The advantages of an easily programmed grinding machine are numerous. In prior art grinding machines that are controlled by computers, the programming requires a great deal of time, and the skill of a CNC programmer. Grinders and screw machines which perform similar operations that have been controlled by computers are most favorably used for high production runs of a particular configuration of a workpiece, but they are not very good for smaller runs, or for making an easy transition from one type of grinding operation to another.
Furthermore, training a machine operator to program his own CNC controlled machine takes a great deal of time and training, and requires classes and instructions for learning how to program the machine. A great advantage could be had if the machine was easily programmed by any untrained personnel, and would especially be of an advantage if it could be achieved within a few minutes. In that way, anyone would be able to walk up to the machine, follow the computer prompts, and program the machine for any desired operation within a few moments.
The computer software that would be able to enable a computer to control a machine would be most advantageously utilized if the computer screen itself could have audio commands, instructions and directions for immediate programming. It would also be especially helpful if the computer could talk to the new operator and “walk” the new operator through the procedure of reprogramming. All the new operator would need are the specifications for the desired resulting workpiece, and knowledge of the desired shape of a configuration preferred, along with the radiuses, lengths and distances, and rotation required in order to achieve their desired resultant product.
Conventional CNC grinding operations require lengthy training and programming times for a grinding operator to program his computer for the performance of accurate grinding operations. Normally, programming a typical CNC grinder takes a skilled programmer the significant portion of a day. Recently, grinding machine manufacturing companies have been trying to make this training and programming procedure less time consuming, and have worked on making the machines more user friendly. These attempts have not met with much success as they are still too complicated. Many machine operators are unfamiliar with the workings of computers, and they are uncomfortable and/or unknowledgeable about programming computers to perform grinding operations. Needless to say, it would be a potential advantage to the grinding community if the computers could be used with a minimum of training and reprogramming time for new grinders. In addition, it would save a lot of time for one-off and low production jobs that could then be interjected between various production grinding operations. In these one-off situations, conventional reprogramming of a grinding machine in the middle of a production run would usually be prohibitive due to the amount of time it would take to reprogram all the computer software that runs the grinder.
It would be even more potentially advantageous if the computer could be programmed in minutes by any untrained operator by listening to audio commands, only having to touch a minimum number of keys on the computer keyboard. The present invention seeks to provide a computer controlled grinder and computer system that enables nearly anyone to be programming a grinder within a few minutes.
Grinding machine shops would find a great advantage to have computer controlled grinders that could be stopped in the middle of a production run, reprogrammed for a small number of grinding jobs that require a different shape than the production run workpieces, and then have the capacity to quickly reprogram the machine to return to their production run grinding job.