Teaching Power Tools to Run Themselves

Editot
Vor.re Tonnnx
trf cchanicsand H andicralt
NEG. U.S. PAT. OfF.
Foundeilin 1872,
Vol. 167: No, 2
llfanaging
Ed,itot
Howenp Ar-r-ewey
Art
Editor
Howeno C. JrwsrN
,-.4-eraaz {r,rat"gr Wer*/da,%y'gaz;nc,fu 83 7^
AUGUST. T955
Will Detroit Build V.6 Cars?..
.... 65
Kansas Mine Becomes7-Aere Food Freezer.. 70
A..ociaac Edtaors
-{lden P. Amagnac, Stmley
Beitler, Henry B. Comstock,
Devon Frmcis, Sheldon M.
Gallager, Herbert O. Johansen,
Martin Mann, Everett H. Ortner,
Ruth Wesdrhal.
Ara
llarry Samuels ( Director), Herberl
Anthony, Gene Butera, Eric
A. Kamiroki
Ir., Henry W.
Kazmirowski, Dana B. Rasnussen,
Layleu H. Sweet.
copv
Kendall W. Goodwyn (Director),
Frmk Dorr, Georgette
Spaks, Haniet Trowbridge.
?ll.T:i
i::::::.1':'.:i
L;..;....::::.'.:
1O Years of Atomic Progress
Atomic lllilestones Since Hiro shima. .........
T ornorrow : Atomic Traoel........
Atomic Power Plant to Seroe New York....
Nations Race to Harness Atotnic Pouer....
7B
BI
B2
B6
W h a t ' s C o m i n g i n 1 9 5 6 C a r s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B. .B.
Detroit Prepares to Stress Safety................ 89
N o w Y o u C a n D r i v e B e t t e r a t N i g h t . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 3
Flying Firemen SaveForests........................fOO
Teaching Power Tools to Run Themselves..l06
Gas-Engine Wizard Turns to Steam Power..l14
Super Suburb fs a Country City....................12O
H o w S t r o n g A r e O u r M i s s i l e s ? . . . . . . . . . . ...... . . . . 1 2 4
New Truck Shapes Tested in Wind Tunnel..l30
He Built a Play Town.........
.......132
Gus Slices Out of the Rough.
.....f38
o a a a a a a a o a
For the Home Mechanic
What You Can Do uith Flex Vheels........l4l
Hout to Seroice Your Oil &urner..............146
The Case ol the TV Rasters
....151
a a a a .
S i x U s e s f o r a C o m p a s s . . . . . . . : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
. .5. .4. . .
His Shop Was for the Birds...
...157
Home.Built Wheelbarrow Likes Tough Jobs 166
How to Apply a Rubber Roof......................f80
Vacuum-Cleaner Motor Opens Fan Window lB2
Pull-Out Bed Converts Car to Camp............18s
'Brrildirrg
f o r t h e B i g B l o w s . . . . . . . . . . . . : . . ... . . . . . . 1 8 6
I Fly a Control-Line Trainer..
....189
Outriggers,Steady My Outboard Canoe........194
H o w a M e t a l D e t e c t o r W o r k s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .l .9. B
(More
leaturet
t rorurnnscreNcr
and, d.epantments
are licteil on WEe 4)
Photography
W. W. Monis (Director),
Luckett, Orlando Guena.
Hubert
A.tistona DIanaging Ed,itott
Frank Rowsome fr.
Robert P. Steveroon
llechanics
Harry
and Eand,ictolt
Walton
Midoettern Editot
Kenneth Wylie
(Cbicago)
Pqcific Coasa Ediaor
Wesley S. Griswold (Los Angeles)
Editofiol Acsbnnat
Rosa Lee Beelmd (Chief ),
Louise Levis, Roberta Muks,
Helen Stratton, foan Wolf.
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t
ln an electronic lab at MtrTz
engineers nou) are
Teaching
PowerTool
toRun
Themselve
By Hartley E. Howe
Punches in tape
code size and
time ol each cut.
(-\O JOE WORKSHOPPERffgureshe'd
tit to turn orrt a set of diiing-room
\
"
\--' chairs-arrd
at the sametime break
in his nerv \4odel 100 SuperTapemaster.
Joe rvhips down to the hardware store
and looks over photographsof different
designs.He settleson a Swedishpattern
'rvay
popular
back in l9S5-delicate and
handsome,but full of difficult reverse
cllrves.
That doesn't worry Joe. He plunks
dou'n $I0 for a rveekt rental of o but"h
Tape is led into computer where code
is conaerted to
elecaric signals.
Too big yet for home shop, this MIT milling machine is run by computer-controlat left.
of tapes-one each for legs, arms, back
and seat.
That night, he clamps a nice piece of
birch into his Tapemaster, slips the tape
into the control box, flips the switch, and
sits back with his pipe.and the new issue
of Outcloor Life.
Forty minutes later, the rumble of the
Tapemaster stops and Joe takes a look.
