Machine tool base and carriage system

Claim 1

Machine tool apparatus comprising a machine bed including a block having a first vertical wall facing outwardly from the block toward a quadrant QH and a second vertical wall facing outwardly from the block towards a second quadrant QT, said walls together defining a vertical line of intersection and further being oriented at right angles to each other to also define a set of four quadrants as seen in horizontal plan and about said vertical axis, including a work holder quadrant QH, a tool holder quadrant QT and a workpiece quadrant QW, said block occupying the remaining quadrant QB, a workpiece holder, means including spaced parallel and horizontal first guide rails associated to said first vertical face, means for slidably mounting the workpiece holder for at least horizontal and vertical movement on the first guide rails and in quadrant QH, said holder including means for carrying the workpiece for slidable movement in the X axis and in the Y axis, and further for rotationally moving the workpiece about the B axis aligned with the Y axis in quadrant QW, a tool holder, tool holder mounting means including spaced parallel horizontal second guide rails lying in and defining upper and lower horizontal planes with the respective ones of said first guide rails and a work zone in quadrant QW, said mounting means being operable in quadrant QT for slidably mounting a tool holder on the second guide rails for horizontal movement therein, said tool holder including means for carrying the tool for movement along and for rotating the tool about the Z axis in quadrant QW, said tool holder, work piece holder, and mounting means as so defined being constructed and arranged to operate in the general horizontal planar zone defined by the upper and lower planar and horizontal boundaries of the first and second guide rail means, said quadrant QW being vertically open below the workpiece for free fall of swarf and working fluids, and means associated with each wall for forming an upper guide having inner and outer side bearing surfaces, means associated with each wall for forming lower guides having an upper bearing surface, a side bearing surface, and a lower bearing surface, said outer surfaces of said upper guide and said side surface of said lower guide defining accurately parallel surfaces with respect to each other in the same or spaced parallel planes, each of said mounting means forming carriages having supporting wall surfaces defining slide bearing surfaces for mating with the respective with ones of said side wall surfaces.