Abstract:
A sculpting machine, a method of sculpting a work-piece and work-products produced therefrom are described. A sculpting machine provides a cutting tool holder that is configured to hold a cutter in contact with a work-piece and move in two or more planes or axes of controlled motion about the work-piece to remove material. The cutter is non-spinning and is held in contact with the work-piece to carve away material, or sculpt the work-piece. The cutter may be held against the work-piece with the cutter in a fixed orientation relative to the surface of the work-piece being cut. The cutter may be moved along a straight line, curve or arc. The resulting product produced may have a much tighter tolerance and smoother surface finish than products machined with conventional techniques.
Abstract:
The illustrative embodiments provide a method, apparatus, and computer usable program product for generating datamatrix barcodes on parts. A digital datamatrix code associated with a machined part on a numerically controlled machine tool is converted into an x-y drilling pattern contained in a numerically controlled program. A drill cycle associated with a numerically controlled program defines a pattern of dots to be drilled in the machined part to form a dot pattern. A dot pattern is drilled as a series of partially drilled holes on a surface of the machined part to form a datamatrix barcode mark.
Abstract:
A material cutting machine has a tool mount support mounted for reciprocal movement and a tool mount supported by the tool mount support. A driver, such as a pneumatic cylinder, selectively advances and retracts the tool mount support. A control system is operatively coupled to the driver for setting the advancement force of the tool mount support when a tool supported by said tool mount contacts a workpiece, such as the edge or surface of a moving strip. In this way, the depth of cut of the tool is controlled by tool advancement force rather than by accurate positioning of the tool. In one embodiment, the tool mount support may have a head and a base and a resilient member resiliently coupling the head to the base to provide a damped resilience. With this embodiment, a transient spike in the reaction force which may result, for example, from a hard spot in the material, causes the tool to momentarily deflect. Swing links may maintain the lateral positioning of the tool whenever it momentarily retreats due to a reaction force spike. A guide for the tool mount may be pivotably mounted to a frame so that a rake angle of a tool supported by the tool mount may be varied.