Patent Application
20120125895
The present disclosure relates to a suctorial transmission cylinder, and more particularly, to a wire transmitting module capable of using a negative pressure generating device disposed therein for sucking and thus drawing a wire electrode to move automatically.
Electrical discharge machining (EDM) is a specialized thermal machining process capable of accurately machining parts of hard materials with complex shapes, by which materials from the work piece are eroded by a series of discrete sparks between the work and tool electrode immersed in a liquid dielectric medium. These electrical discharges melt and vaporize minute amounts of the work material, which are then ejected and flushed away by the dielectric. At the same time, by the craters formed on the workpiece due to the EDM, the workpiece could be processed into any shape as required.
Technology of the Wire Electrical Discharge Machining (WEDM) process is based on the conventional EDM sparking phenomenon utilizing the widely accepted noncontact technique of material removal with a difference that spark is generated at wire and work piece gap. In WEDM, a thin single-strand metal wire, usually brass, being fed through the workpiece while submerging in a tank of dielectric fluid, is enabled to work somewhat like a jib saw, except for the kerf is created by a series of electrical discharging for removing tiny particles of the workpiece. Because the WEDM does not require high cutting forces for removal of material, and also it is free from detrimental effect of the wear on tool electrode as the wire electrode used in the WEDM is constantly fed from a spool, WEDM has proved to be one of the best options for micro processing. WEDM works with materials that are electrically conductive, regardless how hard the materials are, and with machining precision.
Since the diameters of wire electrodes that are most commonly used in WEDM nowadays are larger than 0.1 mm, the threading of such wire electrodes into the guide pipe for WEDM can be performed easily by hand. However, for those wire electrodes whose diameters are smaller than 0.1 mm, such as those with 0.05 mm wire diameter and 0.02 wire diameter, the threading can be a very difficult task to handle by hand without the help of any fluid driving/guiding mechanism since those wire electrodes can be too soft and flexible, not to mention that it can easily attached itself to the guide pipe or other wire transmitting mechanisms during the threading of the wire electrode.
Recently, the aforementioned problem is addressed by providing a leading wire fluid that is flowing near a wire electrode entrance of the guide pipe so as to be used for driving the wire electrode to move with the flowing fluid while preventing the same from attaching to the internal wall of the guide pipe. Nevertheless, despite the providing of the leading wire fluid, the flowing of the leading wire fluid still could not drive the wire electrode to move therewith unless the wire electrode had been threaded through the wire electrode entrance and reached the flowing wire fluid. However, for those soft wire electrodes whose diameters are thinner than 0.1 mm, they can easily be forced away from the wire fluid flow by the pressure resulting from the flowing fluid while being fed through the wire electrode entrance. Thus, the threading of the wire electrode whose diameter is thinner than 0.1 mm by hand can be a very difficult task with high failing rate.
Therefore, it is in need of a wire transmitting module for feeding the wire electrode into the wire electrode entrance automatically without being troubled by the aforesaid shortcomings.
The present disclosure provides a wire transmitting module, adapted for a Wire Electrical Discharge Machining (WEDM) apparatus, by that a wire electrode can be fed into the wire transmitting module automatically by the suction of a negative pressure, and then, the wire electrode could move with the flowing of a first fluid in the wire transmitting module. Thereby, the probability of failing to fed any wire electrodes with smaller wire diameters can be lowered.
In an embodiment, the present disclosure provides a wire transmitting module, disposed inside a wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) apparatus having a roller set for providing a wire electrode, which comprises: a negative pressure generating device; and a cylinder, connected to the negative pressure generating device for enabling the wire electrode to be sucked by a negative pressure generated from the negative pressure generating device so as to be drawn into the wire transmitting module automatically.
In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the negative pressure generating device is a vacuum generator. In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the negative pressure generating device further comprises: an inlet, provided for allowing a first fluid to flow into the negative pressure generating device. In addition, the inlet is configured with a tapering part, designed for enabling the negative pressure to be generated during the flowing of the first fluid into the negative pressure generating device through the inlet, and thus enabling the wire electrode to be sucked and drawn by the negative pressure into the wire transmitting module.
Moreover, the cylinder further comprises: a retractable pipe, for allowing the wire electrode to be transported therethrough and also the first fluid to flowing therethrough, whereas the retractable pipe is further connected to a piston device to be used for driving the retractable pipe to retract or extend. In addition, the cylinder further comprises: a fluid channel set, used for driving the piston device; and in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the fluid channel set is substantially a first fluid channel, being disposed at a first side of the piston device and used for driving the piston device to move according to the injecting or the extracting of a second fluid into or out of the first fluid channel. In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the fluid channel set further comprises: a first fluid channel, disposed at a first side of the piston device for allowing a second fluid to flow in and out of the same; and a second fluid channel, disposed at a second side of the piston device for allowing a third fluid to flow in and out of the same; wherein, by the flowing of the second fluid in and out of the first fluid channel and the flowing of the third fluid in and out of the second fluid channel, the piston device is being driven to move accordingly for bringing along the retractable pipe to retract or extend.
Further scope of applicability of the present application will become more apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the disclosure, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
The present disclosure will become more fully understood from the detailed description given herein below and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present disclosure and wherein:
For your esteemed members of reviewing committee to further understand and recognize the fulfilled functions and structural characteristics of the disclosure, several exemplary embodiments cooperating with detailed description are presented as the follows.
Please refer to
In one embodiment shown in
After the wire electrode 4 is sucked and drawn to the negative pressure generating device 10 by the negative pressure, the wire electrode 4 will be driven to move with the flow of the first fluid 01 toward the cylinder 11, whereas the cylinder 11 further comprises: a retractable pipe 111, as shown in
The following description relates to how the retractable pipe can be driven to extend or retract in the present disclosure. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the cylinder 11 has a fluid channel set 112, that is used for driving the piston device 1110 to move and thus bringing along the retractable pipe 111 to extend or retract accordingly. Please refer to
By the configuration of the negative pressure generating device 10 in the wire transmitting module 1 of the present disclosure, the process for feeding wire electrode into the wire transmitting module 1 can be simplified and the conventional difficulty for threading the wire electrode with diameter smaller than 0.1 mm can be overcome since the feeding of the wire electrode 4 into the wire transmitting module can be performed simply by placing the wire electrode 4 close to the inlet of the negative pressure generating device 10 for allowing the wire electrode 4 to be sucked naturally into the inlet by the negative pressure from the negative pressure generating device 10. Thereafter, the wire electrode 4 will be drawn to move with the flowing of the first fluid 01, so that the wire electrode 4 is prevented from being affected by static or moisture and thus attached to the inner wall of the retractable pipe 111. In addition, by the extending of the retractable pipe 111, the wire electrode 4 can be fed directly and effectively to the upper eye mold 5.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present disclosure.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 099140367 | Nov 2010 | TW | national |
