Apparatus for electrochemical machining of metal

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR THE ELECTROCHEMICAL MACHING OF WORKPIECES, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION MEANS TO SUPPORT A WORKPIECE DURING MACHINING OPERATIONS, A LOW VOLTAGE HIGH CURRENT SUPPLY CIRCUIT TO CAUSE CURRENT TO FLOW BETWEEN AN ELECTRODE AND THE WORKPIECE, MEANS CIRCULATING ELECTROLYTE BETWEEN SAID ELECTRODE AND SAID WORKPIECE AT SUCH A RATE THAT METAL REMOVED FROM THE SURFACE OF THE WORKPIECE IS CARRIED AWAY IN THE CIRCULATING ELECTROLYTE, AND GAUGING MEANS INCLUDING A TIMING CIRCUIT FOR AUTOMATICALLY ESTABLISHING THE EXTENT OF MACHINING WHICH IS CALCULABLE FROM THE INITIAL DIMENSIONS OF EACH SUCCESSIVE WORKPIECE AND INCLUDING MEANS TO PRESET SAID TIMING CIRCUIT ACCORDING TO SAID DIMENSIONS AND THE COMPOSITION OF THE MATERIAL OF THE WORKPIECE, MEANS RESPONSIVE TO QUANTITY OF SAID CURRENT FLOW BETWEEN THE ELECTRODE AND THE WORKPIECE TO EFFECT THE TIMING OF THE MACHINING OPERATION IN SAID TIMING CIRCUIT AT A RATE DEPENDENT ON SAID CURURENT FLOW AND ADDITIONALLY RESPONSIVE TO SAID VARIABLE PRESETTBLE MEANS DEPENDENT ON THE CALCULATED WORKPIECE DIMENSIONS AND THE COMPOSITION OF MATERIAL, AND MEANS TO TERMINATE THE CURRENT FLOW WHEN THE MACHINING HAS BEEN MAINTAINED THE CORRESPONDING TIME THEREBY SERVING TO REDUCE THE WORKPIECE TO THE REQUIRED SIZE.