Grinding machine with a cam-controlled dressing apparatus

Claim 1

A grinding machine for generating a non-cylindrical surface of revolution on a workpiece by the abrasive method, comprising a. a base, b. a workhead mounted on the base and adapted to support and rotate the workpiece about the axis of the said surface of revolution, c. a wheelhead mounted on the base and having a rotatable spindle carrying an abrasive wheel, d. means producing relative movement between the workhead and the wheelhead in directions parallel to the said axis and transversely of the axis to produce a grinding cycle, e. a dressing apparatus associated with the base and adapted to be held in a fixed position during dressing, f. means producing relative movement between the dressing apparatus and the wheelhead both transversely of the axis and longitudinally of the axis to generate a duplicate of the said surface of revolution on the surface of the wheel, the means including a master cam, which master cam duplicates a generatrix of the said surface of revolution, and g. means provided for connecting the master cam to the dressing apparatus and the wheelhead so that the displacement from point to point of the dressing apparatus over the abrasive wheel is substantially less than the corresponding displacement on the master cam, the master cam being moved over a pulse generator and producing pulses proportional in number to the displacement of the surface of the cam from a reference plane, the transverse movement between the dressing apparatus and the wheelhead being brought about by the use of a stepping motor receiving the pulses from the pulse generator.