Servo Feed Drill with Roller Screw and Ball Spline
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current drilling systems, particularly in aerospace manufacturing, face challenges with configuring drills for changes between feed forward, peck and feed, and countersink drilling processes, as they require mechanical changes and have fixed feed rate increments and spindle speeds, which are not programmable and are affected by air pressure and dirt in the air supply, leading to precision issues.
Innovation Solution
A power feed drill system comprising a servo motor, roller screw, ball spline shaft, air motor, and collet chuck, allowing for programmable axial movement and variable feed rates, enabling precise control over drilling operations without the need for mechanical reconfiguration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If pneumatic drills with air valves are used to control forward and backward movement, then the drill can perform peck feed and retract operations, but the system becomes difficult to reconfigure for different drilling processes and requires mechanical changes
Solution Approach 1:
The drill system integrates multiple drilling functions (feed forward, peck and feed, countersink) into a single universal drill unit with programmable control. The controller can be programmed to execute different drilling sequences and parameters, eliminating the need for mechanical reconfiguration or changing drill motors for different processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional pneumatic air valve control system with an electric servo motor and programmable controller. This substitution eliminates the need for air logic valves and mechanical reconfiguration, allowing digital programming of drilling parameters and sequences instead of mechanical adjustments.
2Manufacturing precision
If fixed increment feed rates and spindle speeds are used in current drills, then the system is simpler to control, but precision and adaptability to different drilling requirements are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The drill system transitions from fixed, static feed rates and spindle speeds to dynamic, programmable parameters. The controller can be programmed with specific feed rates and spindle speeds for each drilling operation, allowing optimization for different materials, drill bit sizes, and drilling sequences. The servo motor provides precise dynamic control of the drilling feed rate.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements programmable parameters for feed rate, spindle speed, and drilling sequence. These parameters can be changed through software programming rather than mechanical adjustments, allowing precise control tailored to specific drilling requirements while maintaining a relatively simple hardware architecture.
3Reliability
If air logic valves are used to control drill movement, then the drill can perform forward and backward motion, but the system is affected by air pressure and dirt, leading to precision issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the pneumatic air logic valve system with an electric servo motor and programmable controller. This substitution eliminates the harmful effects of air pressure variations and dirt contamination, as the electric system is not susceptible to these environmental factors. The servo motor provides consistent, precise control of drill feed rate and direction through electronic signals.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and removes the pneumatic air valve system from the drill control architecture. By eliminating the air logic valves entirely and replacing them with an electric servo system, the harmful effects of compressed air (pressure variations, contamination, moisture) are completely removed from the control mechanism.
4Productivity
If mechanical changes are required to reconfigure drills for different processes, then the system maintains simplicity in control logic, but productivity and ease of operation are reduced due to reconfiguration time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical reconfiguration processes with digital programming. Different drilling processes (feed forward, peck and feed, countersink) are programmed into the controller rather than requiring physical changes to the drill mechanism. This allows operators to switch between processes by loading different programs, dramatically reducing reconfiguration time and improving productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The drill system allows operators to pre-program drilling sequences and parameters for different processes. By preparing the control program in advance, the actual drilling operation can proceed without interruption for reconfiguration. The programmable controller stores multiple drilling sequences that can be selected and executed without mechanical adjustments.
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 flexible configuration for various drilling operations like positive feed, peck and feed, and countersinking with programmable feed rates and retract distances, improving hole quality and reducing cycle time by eliminating the need for mechanical adjustments and air valve control.
Implementation Method 1
The roller screw is rotatably mounted to the servo motor. The ball spline shaft has a first end connected to the roller screw, wherein rotation of the roller screw in a first direction moves the ball spline shaft in the first direction and wherein rotation of the roller screw in a second direction moves the ball spline shaft in an opposite direction to the first direction along an axis.
Implementation Method 2
The ball spline shaft has a first end connected to the roller screw, wherein rotation of the roller screw in a first direction moves the ball spline shaft in the first direction and wherein rotation of the roller screw in a second direction moves the ball spline shaft in an opposite direction to the first direction along an axis.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus for a power feed drill. The power feed drill comprises a servo motor, a roller screw, a ball spline shaft, an air motor, and a collet chuck. The roller screw is rotatably mounted to the servo motor. The ball spline shaft has a first end connected to the roller screw, wherein rotation of the roller screw in a first direction moves the ball spline shaft in the first direction and wherein rotation of the roller screw in a second direction moves the ball spline shaft in an opposite direction to the first direction along an axis. The air motor is capable of transmitting rotation motion to the ball spline shaft to rotate around the axis. The collet chuck is fixably attached to a second end of the ball spline shaft, wherein the collet chuck is adapted to receive a tool.