Retractable Shank for Machine Tool Working Area
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Solution Overview
Problem
In machine tools like milling and boring machines, the rear rotating shaft of the headstock is typically outside the tool box or carriage, limiting the working area and preventing efficient use of the maximum transverse path, especially for large parts.
Innovation Solution
A retractable shank design that includes a shank core with a rear unit and a front unit, where the front unit is removable, allowing the rear rotating shaft of the headstock to be housed inside the tool box or carriage, thereby increasing the usable working area by moving the shank core to its most retracted position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the shank is made as a single solid unit with rotating and fixed bushes, then the structural strength and stability are improved, but the headstock becomes too long and the rear rotating shaft cannot enter the tool box, reducing the working area
Solution Approach 1:
The shank is divided into multiple separable parts: a front unit containing the rotating bush and bearings, and a rear unit with the fixed bush. This segmentation allows the front unit to be removed outwardly, creating space for the rear rotating shaft to enter the tool box while maintaining the structural integrity of each individual unit.
Solution Approach 2:
The front unit (rotating bush with bearings) is extracted or removed outwardly from the shank assembly. This extraction creates the necessary space for the rear rotating shaft to be positioned inside the tool box, thereby increasing the working area without compromising the structural strength of the remaining shank components.
2Device complexity
If the rear rotating shaft of the headstock is positioned outside the tool box, then the assembly is simpler, but the working area is reduced and the maximum transverse path cannot be efficiently utilized
Solution Approach 1:
The shank assembly is designed with dynamic configurability, allowing the front unit to be removed or repositioned. This dynamic adjustment enables the rear rotating shaft to be positioned inside the tool box when needed, maximizing the working area and transverse path utilization, while maintaining simpler assembly configurations when the front unit is attached.
3Area of stationary object
If the shank is retracted to its most retracted position, then the working area is increased, but the shank cannot provide sufficient support for the headstock
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the shank into front and rear units, the rear unit can remain fixed and provide continuous structural support to the headstock, even when the shank is in its most retracted position. The front unit can be removed or repositioned without compromising the support capability of the rear unit, thereby maintaining both working area and structural strength.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a retractable shank for machine tools and use of said retractable shank in machine tools made up of a shank core, on which there is arranged at least one front unit formed by a rotating bush which is associated, by means of bearings, with respect to a fixed portion of the machine structure, this front unit being removable by means of outwards extraction or inwards movement, leaving a space in which the rear rotating shaft of the headstock can be housed.