Program-controlled grinding machine, particularly for sharpening of rotatable cutting tools

Claim 1

Program-controlled machine tool grinding machine, particularly for the manufacture and sharpening of rotatable cutting tools (13; 50) such as boring tools, drills, milling cutters, and the like, having a frame (1); a grinding head (21) mounted on the frame and vertically adjustable about a first vertical axis (B), as well as rotatable with respect thereto, said grinding head including a first grinding spindle; a workpiece carrier (5, 6, 7) to carry a cutting tool (13, 50) to be manufactured or sharpened, including a rotary tool receiving spindle (7) rotatable about a horizontal axis (A); turret means (3) mounting said workpiece carrier for rotary adjustment about a second vertical axis (C) parallel to said first vertical axis (B); cross slide means (2, 19) on said frame and providing for support and relative movement of said turret means (3) and said grinding head (21) in two horizontal transverse directions (X, Z); control means (47) connected to and controlling (a) the respective movements of the grinding head with respect to longitudinal direction, as well as rotation with respect to said axes; and (b) rotation of the tool receiving spindle (7), wherein, in accordance with the invention, at least two separately driven grinding spindles (37, 41) are provided, at least one (41) of said spindles having an axis of rotation (42) located in a horizontal plane (X-Z), and at least three separate grinding wheels (35, 43, 44) are provided, secured to the at least two separate grinding spindles, said control means (47) sequentially controlling engagement of said grinding wheels, one after the other, and controlling the orientation of the workpiece tool (7, 50) with respect to the selected grinding wheel then in grinding engagement with said workpiece tool.