Method and apparatus for manufacturing a transmission case

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10035233-B2
Application number	US-201615134829-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 21, 2016
Priority date	Apr 21, 2016
Publication date	Jul 31, 2018
Grant date	Jul 31, 2018

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a transmission case housing is provided wherein a minimum quantity of lubrication as a compressed air/oil mist is supplied as the housing is rough bored and face milled. The transmission case defines a plurality of transmission fluid drainage holes for draining transmission fluid from the transmission when installed in a vehicle. The housing is positioned with the fluid drainage holes below a central axis of the housing and a plurality of internal bores and faces are bored and face milled on the housing. The compressed air/oil mist is sprayed from the cutting head to cool and lubricate the boring and face milling tools. Machining chips are blown off the rough bored housing through the fluid drainage holes.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a transmission housing comprising:
positioning a cast housing with a plurality of fluid drainage holes below a central axis of the cast housing;
boring and face milling a plurality of internal bores and a plurality of faces of the housing to form a rough machined housing; and
blowing machining chips off of the rough machined housing through the fluid drainage holes.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of boring and face milling the internal bores and faces further comprises:
supplying a cutting head with a compressed air/oil mist through an internal passage in the cutting head; and
spraying the compressed air/oil mist through the cutting head to cool and lubricate boring and face milling tools.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the housing includes a bell-shaped end and a rear end, the method further comprising:
controlling the compressed air/oil mist to allow flow when the cutting head is within the housing and inhibit flow during a tool change operation when the cutting head is outside the housing; and
blowing machining chips off of the machined housing through the bell-shaped end of the machined housing after the step of boring and face milling a plurality of internal bores and a plurality of faces on the housing.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein during the step of controlling the compressed air/oil mist, the method further comprises stopping an oil mist portion of the compressed air/oil mist and continuing to provide a flow of compressed air for cooling the housing during tool retraction.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
locating the rough machined housing on a plurality of datums with the fluid drainage holes above a central axis of the cast housing; and
boring and face milling the rough machined housing with a compressed air/oil mist through a finish cutting tool, wherein chips removed from the housing fall through the fluid drainage holes as a result of gravity.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the housing includes a bell-shaped end and a rear end, the method further comprising:
positioning the housing with the bell-shaped end facing a machine tool arbor;
repositioning the housing with the rear end facing the machine tool arbor; and
boring a rear bore of the housing.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of boring and face milling a plurality of internal bores and a plurality of faces of the cast housing to form a rough machined housing is performed by a computer numerically controlled machining center with a tool magazine, wherein the method further comprises:
rotating a cutting head to create turbulence that blows chips off of the housing.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of boring and face milling a plurality of internal bores and a plurality of faces of the housing to form a rough machined housing is performed by boring tools and interpolating face milling tools that have a diameter of between 205 mm and 295 mm.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
positioning the machined housing with the fluid drainage holes above a central axis of the machined housing;
milling the machined housing with the fluid drainage holes above a central axis of the machined housing;
drilling the machined housing with the fluid drainage holes above a central axis of the machined housing;
tapping the machined housing with the fluid drainage holes above a central axis of the machined housing;
positioning the machined housing with the fluid drainage holes below a central axis of the machined housing;
boring and face milling a plurality of internal bores and a plurality of faces on the rough machined housing with finish boring and face milling operation to form a finish machined housing; and
blowing machining chips off of the finish machined housing through the fluid drainage holes.

10. A machining center comprising:
a fixture holding a housing defining a plurality of drainage holes oriented below a central axis of the housing;
a plurality of interchangeable tools boring and face milling a plurality of bores and faces of the housing; and
a lubrication system lubricating and cooling the interchangeable tools with a compressed air/oil mist while boring and face milling the housing and blowing machining chips off the housing through the drainage holes.

11. The machining center of claim 10 wherein the lubrication system includes flow channels defined by the interchangeable tools.

12. The machining center of claim 10 wherein the interchangeable tools include boring tools, interpolated face milling tools, and interpolated grooving tools.

13. The machining center of claim 10 wherein the lubrication system includes a controller that allows the compressed air/oil mist to flow when the interchangeable tool is in the housing and inhibits the flow of an oil mist portion of the compressed air/oil mist during a tool change.

14. The machining center of claim 13 wherein the compressed air/oil mist is limited to a flow of compressed air that blows machining chips off the housing while the interchangeable tool is retracted from the housing.

15. The machining center of claim 10 wherein the housing includes a bell-shaped end and a rear end, the machining center further comprising:
a positioner adapted to change an orientation of the housing, wherein the bell-shaped end is facing a machine tool arbor when a plurality of bores and faces are bored and face milled, and wherein the rear end is facing the machine tool arbor when a rear bore of the housing is bored.

16. The machining center of claim 15 wherein the interchangeable tools include boring tools, interpolated face milling tools, and interpolated grooving tools for machining internal surfaces of the housing that are between 205 mm and 295 mm in diameter.

17. The machining center of claim 10 in combination with a finish machining center, wherein the fixture holding the housing defining the plurality of drainage holes is oriented below the central axis of the housing, the finish machining center further comprising:
a plurality of interchangeable finish cutting tools for finish boring and face milling the plurality of bores and faces of the housing, wherein the lubrication system lubricates and cools the interchangeable finish cutting tools with the compressed air/oil mist in a finish machining operation and blows machining chips off the housing through the drainage holes and through a bell-shaped end of the housing.

18. The machining center of claim 10 wherein the interchangeable tools are rotated when not boring and face milling the housing to create turbulent air flow to remove chips from the housing.

Assignees

• Ford Motor Co

Inventors

• Habel Michael Joseph
• Carlone Gregory S

Classifications

• B23Q11/0075

  for removing chips or coolant from the workpiece after machining · CPC title

• B23Q11/005

  by blowing · CPC title

• Y02P70/169

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• F16H57/02

  Gearboxes; Mounting gearing therein · CPC title

• Y10T408/5614

  Angularly adjustable surface · CPC title