such a structure that it can easily be attached to and detached from the rotary table casing 2, an operator can freely change the orientation of the joints 5. In FIG. 5, the rotary table apparatus 1 in which the orientation of the joints 5 is changed is placed on the right work cable 8 placed in the machining tank 20 of the electric discharge machine, and contact with respect to the discharging cable 11 which is at issue can be avoided.

(12) Further, since the adaptor 13 is placed directly on the cable-insertion hole 4 of the rotary table casing 2, the cable-insertion hole 4 can be made larger as compared with a case where the joints 5 are directly placed on the rotary table casing 2 as shown in FIG. 1. According to this, the rotary table apparatus 1 can be assembled in a state where the connector is mounted on a terminal of the motor-driving cable. Hence, an assembling operation of the rotary table apparatus 1 can efficiently be carried out. Although two joints 5 are combined with one adaptor 13 in the drawings, this is one example. The adaptor 13 and the joints 5 may integrally be formed together instead of the divided structure.

(13) FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a wire cut electric discharge machine provided with the rotary table apparatus 1. Machining liquid from a tank 19 is supplied to the machining tank 20. Machining chippings are included in the machining liquid in the machining tank 20. The wire cut electric discharge machine includes means 16 which discharges machining liquid in the machining tank 20, and means 17 which supplies machining liquid into the machining tank 20. A controller 15 can drive and control the means 16 which discharges machining liquid in the machining tank, and the means 17 which supplies machining liquid into the machining tank 20. A display unit 18 can display an operation status of the wire cut electric discharge machine.

(14) Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the invention can be carried out in another embodiment by appropriately changing the former embodiment.