Centerless grinding machine

Abstract

A centerless grinding machine comprises a supporting piece seat, a grinding wheel and a guide wheel, the supporting piece seat is used for supporting a workpiece and located between the grinding wheel and the guide wheel, the guide wheel makes contact with the workpiece to drive the workpiece to rotate during machining, the grinding wheel conducts grinding machining on the surface of the workpiece, the workpiece to be machined comprises a structure A, and a structure B with the outer diameter larger than that of the structure A is arranged on the structure A; a plurality of slopes used for containing the structure A are arranged on the supporting piece base, a plurality of containing grooves used for containing the structure B are formed in the peripheral sides of the grinding wheel and the guide wheel, and the grinding wheel is used for grinding the peripheral side surface of the structure A. According to the centerless grinding machine, workpieces with at least two continuous or discontinuous areas with different outer diameters in the axial direction can be machined, the limitation that traditional equipment can only machine single cylindrical workpieces is broken through, a plurality of workpieces can be stably supported and machined at a time, and the machining efficiency is greatly improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of centerless grinders, and particularly relates to a centerless grinder. Background Art

[0002] As an efficient grinding equipment, traditional centerless grinders have been widely used in the external circle machining of cylindrical workpieces (such as shafts, bars, etc.) due to their characteristics of no need for workpiece positioning and clamping and high machining accuracy. However, the existing technology has the following significant limitations: 1. The processing object is single and the application field is limited.

[0003] The core working principle of traditional centerless grinders depends on the geometric constraint relationship between the workpiece, the support seat, and the guide wheel. Its design can only stably process a single cylindrical workpiece with a completely consistent axial outer diameter. For complex workpieces with at least two continuous or discontinuous regions of different outer diameters in the axial direction (such as stepped shafts, special-shaped transmission parts, asymmetric components in the aerospace field, etc.), the existing equipment cannot achieve synchronous and stable support and grinding of multiple variable-diameter regions, resulting in problems such as workpiece offset, vibration, or local overheating during the processing. This limitation severely restricts the application expansion of centerless grinders in fields with strict requirements for shape accuracy and consistency, such as mechanical transmission parts and aerospace special-shaped components.

[0004] 2. The single-piece processing efficiency is low and the production cost is high.

[0005] The support seat structure of traditional centerless grinders is usually a single plane or a simple groove design, which can only support a single workpiece for processing. The single processing volume is limited by the workpiece size, resulting in a long processing cycle for a single workpiece. In addition, due to the need for frequent manual loading and unloading during equipment operation, there is a large amount of equipment idle time, further reducing the production efficiency. For example, in a batch production scenario, the low automation level of traditional equipment makes it difficult to achieve continuous production, resulting in high energy consumption per unit working hour and high labor costs. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention is solved by the following technical solutions.

[0007] A centerless grinder includes a support seat, a grinding wheel, and a guide wheel. The support seat is used to support the workpiece and is located between the grinding wheel and the guide wheel. The grinding wheel is driven by a first motor, and the guide wheel is driven by a second motor. During processing, the guide wheel contacts the workpiece to drive the workpiece to rotate, and the grinding wheel grinds the surface of the workpiece. The workpiece to be processed includes Structure A, and Structure B with an outer diameter larger than that of Structure A is provided on Structure A; a plurality of inclined surfaces for placing Structure A are provided on the support seat, and a plurality of receiving grooves for accommodating Structure B are provided on the circumferences of the grinding wheel and the guide wheel. The grinding wheel is used to grind the circumferential surface of Structure A.

[0008] Further, a groove for accommodating Structure B is provided on the support base. The end face of Structure B cooperates with the side wall of the groove close to the inclined surface to achieve axial positioning of the workpiece, and the inclined surface and the groove are alternately distributed.

[0009] Further, Structure B is arranged at one end of Structure A, and the other end of Structure A is positioned by a positioning block, and the positioning block is assembled in the groove.

[0010] Further, the number of inclined surfaces is at most no more than 4 groups.

[0011] Further, a feeding mechanism and a loading and unloading mechanism are further included; the feeding mechanism includes a feeding frame, on which a first feeding belt is assembled, and the first feeding belt is used for conveying a tray loaded with workpieces to be processed. The loading and unloading mechanism is used to transfer the workpiece from the tray to the support base, and transfer the processed workpiece from the support base to the tray.