One leg is finished. So he clamps on
another piece of birch . . .
Sure it's a dream-in 1955. But the
Signals cotttrol thrce-dimensioral
engineering basis for Joe's Tapemaster
exists right now. Sitting up in the Servomechanisms Laboratory of the Massachusetts Instihrte of Technology in Cambridge, Nlass., is a milling machine that
will turn out any metal part at the command of a little roll of tape. Originally
28" Cincirmati
a standard, vertical
Hydro-Tel, it now has hitched to it
$50.000 worth of electronics.
To conceive, design and build the
MIT machine took some quarter-million
moaement of cutLer head' time each cut,
Trfl
PAPER TAPE is punched on standard equipment
used in teletypewriters.
Operator follows code
cHrections, in whieh blueprint lines have been
changed to column of ffgures.
pushes needlelike ffngers against
TAPE R.EADER
paper strip. Wherever there is a hole, steel ffnger goes through and completes an electrical
circuit, sending a code signal.
clollars. 250 electron tubes, 280 pilot
machine tool-to
make the nart on the
Iights, 175 relays-and brilliant engineer- blueprint.
ing on the part of Tech's Department of
Turning a blueprint into holes in a
Electrical Engineering. As father of a tape-"programming," they call it-rervhole new family of machine tools, it
quires a ulan who knows machining,
rvill earn its keep many times over.
tools and metals. He has to break up
What we cc.n ex.pect Whether such every curve in the design into straight
industrial giants can be scaled down to lines. The automatic machine cuts
home-shop size and price is anybody's 'straight lines only-but they can be as
guess. But it is no guess that these tape- short as .0005 inch. A series of such lines
eaters are going to bring a lot of eye- is a curve for all practical purposes.
opening changes to industry. Someday,
The programmer next translates each
,perhaps...
straight line into numbers. Three numo A remote overseas base will be able bers represent distance of cut in each
to make a desperately needed part in direction: up or down, back or forth,
a few hours by plugging a machine
sideways. A fourth number tells the time
tool into a radio receiver.
the cut will take.
o \4achines in factories spotted across
Typing out a pattern. The programthe country will all be controlled from
mer then codes the numbers into a patone central headquarters.
tern of holes in the slim paper tape by
o Little machine shops will be able to
operating a typewriter-like
machine.
do big jobs by buying or renting con- This machine, and the tape it makes,
trol tapes.
are much like'the ones used for higho Automobiles may change design more speed Teletypes.
often-perhaps
even seasonally-thanks
The programmer's final job is to feed
to tapes that cut tooling-up costs.
the tape into the machine director, esThree things make all this possible: sentially an electronic computer. From
First, blueprints can be converted into
now on the machine is on its own.
numbers ( hence the name "Numerical
When the tape is run through the diControl").. Second, the numbers can be rector, tiny steel needles ffnger the holes
converted in-to a perforated paper tape and read the numbers, changing them
rvhich generates electric signals. Third,
into electrical signals. These signals can
the signals can operate controls of a be recorded, transmitted by radio or wire,
llf$ rorurrnscrrNcr
DIE BtoCK for master piston rod of a radial airin solid
craft engine was cut automatically
steel, using tape controls, Run was continuous
except for halt to change cutter.
PAIR OF DIES is checked against a dummy piston
rod molded in dies made in earlier run. Exact
fit showed complete duplication resulting from
re-use of the same control tape,
and reproduced anywhere in the world.
From these signals, the computer figures the rate of feed and orders servomechanisms to adjust the speed controls
of the machine's three hydraulic feeds.
The actual movement of the cutter
throush the metal mav be momentarily
slowei or faster than expected becaus'e
of variations in rnetal hardness and dulling of the cutting edge.
To catch such errors. the computer
constantly inspects both the orders received by the servos and the actual
movement of the cutting tool. If either
difiers from that on the tape, the computer automaticallv sends corrections.
These "feedback" inspections do a
good job. The control system is accurate
to .0005 inch, much more precise than
the .002-to-.004-inchtolerance of the machine itself.
Despite its cornplexity, the nlrmerically controlled machine is dependable. If
anything goes wrorlg in the controls or
machine, alarm circuits stop everything
before the work can be damaged. In
thousands of hours of operation, the elec-
NO HUIIAN OPERATOR had to watch work, so
blocks were covered with rvetting agent during
die cutting. This speeded work, reduced cutter
wear. Note next block ready on table.
lContinueil on page 222f
'4^
,
tu'
i
ruousrressl|l$
r eachi nerrool
GetGoodPerformon(e
theWuyBigtleetsDo. . .
Eosl Texos Molor
Freight, Dollos,
Uses Federol-Mogul Engine Beorings
Some 500 communities between the
GuIf of Mexico and the Great Lakes
know East Texas Motor Freight's direct daily service.
