APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR WORKPIECE MACHINING ON A GEAR CUTTING MACHINE

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an apparatus for use in a gear cutting machine for the gear-coupled manufacture or machining of workpieces having at least one machine table at which a workpiece spindle is arranged for holding a clamping apparatus for a workpiece, and having at least one tool spindle for holding a machining tool, wherein the tool spindle is equipped with an integrated balancing system for balancing the tool. In accordance with the present disclosure, a further independent balancing system for the workpiece spindle is integrated in addition to the balancing system in the tool spindle.

Claims

1. An apparatus for use in a gear cutting machine for a gear-coupled manufacture or machining of workpieces having at least one machine table at which a workpiece spindle is arranged for holding a clamping apparatus for a workpiece, and having at least one tool spindle for holding a machining tool, wherein the tool spindle is equipped with an integrated balancing system for balancing the tool, wherein a further independent balancing system for the workpiece spindle is integrated in addition to the balancing system in the tool spindle.

2. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the balancing system at the machine table is integrated in the tool spindle or in a table plate or in the workpiece clamping apparatus.

3. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the balancing systems are designed with at least one respective acceleration sensor per balancing system and per balancing plane.

4. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the balancing systems are designed with a respective at least two acceleration sensors per balancing system, with the sensors being arranged radially and/or axially spaced apart with respect to the spindle and/or, on a presence of a plurality of sensors per spindle, they are arranged radially at different angles with respect to the spindle and/or additionally being differently axially spaced apart.

5. A method of balancing an apparatus for use in a gear cutting machine for a gear-coupled manufacture or machining of workpieces, having at least one machine table at which a workpiece spindle is arranged for holding a clamping apparatus, and having at least one tool spindle for holding a machining tool, wherein the tool spindle is equipped with an integrated balancing system, wherein a further independent balancing system for the workpiece spindle is integrated in addition to the balancing system in the tool spindle, wherein a balance quality of the tool spindle having the balancing system is optimized independently of the tool spindle having the balancing system, while the tool and the workpiece are not in engagement with one another.

6. The method in accordance with claim 5, wherein the balance quality of the tool spindle having the balancing system is optimized, synchronized with the workpiece spindle having the balancing system, while taking account of the respective other spindle, with the tool and the workpiece not being in engagement with one another.

7. The method in accordance with claim 5, wherein the balancing systems are first optimized in a first step without the tool and the workpiece being in engagement with one another, with the balance quality of the spindles being checked and optionally readjusted in a subsequent second step, while the tool and the workpiece are in engagement.

8. The method in accordance with claim 6, wherein the respective acceleration sensors belonging to the spindle are evaluated for setting the balancing heads; and/or in that the respective acceleration sensors belonging to the other spindle are evaluated for setting the balancing heads.

9. The method in accordance with claim 5, wherein first the balance quality of the tool spindle or of the workpiece spindle is optimized and the other spindle is subsequently set in dependence on the first spindle while taking account of a phase size and of phasing.

10. The method in accordance with claim 9, wherein a direct generation of vibration amplitudes having a specific phase size and phasing produces beats or cancellations of vibrations between the two spindles, whereby specific surface modifications are generated on a flank of the workpiece machined.

11. The method in accordance with claim 10, wherein the vibrations are imparted radially in a direction toward the tool and/or are imparted tangentially to the tool by a direct generation of vibrations at the workpiece spindle.

12. A gear cutting machine having an apparatus for a gear-coupled manufacture or machining of workpieces, having at least one machine table at which a workpiece spindle is arranged for holding a clamping apparatus, and having at least one tool spindle for holding a machining tool, wherein the tool spindle is equipped with an integrated balancing system, wherein a further independent balancing system for the workpiece spindle is integrated in addition to the balancing system in the tool spindle; and having a controller with instructions for carrying out a method of balancing the apparatus, wherein a balance quality of the tool spindle having the balancing system is optimized independently of the tool spindle having the balancing system, while the tool and the workpiece are not in engagement with one another.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0026] FIG. 1 shows the design of a gear grinding machine in accordance with the prior art in a schematic representation with its machine axes.

[0027] FIG. 2 shows a sectional view through an embodiment of the dressing tool in accordance with the present disclosure such as can be used in a gear grinding machine in accordance with FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The design of a gear cutting machine 30, in this case a gear grinding machine, will be explained using the schematic representation of FIG. 1. It can be used for the use of the method in accordance with the present disclosure. The assemblies of machine column 35, counter column 36, and machine table 34 are arranged on a machine bed 31. The machine column 35 can move linearly along the X1 direction in the direction toward the machine table 34. A machining head 33 having the degrees of freedom A1, V1, P1 and Z1 is mounted at the machine column 35. The tool can be shifted relative to the workpiece via the V1 axis. A pivot movement takes place via the A1 axis. The Z1 axis serves to move the machining head 33 with the grinding tool 20 mounted in the B1 axis in parallel with the workpiece axis (C2) during the workpiece machining.

[0029] The grinding tool 20 canin this embodimentbe moved toward the dressing tool 10 via machine movements along the X1 and Z1 axes so that the dressing process can take place there. The dressing tool 10 is received in the dresser 39 and rotates about the axis B3 during the dressing process. The dresser 39 can be pivoted about the C5 axis for correction movements of e.g. the engagement angle at the grinding tool. The grinding tool may be a grinding worm, for example. The movement of the grinding tool in the V1 direction delivers the relative movement between the grinding worm and the dressing tool 10, with the movement speed being predefined by the lead of the worm, its number of starts and the worm speed that has to be synchronized with the movement of the dressing tool 10. The counter column 36 can be pivoted about the C3 axis. The dresser 39 having the degree of freedom Z4 is mounted in the counter column. The Z4 axis serves to move the dresser 39.

[0030] FIG. 2 schematically shows an exemplary embodiment of the apparatus 15 in accordance with the present disclosure for balancing the two machine components workpiece drive and tool drive with at least one balancing system each per spindle. The balancing system can have a respective one multilevel balancing head. A balancing system 12 is shown at the machine table 34 and is integrated in this embodiment in the table plate 37 for holding the workpiece clamping device 11 for the workpiece. Depending on the existing construction space, however, this balancing system 12 can also be integrated in the table spindle 18 or in the workpiece holder 11. The vibration of the table spindle 18 can be recorded by size and, in conjunction with a rotary encoder 19, its position of the angle of rotation (C2 axis) can also be recorded via one or more sensors 16, 16. The measurement results are forwarded to the machine controller 22 that determines correction values therefrom.

[0031] At the tool side, the balancing system 14, which may be the multilevel balancing head, is integrated into a tool holder 21 of the grinding tool 20 for holding the machining tool, not shown. The tool holder 21 is driven via the tool spindle 38. One or more sensors 17, 17 here likewise serve the recording of the spindle vibrations by size and by position of the angle of rotation in dependence on the rotation position of the spindle (B1 axis) for recording via a rotary encoder 13. The recorded values are then forwarded to the machine controller 22 for calculation.