Methods and apparatus for electrochemical shaping of a workpiece

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR ELECTROCHEMICALLY SHAPING THE SURFACE OF AN ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE WORKPIECE TO A PREDETERMINED THREE-DIMENSIONAL CONTOUR COMPRISING: AN ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE TOOL PROVIDED WITH A WORKING FACE HAVING A CONTOUR, SHAPE AND AREA CORRESPONDING SUBSTANTIALLY TO THE CONTOUR, SHAPE AND AREA WITH WHICH THE WORKPIECE IS TO BE PROVIDED; FEEDING MEANS FOR ADVANCING SAID TOOL TOWARD SAID WORKPIECE AT A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT VELOCITY CORRESPONDING TO THE RATE OF REMOVAL OF MATERIAL FROM SAID WORKPIECE SO AS TO PREVENT CONTACT BETWEEN SAID TOOL AND SAID WORKPIECE; MEANS FOR OSCILLATING SAID TOOL IN THE SAME DIRECTION AS THE DIRECTION OF ADVANCE OF SAID TOOL, THE AMPLITUDE OF SAID TOOL OSCILLATIONS BEING SUCH AS TO AVOID CONTACT BETWEEN SAID TOOL AND SAID WORKPIECE; MEANS FOR CONFINING AN ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE ELECTROLYTE IN A CONFINED SPACE WITHIN THE GAP BETWEEN SAID TOOL AND SAID WORKPIECE; MEANS FOR FLOWING SAID ELECTROLYTE THROUGH SAID CIONFINED SPACE WITHIN THE GAP BETWEEN SAID TOOL AND SAID WORKPIECE; MEANS FOR INTERRUPTING SAID FLOW OF ELECTROLYTE THROUGH SAID CONFINED SPACED WITHIN THE GAP IN SYNCHRONISM WITH THE OSICILLATIONS OF SAID TOOL AT A PREDETERMINED TIME AT LEAST SHORTLY BEFORE SAID TOOL REACHES A POSITION OF MINIMAL SPACING FROM THE WORKPIECE; AND MEANS FOR REESTABLISHING THE FLOW OF ELECTROLYTE IN SYNCHRONISM WITH SAID OSCILLATIONS AT A PREDETERMINED TIME AT MOST SHORTLY AFTER THE TOOL HAS REACHED SAID POSITION OF MINIMAL SPACING FROM THE WORKPIECE; AND MEANS CONNECTING SAID TOOL AND SAID WORKPIECE IN AN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT TO EFFECT PASSAGE OF CURRENT IN A MANNER AS TO MAKE SAID TOOL CATHODIC IN RELATION TO SAID WORKPIECE ONLY WHEN SAID FLOW OF ELECTROLYTE IS INTERRUPTED.

Claim 3

A METHOD FOR ELECTROCHEMICALLY SHAPING THE SURFACE OF AN ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE WORKPIECE TO A PREDETERMINED THREE-DIEMNSIONAL CONTOUR COMPRISING: DISPOSING IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE WORKPIECE AN ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE TOOL PROVIDED WITH A WORKING FACE HAVING A CONTOUR, SHAPE AND AREA CORRESPONDING SUBSTANTIALLY TO THE CONTOUR, SHAPE AND AREA WITH WHICH THE WORKPIECE IS TO BE PROVIDED; ADVANCING SAID TOOL TOWARD SAID WORKPIECE AT A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT VELOCITY CORRESPONDING TO THE RATE OF REMOVAL OF MATERIAL FROM SAID WORKPIECE SO AS TO PREVENT CONTACT BETWEEN SAID TOOL AND SAID WORKPIECE; OSCILLATING SAID TOOL IN THHE SAME DIRECTION AS THE DIREACTION OF ADVANCE THEREOF, THE AMPLITUDE OF SAID TOOL OSCILLATIONS BEING SUCH AS TO AVOID CONTACT BETWEEN SAID TOOL AND SAID WORKPIECE; FLOWING AN ELECTROLYTE THROUGH A CONFINED SPACE WITHIN THE GAP BETWEEN SAID TOOL AND SAID WORKPIECE; INTERRUPTING SAID FLOW OF ELECTROLYTE THROUGH SAID CONFINED SPACE WITHIN THE GAP IN SYNCHRONISM WITH THE OSCILLATIONS OF SAID TOOL AT A PREDETERMINED TIME AT LEAST SHORTLY BEFORE SAID TOOL REACHES A POSITION OF MINIMAL SPACING FROM THE WORKPIECE; REESTABLISHING SAID FLOW OF ELECTROLYTE IN SYNCHRONISM WITH SAID OSCILLATIONS AT A PREDETERMINED TIME SHORTLY AFTER SAID TOOL HAS REACHED SAID POSITION OF MINIMAL SPACING FROM SAID WORKPIECE; CONNECTING SAID TOOL AND SAID WORKPIECE IN AN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT TO EFFECT PASSAGE OF CURRENT AS SAID FLOW OF ELECTROLYTE IS INTERRUPTED; AND DISCONNECTING SAID CIRCUIT FROM SAID TOOL AND SAID WORKPIECE AFTER A PREDETERMINED TIME.

Claim 4

A METHOD FOR ELECTROCHEMICALLY SHAPING THE SURFACE OF AN ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE WORKPIECE TO A PREDETERMINED THREE-DIEMNSIONAL CONTOUR COMPRISING: DISPOSING IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE WORKPIECE AN ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE TOOL PROVIDED WITH A WORKING FACE HAVING A CONTOUR, SHAPE AND AREA CORRESPONDING SUBSTANTIALLY TO THE CONTOUR, SHAPE AND AREA WITH WHICH THE WORKPIECE IS TO BE PROVIDED; ADVANCING SAID TOOL TOWARD SAID WORKPIECE AT A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT VELOCITY CORRESPONDING TO THE RATE OF REMOVAL OF MATERIAL FROM SAID WORKPIECE SO AS TO PREVENT CONTACT BETWEEN SAID TOOL AND SAID WORKPIECE; OSCILLATING SAID TOOL IN THHE SAME DIRECTION AS THE DIREACTION OF ADVANCE THEREOF, THE AMPLITUDE OF SAID TOOL OSCILLATIONS BEING SUCH AS TO AVOID CONTACT BETWEEN SAID TOOL AND SAID WORKPIECE; FLOWING AN ELECTROLYTE THROUGH A CONFINED SPACE WITHIN THE GAP BETWEEN SAID TOOL AND SAID WORKPIECE; INTERRUPTING SAID FLOW OF ELECTROLYTE THROUGH SAID CONFINED SPACE WITHIN THE GAP IN SYNCHRONISM WITH THE OSCILLATIONS OF SAID TOOL AT A PREDETERMINED TIME AT LEAST SHORTLY BEFORE SAID TOOL REACHES A POSITION OF MINIMAL SPACING FROM THE WORKPIECE; REESTABLISHING SAID FLOW OF ELECTROLYTE IN SYNCHRONISM WITH SAID OSCILLATIONS AT A PREDETERMINED TIME SHORTLY AFTER SAID TOOL HAS REACHED SAID POSITION OF MINIMAL SPACING FROM SAID WORKPIECE; CONNECTING SAID TOOL AND SAID WORKPIECE IN AN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT TO EFFECT PASSAGE OF CURRENT AS SAID FLOW OF ELECTROLYTE IS INTERRUPTED; AND DISCONNECTING SAID CIRCUIT FROM SAID TOOL AND SAID WORKPIECE AFTER A PREDETERMINED TIME.