ETMF keeps its modern equiPment in
top shape bY careful maintenance
work. For many Years' ETMF has
been a good user of Federal-Mogul
engine bearings.
oil-control bearings
Federal-Mogul
have led in the replacement field for
30 years-because of quali'ty ! Get this
quality, next time your car engine is
overhauled. It costs no more to get the
best-ask Your mechanic !
for New
P o w e r. . .
|VlOGUL
FIDERAL
OiI-Control
Bearings
RESEARCH . DESIGN . METATI'URGY
'
P R E C I S I O NM A N U F A C T U R I N G S E R V I C E
lll
rorutrn sctENCE
efves
?o,f,"I"rir! ?frfs
tronic director has been down only three
Dercent of the time. Much of this was
^tlue
to a design defect now corrected'
Remote control, repetition of operations, saving in skilled manpower-therse
advantages of the MIT control system
are important. But what makes the industry really happy is that it can do a
run-oi-the-shop job faster and better'
Up to now] automatic machine tools
havJ bee.t either very expensive special
machines that make- one Part and no
other or general-purpose machines that
*odel or template'
must follo"w ^
"ottly
still handle some
must
operator
A skilled
controls ani determine running speed'
Illakes ar',lt part. The tape-controlled
machine can be used for anY Part, not
just one. There is no expe-nsive process
bf modelmaking. And the final run is at
high speed, completely automatic and
completelv accurate.
Vtaking a particular airplane palt by
conventidnal methods requires 27 hours
for set-up and a 169-minute milling operation. Making the same .part with tape
controls requires 16 hours for tape preparation, tw6 hours for set-up, and a 39minute run. For any re-run the tape
nreDaration would be eliminated, and
ihe^savins would be 27 hours and l0
minutes!
Standardized components and circuits
can be expected to trim the cost of the
NIIT system sharply on production models. Even so, the computer for the director is unlikely ever to become exactly
cheap. Fortunately, however, one director can control as many machines as
desired-and at any distance. Thus a director is not needed for each tool.
But what really takes Numerical Control out of the millionaire brackets is the
fact that the electronic signals produced
bv the director can be recorded mag,rLticallv. Anv machine fftted with the
less costly
seivocontrols-far
,r"""rroiy
than a director-can use this magnetic
recording to direct its movements. Thus
a machinl owner who can obtain recordlContinueil
on page 224)
Teachin( Tools to Run TfiemsefYes
STOP
SAEEINE
REARS!
Al R U Fr ;:::#'j'
fREtl.
. . tip-pqckcd titeroturc
on Air lift romedies lor rog.
ging reo6. Wrife Dept. | 38.
FURlIACE
FACTS!
Hcoring Quolity
IIRM IOUllDAIl0ll lor
TRAI1ERS
HOME-MADE
1)4"
shown, feature
Model
I-UCO,
solid st€el axle, loads 25OO lbs. Comes
'completely equipped, except for tires.
965.29 postpaid (when paid in advance).
Many other models. We manufacture a
complete Iine of trailer axles, couplere
and jacks . . . tell us what you need!
HAmtnER
B10Wr00t c0.
WAUSAU t4-H W|SCONSIN
ings doesnt even have to own a director.
And soon it will be possible to convert
ordinary non-automatic machines to tape
controls at minimum cost. Work tables
will be made with all three feed mechanisms, and all servocontrolled. The cutting
head itself can be ffxed in place.
Thus the uses of automatic controls
are not likely to be limited to the big
bovs of indushv. Medium-sized concerns
that dont want to make a big investment
in a director-computer will be able to
send a blueprint to a computer service
center. Back will come a custom-made
recording of the product that can be
plugged right into a machine. Such computer service centers already exist.
industries like
Big mass-proiluction
plenty
of uses for
will
ffnd
making
auto
Numerical Control. It can mean more
frequent changes in models-and more
specialized types such as sports cars and
sportsman's wagons. Today the body
dies for each model require an expensive
process that starts with clay models, proceeds through a series of carved wooden
replicas, and is climaxed by a steel die
practically worth its weight in gold. With
Numerical Control, there will be a far
smaller investment to be paid off.
Plane makers have long been eager to
utilize automatic machines, but the production run of a typical aircraft part is
too short to pay off the big cash investment needed for the specially built, onepurpose type. Tape controls provide
automatic machines that can do many
difierent iobs. A whole family of such
machines is being developed by aircraft
builders and machine-tool companies.
Some experts predict that rocket-plane
parts of the near future will be beyond
the ability of human machine operators
to turn out. It will be automatic tools
END
or nothing.
5Pn'r'G
Car got that "middle age
spread" look? Even new
cars need help for overloads ol luggage, equipment or extra passengers.
AIR LIFTS fit between
leaf springs and frame inflate with air to support
overloads up to 1000 lbs!
Perfect for vacation trips,
and so easy to install. See
your dealer or write for
his name.
How You Con llccturo
fContinueil lrom page 2221
Auto-Suggestion
The sign which contributes most to safe driving is the one on the side of the car that reads
"Police."-Iluds on N eu sletter.
224 popurrnsoENcE