Workpiece-processing method and heater production method including same

Abstract

This workpiece-processing method uses a processing device comprising: a first chuck that holds an outer edge of a workpiece; a second chuck that faces the first chuck and holds an outer edge of the workpiece; and a processing part that processes the workpiece. The central axes of the first chuck and the second chuck are on the same straight line, and the workpiece is transferred between the first chuck and the second chuck. The workpiece-processing method comprises: holding, by the first chuck, a first portion closer to the first chuck in the outer edge of the workpiece; and processing a second portion closer to the second chuck in the outer edge of the workpiece not held by the first chuck.

Description

Workpiece machining method and heater manufacturing method including the same

[0001] The present invention relates to a workpiece machining method. More specifically, the present invention relates to a machining method using a machining apparatus that machines a workpiece while holding and rotating the workpiece.

[0002] Conventionally, as a machining apparatus for machining workpieces such as materials and parts, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, there has been known a machining apparatus that machines a workpiece by bringing a tool into contact with the workpiece while holding the workpiece with a chuck and rotating the workpiece.

[0003] In the machining apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, after a workpiece is held by a first chuck and the front side of the workpiece is machined, the workpiece is held by a second chuck opposite to the first chuck, the workpiece is transferred from the first chuck to the second chuck, and the back side of the workpiece is machined.

[0004] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 8-126901

[0005] However, in the machining apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, although the central axis of the first chuck and the central axis of the second chuck are on the same straight line, when the workpiece is held by the second chuck, the workpiece is still held by the first chuck, so there have been cases where the workpiece cannot be accurately held by the second chuck.

[0006] Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to enable a workpiece to be accurately held by a second chuck in a workpiece machining method using a workpiece machining apparatus in which a workpiece is transferred from a first chuck to the second chuck.

[0007] A machining method according to one embodiment of the present invention is a machining device comprising a first chuck for gripping the outer edge of a workpiece, a second chuck facing the first chuck and gripping the outer edge of the workpiece, and a machining unit for machining the workpiece, wherein the central axes of the first chuck and the second chuck are on the same straight line, and the workpiece is transferred between the first chuck and the second chuck, wherein the first chuck grips a first portion of the outer edge of the workpiece on the side of the first chuck, and the machining unit machines a second portion of the outer edge of the workpiece on the side of the second chuck that is not gripped by the first chuck.

[0008] A machining method according to one embodiment of the present invention may further include the second chuck gripping the machined second portion, the transfer of the workpiece from the first chuck to the second chuck, and the machining unit machining the first portion.

[0009] In a processing method according to one embodiment of the present invention, the outer edge of the workpiece is circular, and the first chuck and the second chuck may have circular surfaces that contact the outer edge of the workpiece and have the same curvature as the outer edge of the workpiece.

[0010] A method for manufacturing a heater according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a method for processing a workpiece according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] According to a workpiece processing method according to one embodiment of the present invention, in a workpiece processing method using a workpiece processing apparatus in which a workpiece is transferred from a first chuck to a second chuck, the workpiece can be accurately gripped by the second chuck.

[0012] This is a schematic side view of a workpiece processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a cross-sectional view of the first chuck along the line II-II in Figure 1. This is a flowchart illustrating the schematic of a workpiece processing method according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a side view showing the workpiece processing process according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a side view showing the workpiece processing process according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a side view showing the workpiece processing process according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a side view showing the workpiece processing process according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. While the drawings may schematically represent the width, thickness, shape, etc., of parts in order to clarify the explanation, they are merely examples and do not limit the interpretation of the present invention. In this specification and in the drawings, elements similar to those described above in previous drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed explanations may be omitted as appropriate.

[0014] <Workpiece Processing Apparatus> A workpiece processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 1 is a schematic side view of the workpiece processing apparatus 100. As shown in Figure 1, the workpiece processing apparatus 100 comprises a first chuck 110-1 for gripping a workpiece W (not shown), a second chuck 110-2 for gripping the workpiece W, and a processing unit 140 for processing the workpiece W.

[0015] (Workpiece) Workpiece W refers to the part or component to be processed. The material of workpiece W is not limited as long as it can be processed. Furthermore, the shape and size of workpiece W are not limited as long as it can be gripped by the chuck 110. An example of workpiece W is a cylindrical heater component made of metal.

