Honing machine

Abstract

A honing machine (100) for honing a bore in a workpiece comprises a support structure (120) fixed to the machine, and at least one honing unit (130) which is mounted on the support structure. The honing unit has a main support (160) which can be mounted fixedly with respect to the support structure and a spindle unit (150) which is supported by the main support and in which a spindle shaft is rotatably mounted, wherein the spindle shaft is rotatable about a spindle axis by means of a rotary drive and, at a tool-side end (153), has a device for the fastening of a honing tool. Furthermore, a linear guide system which is arranged between the main support (160) and the spindle unit (150) for guiding a linear stroke movement of the spindle unit (150) relative to the main support (160) and a stroke drive for generating the stroke movement of the spindle unit (150) are provided. The main support (160) is attached to the support structure (120) in such a manner that a workpiece-close end (166) of the main support lies at a distance above a spindle-facing limit of a workpiece height range. The spindle unit (150) is attached with respect to the linear guide system in such a manner that, in a workpiece-close end position of a stroke movement, the tool-side end (153) of the spindle shaft lies closer to the workpiece height range than the workpiece-near end (166) of the main support (160).

1 . Honing machine for honing a bore in a workpiece, comprising:
 a support structure fixed to the machine;   at least one honing unit mounted on the support structure and which comprises:   a main support which can be mounted fixedly in relation to the support structure,   a spindle unit which is supported by the main support and in which a spindle shaft is rotatably mounted, wherein the spindle shaft is rotatable about a spindle axis by means of a rotary drive and, at a tool-side end, comprises a device for the fastening of a honing tool,   a linear guide system arranged between the main support and the spindle unit and which serves for guiding a linear stroke movement of the spindle unit relative to the main support;   a stroke drive for generating the stroke movement of the spindle unit;   wherein an axial installation position of the main support on the support structure, a usable length of the linear guide system and the stroke drive define a stroke length and a stroke position of the honing machine, wherein the stroke position represents the entirety of all of the axial positions, which can be reached by means of the stroke drive along the linear guide system, of the tool-side end of the spindle shaft, and the stroke length represents an axial distance between a possible workpiece-remote and a possible workpiece-close axial end position of a stroke movement of the tool-side end of the spindle shaft,   wherein the main support is attached to the support structure in such a manner that a workpiece-close end of the main support lies at a distance above a spindle-facing limit of a workpiece height range; and   the spindle unit is attached with respect to the linear guide system in such a manner that, in a workpiece-close end position of a stroke movement, the tool-side end of the spindle shaft lies closer to the workpiece height range than the workpiece-close end of the main support.   
     
     
         2 . Honing machine according to  claim 1 , wherein the spindle unit is mounted on a carriage which runs on guide rails of the linear guide system, wherein the tool-side end of the spindle shaft projects over a workpiece-side end of the carriage to the workpiece side. 
     
     
         3 . Honing machine according to  claim 1 , wherein the honing machine is designed for use of honing tools of differing length of a honing tool group in such a manner that, when a longest honing tool of the honing tool group is used, a workpiece-close end of the honing tool is retracted at least as far as the workpiece-close end of the main support when the spindle unit is in a workpiece-remote end position of the stroke movement. 
     
     
         4 . Honing machine according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the following conditions is met:
 (i) a structurally possible projecting length of the tool-side end of the spindle shaft over the workpiece-close end of the main support lies in the range from 20% to 40% of the stroke length;   (ii) the upper limit of the workpiece height range is 50% to 75% of the stroke length;   (iii) the stroke length lies in the range from 70% to 90% of the length of the spindle unit.   
     
     
         5 . Honing machine according to  claim 1 , wherein the rotary drive is integrated in the spindle unit by being arranged within a spindle housing accommodating the spindle shaft. 
     
     
         6 . Honing machine according to  claim 1 , wherein the stroke drive comprises an electric linear motor with a primary part and a secondary part which are movable relative to one another parallel to the longitudinal direction of the longitudinal guide system. 
     
     
         7 . Honing machine according to  claim 6 , wherein the primary part is attached on the spindle unit side and a row of permanent magnets is arranged within the main support. 
     
     
         8 . Honing machine according to  claim 1 , further comprising an expansion drive for expanding the honing tool, wherein the expansion drive is coupled to an advancing rod running in the interior of the spindle shaft, wherein the expansion drive is designed as an electric direct drive. 
     
     
         9 . Honing machine according to  claim 8 , wherein the electric direct drive is a torque motor or a moving coil drive. 
     
     
         10 . Honing machine according to  claim 1 , further comprising a workpiece transport system comprising a plurality of workpiece receptacles which are selectively movable into a machining position in which a bore which is to be machined is arranged coaxially with respect to the spindle axis. 
     
