US006435783B1

(12) United States Patent

(10) Patent N0.:

(45) Date of Patent:

Rusch

US 6,435,783 B1
Aug. 20, 2002

(54) VARIABLE RADIUS NOTCHING MACHINE

Primary ExaminerWilliam Briggs

(76) Inventor: Christopher J. Rusch, 1920 13* St.,

(74) Attorney, Agent, or FirmAndrus, Sceales, Starke &

Sawall, LLP

Two Rivers, WI (US) 54241

(57)
*

N'
ot1ce:

Sbj
u ect to an yd'l'
1sc a1mer, t h e term 0 fh'
t is
patent is extended or adjusted under 35

U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days.

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a notching machine for

forming a radial notch into a workpiece, such as the side or
end of a tube, pipe or rod. The notching machine includes a

(21) Appl. No.: 09/712,614

Nov. 13, 2000
(22) Filed:

workpiece positioning assembly, a hub and spindle

assembly, an offset mechanism, a hub drive mechanism and

a spindle drive mechanism. The workpiece positioning

Related US. Application Data

assembly includes a cross slide table and a vice for gripping

(60)

Provisional application No. 60/165,419, ?led on Nov. 13,

(51)
(52)

Int. Cl.7 ................................................ .. B23C 3/00

(58)

Field of Search ............................. .. 29/33 T, 33 D;

a common axis. This common axis is the axis of rotation of

409/163, 167, 166, 165, 205, 199, 200,

131, 132, 451/246

the spindle and tool. The hub, spindle and tool can be

1999.

US. Cl. ..................... .. 409/132; 409/167; 409/200;

mounted on a hub rotation assembly. The hub rotation

assembly rotates about a central axis of rotation. The hub

409/225

carries a spindle and its tool. The hub, spindle and tool share

References Cited

(56)

U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS

3,163,085 A
3,342,107 A

* 12/1964
* 9/1967

4,194,422 A

3/1980

4,712,954 A

* 12/1987

Campolito

409/163

5,437,570 A

Landhuis .... ..

451/296

5,964,137 A

8/1995

Wishing ................... .. 409/205

Margolien
Williams

409/205
. . . . . .

. . . ..

83/581

10/1999 Jung ......................... .. 83/620

FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS

JP

and positioning the workpiece into a desired position. The

hub and spindle assembly includes a hub that is rotatably

60-207709

* 10/1985

aligned in an in-line or offset manner with respect to the

central axis. The offset mechanism includes an offset adjust

ment screw that offsets the common axis of the hub, spindle
and tool a desired distance from the central axis. When the
hub and spindle are offset and rotated about the central axis,
the tool orbits about the central axis through a desired
circular path of travel. The radius of the notch cut by the tool

is adjusted by adjusting the amount of offset. The hub drive

mechanism is hand driven by the machine operator via a
hand wheel. The spindle drive mechanism is driven by an
electric motor that is directly linked to the spindle. The
motor is secured to a frame of the machine via a torque arm.

............... .. 29/33 T

19 Claims, 39 Drawing Sheets

* cited by examiner

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