[0016] (Chuck) The first chuck 110-1 is attached to the first spindle 120-1, as shown in Figure 1. The first spindle 120-1 is rotatably mounted on the first headstock 130-1 and rotates around the center of the first spindle 120-1 as the central axis C by a drive mechanism (not shown). This allows the first chuck 110-1 to rotate around the central axis C. Similarly, the second chuck 110-2 is attached to the second spindle 120-2. The second spindle 120-2 is rotatably mounted on the second headstock 130-2 and can rotate around the center of the second spindle 120-2 as the central axis C by a drive mechanism (not shown). This allows the second chuck 110-2 to rotate around the central axis C. The first headstock 130-1 and the second headstock 130-2 are supported by a base (not shown). The second headstock 130-2 can be moved toward the first headstock 130-1 by a drive mechanism (not shown). This allows the second chuck 110-2 to move toward the first chuck 110-1.

[0017] As shown in Figure 1, the first chuck 110-1 and the second chuck 110-2 are positioned opposite each other. The first chuck 110-1 and the second chuck 110-2 are positioned so that their central axes C are on the same straight line. The first chuck 110-1 grips the outer edge of the workpiece W from one side (the side of the first chuck 110-1). The second chuck 110-2 grips the outer edge of the workpiece W from the other side (the side of the second chuck 110-2).

[0018] As shown in Figure 1, the first chuck 110-1 includes a first chuck body 111-1 and a first gripping claw 112-1 that is movably attached to the first chuck body 111-1 and grips the workpiece W. The second chuck 110-2 includes a second chuck body 111-2 and a second gripping claw 112-2 that is attached to the second chuck body 111-2 and grips the workpiece W. The first gripping claw 112-1 and the second gripping claw 112-2 are formed in an L-shape when viewed from the side. The shape of the first gripping claw 112-1 and the second gripping claw 112-2 is not limited to this. The second chuck 110-2 has the same configuration as the first chuck 110-1, so its description is omitted.

[0019] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the first chuck 110-1 along the line II-II in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 2, three first gripping claws 112-1 are arranged on the first chuck body 111-1 at equal intervals of 120° in the circumferential direction. The number and arrangement of the first gripping claws 112-1 are not limited to this. The first gripping claws 112-1 can grip the workpiece W by contacting its outer edge.

[0020] The three first gripping claws 112-1 are configured to move toward and toward the central axis C by a drive mechanism (not shown). The workpiece W can be gripped by the movement of the three first gripping claws 112-1 toward the central axis C. The workpiece W can be released by the movement of the three first gripping claws 112-1 toward the central axis C.

[0021] The surface S1 of the first gripping claw 112-1 that contacts the outer edge of the workpiece W (hereinafter referred to as "contact surface S1") can be formed to match the shape of the outer edge of the workpiece W. This ensures that the workpiece W is securely gripped. For example, if the outer edge of the workpiece W is circular, as shown in Figure 2, the contact surface S1 of the first gripping claw 112-1 is formed in a circular shape with the same curvature as the outer edge of the workpiece W. This makes it easy to align the central axis of the workpiece W with the central axis of the first chuck 110-1 when no external force is acting on the workpiece W, such as when the first chuck 110-1 grips the workpiece W.

[0022] (Processing Unit) The processing unit 140 processes the workpiece W. As shown in Figure 1, the processing unit 140 includes a tool post 141, a turret 142 rotatably mounted on the tool post 141, and a tool 143 such as a cutting tool or drill mounted on the turret 142. The processing unit 140 is configured to move closer to and away from the workpiece W by a drive mechanism (not shown). The workpiece W can be processed by applying the tool 143 to the rotating workpiece W. In the workpiece processing device 100, there may be multiple processing units 140.

[0023] <Workpiece Processing Method> A workpiece processing method using a workpiece processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 3 is a flowchart showing an outline of a workpiece processing method 200 using a workpiece processing apparatus 100. As shown in Figure 3, the workpiece processing method 200 includes a first gripping step S210 in which the workpiece W is gripped with a first chuck 110-1, a first processing step S220 in which the workpiece W is processed while being gripped with the first chuck 110-1, a second gripping step S230 in which the workpiece W is gripped with a second chuck 110-2, a transfer step S240 in which the workpiece W is transferred, and a second processing step S250 in which the workpiece W is processed while being gripped with the second chuck 110-2. If the workpiece W is, for example, a heater component, the workpiece processing method 200 can constitute a part of a heater manufacturing method.