[0012] Further, the feeding mechanism further includes a second feeding belt and a lifting and transferring assembly. The second feeding belt is used for conveying a tray loaded with processed workpieces. The first feeding belt and the second feeding belt are assembled on the feeding frame in an upper and lower layer distribution, and the lifting and transferring assembly is used to transfer the tray from the area of the first feeding belt to the area where the second feeding belt is located.

[0013] Further, a lifting area is provided at the conveying end of the first feeding belt on the feeding frame, and the lifting and transferring assembly is located in the lifting area. The lifting and transferring assembly includes a lifting cylinder and a transfer cylinder. The lifting cylinder is vertically arranged and connected with a support bracket for supporting the tray. The transfer cylinder is horizontally arranged and connected with a push plate. Before processing, the first feeding belt conveys the tray to the support bracket for the loading and unloading mechanism to carry. During transfer, the lifting cylinder drives the support bracket to descend from the area of the first feeding belt to the area of the second feeding belt, and the transfer cylinder drives the push plate to push the tray from the support bracket to the second feeding belt.

[0014] Further, the loading and unloading mechanism includes a mounting frame, on which a handling seat is assembled through a first two-axis moving module, and a first grasping component and a second grasping component are assembled on the handling seat through a second two-axis moving module. The first grasping component is used to transfer the workpiece from the tray to the support base, and the second grasping component is used to transfer the workpiece from the support base to the tray.

[0015] Further, both the first grasping component and the second grasping component include a plurality of groups of clamping jaws, and the number of clamping jaws on each grasping component corresponds to the number of workpieces processed at one time.

[0016] Further, a baffle and two groups of symmetrically arranged positioning cylinders are also assembled on the feeding frame; the baffle is used to block the tray when the tray is transferred to the support bracket; the positioning cylinder is connected with a positioning plate, positioning columns are arranged on the positioning plate, and positioning grooves for cooperating with the positioning columns are arranged on the tray.

[0017] The centerless grinding machine of the present invention has the following beneficial technical effects: 1. It can process workpieces with continuous or discontinuous regions having at least two different outer diameters along the axial direction, breaking through the limitation that traditional equipment can only process single cylindrical workpieces, and expanding the application scope in fields such as mechanical transmission components and aerospace special-shaped components.

[0018] 2. Through the alternating distribution design of the inclined surfaces and grooves on the support seat, it can stably support and process multiple workpieces at one time. Compared with the traditional centerless grinding machine for single workpiece processing, the single processing quantity is doubled, and the processing cycle of the unit workpiece is greatly shortened. Cooperating with the automatic loading and unloading mechanism, continuous production is realized, effectively reducing the idle time of the equipment, and the overall processing efficiency can be increased by 2 - 4 times, significantly reducing the production cost.

[0019] 3. The inclined surface of the support seat provides axial support for the workpiece, and the groove cooperates with the end surface of Structure B to achieve axial positioning. At the same time, the receiving groove on the circumferential side of the grinding wheel accurately accommodates Structure B, avoiding interference between Structure B and the grinding wheel during processing, ensuring the precise alignment of the rotation center of the workpiece and the grinding trajectory, and improving the processing accuracy of grinding.

[0020] 4. The feeding mechanism automatically completes the separation and transportation of the workpiece tray to be processed and the processed workpiece tray through the cooperation of the double-layer feeding belt and the lifting and transfer component, avoiding the efficiency loss caused by manual intervention. The loading and unloading mechanism adopts a double two-axis moving module and multiple groups of grippers design, which can synchronously grab and transfer multiple workpieces, realizing seamless connection of the processing - loading and unloading processes, reducing the equipment waiting time, and further improving the automation level of the production line. Description of the Drawings

[0021] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the centerless grinding machine described in this application.

[0022] Figure 2 is a top view of the centerless grinding machine described in this application.

[0023] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the support seat, grinding wheel and guide wheel in the processing state.

[0024] Figure 4 is a partial enlarged view of the workpiece, support seat and grinding wheel in the processing state.

[0025] Figure 5 is a perspective view of the partial support seat.