     
         11 . Honing machine according to  claim 10 , wherein the workpiece transport system comprises a rotary table rotatable about an axis of rotation and comprising a table panel which, on a pitch circle about the axis of rotation, comprises a plurality of workpiece receptacles for holding a respective workpiece, which workpiece receptacles are selectively movable by means of the rotary table into a machining position in which a bore which is to be machined is arranged coaxially with respect to the spindle axis. 
     
     
         12 . Honing machine according to  claim 1 , wherein the spindle unit comprises a spindle unit housing comprising a first housing portion for accommodating the rotary drive and a second housing portion for accommodating the expansion drive, wherein the rotary drive is accommodated in an exchangeable first cartridge and the expansion drive is accommodated in a second cartridge which is exchangeable independently of the first cartridge, wherein the first cartridge is configured to be introduced into the first housing portion and the second cartridge is configured to be introduced into the second housing portion. 
     
     
         13 . Honing machine according to  claim 1 , further comprising an alignment system for setting the alignment of the spindle axis with respect to the support structure, 
     
     
         14 . Honing machine according to  claim 13 , wherein the alignment system is designed for continuously variably and reversibly setting the alignment of the spindle axis with respect to the support structure, wherein the alignment system is designed for independently setting the position of the spindle axis along two mutually perpendicular translation axes and for setting the orientation of the spindle axis with respect to two mutually perpendicular axes of rotation. 
     
     
         15 . Honing machine according to  claim 13 , wherein the alignment system comprises a first setting unit and a second setting unit separate from the first setting unit and which is arranged with a spacing to the first setting unit, wherein each of the setting units comprises first setting elements for the continuously variable adjustment of a spacing between the support structure and the main support in a first direction and second setting elements for the generation of a continuously variable relative movement of the main support relative to the support structure in a second direction which is perpendicular to the first direction. 
     
     
         16 . Honing machine for honing a bore in a workpiece, comprising:
 a support structure fixed to the machine;   at least one honing unit mounted on the support structure and which comprises:   a main support which can be mounted fixedly in relation to the support structure,   a spindle unit which is supported by the main support and in which a spindle shaft is rotatably mounted, wherein the spindle shaft is rotatable about a spindle axis by means of a rotary drive and, at a tool-side end, comprises a device for the fastening of a honing tool,   a linear guide system arranged between the main support and the spindle unit and which serves for guiding a linear stroke movement of the spindle unit relative to the main support;   a stroke drive for generating the stroke movement of the spindle unit;   wherein an axial installation position of the main support on the support structure, a usable length of the linear guide system and the stroke drive define a stroke length and a stroke position of the honing machine, wherein the stroke position represents the entirety of all of the axial positions, which can be reached by means of the stroke drive along the linear guide system, of the tool-side end of the spindle shaft, and the stroke length represents an axial distance between a possible workpiece-remote and a possible workpiece-close axial end position of a stroke movement of the tool-side end of the spindle shaft,   wherein the main support is attached to the support structure in such a manner that a workpiece-close end of the main support lies at a distance above a spindle-facing limit of a workpiece height range; and   the spindle unit is attached with respect to the linear guide system in such a manner that, in a workpiece-close end position of a stroke movement, the tool-side end of the spindle shaft lies closer to the workpiece height range than the workpiece-close end of the main support,   the honing machine being configured for use of honing tools of differing length of a honing tool group in such a manner that, when a longest honing tool of the honing tool group is used, a workpiece-close end of the honing tool is retracted at least as far as the workpiece-close end of the main support when the spindle unit is in a workpiece-remote end position of the stroke movement, and   an axial length of the spindle unit is such that, even in the stroke position most remote from the workpiece, an upper end of the spindle unit does not project beyond the upper end of the main support.   
     
     
         17 . Honing machine according to  claim 16 , further comprising a closed machine cladding surrounding the honing machine, the machine cladding being closed upwards by a machine roof, wherein the machine roof is attached directly above the upper end of the main support. 
     
     
         18 . Honing machine according to  claim 16 , wherein at least one of the following conditions is met:
 (i) the stroke length lies in the range from 70% to 90% of the length of the spindle unit and/or in the range from 450 mm to 700 mm;   (ii) an axial length of the spindle unit is in the range from 500 mm to 900 mm;   (iii) a structurally possible projecting length of the tool-side end of the spindle shaft over the workpiece-close end of the main support lies in the range from 20% to 40% of the stroke length and/or at 10% or more of the axial length of the spindle unit.   
     
     
         19 . Honing machine according to  claim 16 , comprising only a single linear guide system, wherein a usable length of the linear guide system and the stroke drive are configured in such a manner that different stroke positions within a stroke position range between a workpiece-close stroke position limit and a workpiece-remote second stroke position limit of a spindle nose and also different stroke lengths of an oscillating stroke movement are possible in such a way that the stroke drive and the linear guide system serve both for setting the stroke position and for generating the oscillation movement with a predeterminable oscillation length.