[0024] (First gripping step) In the first gripping step S210, as shown in Figure 4a, the first chuck 110-1 grips the outer edge of the workpiece W from one side of the workpiece W. The first chuck 110-1 does not grip the entire outer edge of the workpiece W in the width direction of the workpiece W, but rather grips a first portion P1 on the side of the first chuck 110-1 which is a part of the outer edge of the workpiece W.

[0025] (First Processing Step) In the first processing step S220, with the first chuck 110-1 gripping the workpiece W, the processing unit 140 processes the other side of the workpiece W into a desired shape. The processing unit 140 also processes the second portion P2 on the outer edge of the workpiece W that is not gripped by the first chuck 110-1, on the side of the second chuck 110-2, as shown in Figure 4b. At this time, the entire surface of the second portion P2 may be processed, or only the portion gripped by the second chuck 110-2 may be processed. The order of processing the other side of the workpiece W by the processing unit 140 and processing the second portion P2 is not important.

[0026] (Second gripping step) In the second gripping step S230, the second chuck 110-2 moves to the position of the workpiece W. Then, as shown in Figure 4c, the second chuck 110-2 grips the second portion P2 that was processed in the first processing step S220. Conventionally, when the second chuck 110-2 grips the outer edge of the workpiece W, for example, the workpiece W may tilt slightly due to how the first chuck 110-1 grips the workpiece W, so the surface of the outer edge of the workpiece W and the surface S2 of the second chuck 110-2 that contacts the outer edge of the workpiece W (in Figure 4c, the surface S2 of the second gripping claw 112-2 that contacts the outer edge of the workpiece W; hereinafter referred to as "contact surface S2") cannot be precisely aligned, and the second chuck 110-2 may not be able to accurately grip the workpiece W. In contrast, in the workpiece processing method 200, in the first processing step S220, as shown in Figure 4b, the second portion P2 is processed so that it aligns with the contact surface S2 while the first chuck 110-1 is gripping the workpiece W. As a result, in the second gripping step S230, the second chuck 110-2 can accurately grip the workpiece W.

[0027] (Transfer Step) In the transfer step S240, with the second chuck 110-2 gripping the workpiece W, the first chuck 110-1 releases the workpiece W, and the second chuck 110-2 moves away from the first chuck 110-1. As a result, the workpiece W is transferred from the first chuck 110-1 to the second chuck 110-2, as shown in Figure 4d.

[0028] (Second Machining Step) In the second machining step S250, with the second chuck 110-2 gripping the workpiece W, the machining unit 140 machines one side of the workpiece W into the desired shape. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 4e, the machining unit 140 may machine the first portion P1 to match the shape of the second portion P2. This allows for the accurate production of a workpiece W with the desired shape. The order of machining one side of the workpiece W by the machining unit 140 and machining the first portion P1 is not important.

[0029] Although this embodiment has been described above, any other effects and advantages brought about by the aspects described in this embodiment that are obvious from the description herein or that can be appropriately conceived by those skilled in the art are naturally considered to be brought about by the present invention.

[0030] 100 Workpiece processing device 110-1 First chuck 110-2 Second chuck 140 Processing section W Workpiece

Claims

1. A method for processing a workpiece using a processing apparatus comprising: a first chuck for gripping the outer edge of a workpiece; a second chuck facing the first chuck and gripping the outer edge of the workpiece; and a processing unit for processing the workpiece, wherein the central axes of the first chuck and the second chuck are on the same straight line, and the workpiece is transferred between the first chuck and the second chuck, wherein the first chuck grips a first portion of the outer edge of the workpiece on the side of the first chuck, and the processing unit processes a second portion of the outer edge of the workpiece that is not gripped by the first chuck on the side of the second chuck.

2. The method for machining a workpiece according to claim 1, further comprising: the second chuck gripping the machined second portion; the workpiece being transferred from the first chuck to the second chuck; and the machining unit machining the first portion.

3. The method for machining a workpiece according to claim 2, wherein the outer edge of the workpiece is circular, and the surfaces of the first chuck and the second chuck that contact the outer edge of the workpiece are circular and have the same curvature as the outer edge of the workpiece.

4. A method for manufacturing a heater, comprising a method for processing a workpiece as described in any one of claims 1 to 3.

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