Rotary Milling Unit with Internal Rotor Motor and Liquid Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rotary milling units are not adequately suited for turn-mill machining centers, which require high torques for swiveling, precise positioning, and rapid changes in tool and workpiece alignment, while also needing effective temperature control to maintain machining accuracy.
Innovation Solution
A rotary milling unit design featuring an internal rotor torque motor concentrically arranged on the tool spindle's pivot axis, with a separate drive motor connected via gear stages, and an integrated liquid cooling system with multiple temperature control circuits to manage heat and maintain thermal stability, allowing for precise and rapid adjustments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If an internal rotor torque motor is arranged concentrically on the pivot axis, then high torque for swiveling is achieved, but the device complexity increases due to integration requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The internal rotor torque motor is nested concentrically on the pivot axis of the tool spindle, with the rotor supported via an intermediate ring on the tool spindle housing and the stator supported on the main housing. This nested arrangement generates high swiveling torque while maintaining a compact structure that avoids excessive complexity.
2Measurement precision
If a separate drive motor is assigned to the tool spindle with gear stages, then precise positioning is achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The drive system is segmented into two independent parts: an internal rotor torque motor for swiveling movements and a separate drive motor with gear stages for tool spindle rotation and precise positioning. This segmentation allows each motor to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining overall system precision.
3Manufacturing precision
If liquid cooling system with multiple temperature control circuits is integrated, then temperature control accuracy is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid cooling system is designed with multiple temperature control circuits that provide localized cooling to different components (tool spindle, drive motors, gear stages) based on their specific thermal requirements. This localized approach maintains machining accuracy by controlling temperatures at critical points without requiring a uniformly complex cooling system throughout.
4Productivity
If rapid changes in tool and workpiece alignment are implemented, then productivity is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to temperature-related inaccuracies
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid cooling system with multiple temperature control circuits is activated before and during rapid alignment changes to preemptively control temperature rises in the drive systems. This preliminary thermal management prevents temperature-related inaccuracies from developing, allowing rapid productivity improvements without sacrificing alignment accuracy.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables high-precision, high-torque machining with reduced temperature-related inaccuracies, supporting complex operations like 5-axis milling and providing low-wear, maintenance-free operation with adaptive control and advanced monitoring for predictive maintenance.
Implementation Method 1
an internal rotor torque motor is arranged concentrically on the pivot axis of the tool spindle, the rotor of which is supported via an intermediate ring on the tool spindle housing and the stator of which is supported on the main housing of the rotary milling unit
Implementation Method 2
the turning-milling unit is assigned the special design of a liquid cooling system that has several temperature control circuits
Implementation Method 3
liquid cooling system that has several temperature control circuits
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The head has an interior rotor-torque motor with a rotor (14) that is directly supported at a tool spindle housing (2) by an intermediate ring (15). A stator (13) of the interior rotor-torque motor is supported at a main housing of a rotating milling device. A separate drive motor (12) is arranged parallel to a B-axis (B) of a tool spindle (3), is supported at the main housing and stays in effective connection with a drive shaft (7) of the spindle by a shifted gear. A liquid cooling unit is attached to the rotating milling device and comprises two tempering circuits (T1, T2). An independent claim is also included for a method for operating a drive head for a rotating milling-machining center.