Re: Lathe Hexapod

[Brian Pitt <bfp-at-earthlink.net>]

hmmm...
I can picture it ( wouldnt the strut 'cage' trap big balls of chips?)

the only thing I've seen that comes close is the swiss style (sliding- 
headstock) lathes with the tools mounted in a ring or star configuration

the Z motion is done by moving the whole headstock (swiss are on the right)
and pushing the stock thru a stationary guide bushing that supports the work
very close to the cut to minimize deflection

the older cam machines had tools on independent X slides mounted
around the bushing plate like this
 \  |  /
- O -

the newer CNC machines usually have gang tool slides that
cut in X and center the tool in Y like so
 | | | |    <-Y->
  O      
many have front and back gangs with the Ys vertical 

you could mount the tool 'ring' as a 2 DOF planar hexapod
but I'm not sure there would be any advantage to it in this case

Brian

PS;
while we are on lathes does anyone have an EMC kenimatics worksheet for 
gang tooled lathes to use an X or Y offset for toolchanges? 
also 
in turning it is comon to use axis names like Z1,X1,X2,X3... or XA,ZA,XB,ZB...
and in at least one case Z, XHorizontal, XVertical (XH sort of = Y)
can the interpreter be made to handle the numbered axes or are we stuck
with the textbook milling names like X,Y,Z,U,V,W... ?


On Sunday 25 February 2001 16:06, you wrote:
> Has anyone out there ever seen a lathe made with hexapod type
> characteristics?  I have a picture of how one could be built in my mind,
> but wondered if anyone was already building one.  I can see the headstock
> on the left side, with the actuators laying horizontal.  The toolholders
> could be mounted on a ring that is attached to the actuators, in place of a
> VMC spindle- and the cutting tools could be facing towards the center of
> the ring.  Just a thought.....
>
> Dan