Ball indexing mechanism

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The ball indexing mechanism represented a flexible solution for recurring manufacturing tasks (mass production) until it was replaced by NC or CNC components and in addition to punched tape programming for machine tools .

Function description

Binary information (similar to a punched tape) was flexibly set on a roller using simple steel balls . Depending on the roller diameter and width, complex workpieces could be programmed with such switching mechanisms. The roller diameter determined how many work steps could be carried out in succession until the program was repeated / restarted. The roller width and thus the number of lanes determined which and how many functions could be programmed. Since there were different drum sizes and widths, mostly only drums with the same width could be used on one type of machine.

In the alleys themselves, functions such as gear stage, speed ( binary coded ), direction of rotation , opening and closing of the chuck , as well as travel commands for the individual axes or tool changes could be programmed. The functions “Step next” or “Wait for user input” = program start were also available. Since the maximum possible number of steps was defined by the roller diameter, it was also possible to program several program runs on large rollers without having to return to the program start with empty steps or cycles. This means that the same program could be stored on a roller at least twice. The path conditions "program point reached" have largely been implemented by flexible stops with monitored endpoint sensors. The triggering of the stop on the sensor automatically led to the next step in the program. To make the current program step recognizable, it was possible to see which program step the machine was currently in through a viewing window on the roller.

After the encoding cover had been removed, the programming device was a device that was similar to a ballpoint pen. If you pressed this programming tool into an alley, the ball inside was picked up and the program information was deleted. However, if the same process was carried out by pressing the trigger, a ball was placed in the alley. In the upper middle part of this device there was a storage container for this steel ball. After you had screwed on the coding cover, which contained the information of which alley which function, the program was finished and saved. This meant that no balls could slip or get lost during transport. On the back of the roller was a kind of interface, which transmitted the information from the roller itself to the cam switches of the machine via springs and pins.

It was like that B. It is quite possible to program complex workpieces one after the other with up to 8 tools on a 32 step roller.

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