[0026] Figure 6 is a plan view of the feeding mechanism.

[0027] Figure 7 is a perspective view of the feeding mechanism at the lifting area.

[0028] Figure 8It is a perspective view of the loading and unloading mechanism.

[0029] The following is an explanation of the reference numerals: 100, the support seat; 110, the inclined surface; 120, the groove; 130, the positioning block; 200, the grinding wheel; 210, the receiving groove; 211, the feeding seat; 220, the first motor; 300, the guide wheel; 310, the second motor; 400, the feeding mechanism; 410, the feeding frame; 420, the first feeding belt; 430, the second feeding belt; 440, the lifting and transfer assembly; 441, the lifting cylinder; 442, the transfer cylinder; 443, the supporting bracket; 444, the push plate; 450, the baffle; 460, the positioning cylinder; 461, the positioning plate; 462, the positioning column; 500, the material tray; 510, the workpiece; 511, Structure A; 512, Structure B; 600, the loading and unloading mechanism; 610, the mounting frame; 620, the first two-axis moving module; 630, the handling seat; 640, the second two-axis moving module; 650, the first grasping assembly; 660, the second grasping assembly; 670, the jaw. Detailed implementation manners

[0030] The present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the drawings and the detailed implementation manners.

[0031] In the following implementation manners, the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar components or components with the same or similar functions. The implementation manners described below with reference to the drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention and should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention.

[0032] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms: center, longitudinal, transverse, length, width, thickness, upper, lower, front, rear, left, right, vertical, horizontal, top, bottom, inner, outer, clockwise, counterclockwise, etc. indicate the orientation or position relationship based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description. Therefore, they should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention. In addition, the terms: first, second, etc. are only used for descriptive purposes and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the quantity of the indicated technical features. In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly defined and limited, the terms: installation, connection, connection, etc. should be understood in a broad sense, and those of ordinary skill in the art can understand the specific meanings of the above terms in this practical application according to the specific situation.

[0033] Refer to Figures 1 to 8, A centerless grinding machine, including a base body, on which a workpiece support 100, a grinding wheel 200 and a regulating wheel 300 are assembled. The workpiece support 100 is used to support the workpiece 510 and is located between the grinding wheel 200 and the regulating wheel 300. The workpiece support 100 and the grinding wheel 200 are assembled on a feed base 211, and the feed base 211 is driven by a feed assembly. The grinding wheel 200 is driven by a first motor 220, and the regulating wheel 300 is driven by a second motor 310. During processing, the regulating wheel 300 contacts the workpiece 510 to drive the workpiece 510 to rotate, and the grinding wheel 200 grinds the surface of the workpiece 510. The workpiece 510 to be processed includes a structure A511, and a structure B512 with an outer diameter larger than that of the structure A511 is arranged on the structure A511; a plurality of inclined surfaces 110 for placing the structure A511 are arranged on the workpiece support 100, and a plurality of receiving grooves 210 for accommodating the structure B512 are arranged on the circumferences of the grinding wheel 200 and the regulating wheel 300. The grinding wheel 200 is used to grind the circumferential surface of the structure A511. The design of the receiving groove 210 facilitates the grinding wheel 200 to directly grind the structure A511 accurately by avoiding the structure B512, preventing interference. Through the cooperation of the inclined surface 110 and the groove 120, this structural design enables multiple workpieces 510 to be stably arranged on the workpiece support 100, significantly increasing the single processing quantity. At the same time, it ensures that the rotation center of the workpiece 510 is accurately aligned with the grinding trajectory, improving the surface finish and dimensional consistency.

[0034] Furthermore, a groove 120 for accommodating the structure B512 is arranged on the workpiece support 100, and the inclined surfaces 110 and the grooves 120 are alternately distributed. The end face of the structure B512 cooperates with the side wall of the groove 120 close to the inclined surface 110 to achieve axial positioning of the workpiece 510, preventing the workpiece 510 from axially moving during processing. The structure B512 is arranged at one end of the structure A511, and the other end of the structure A511 is positioned by a positioning block 130, and the positioning block 130 is assembled in the groove 120. The cooperation of the positioning block 130, the structure B512 and the side wall of the groove 120 can achieve two-way positioning of both ends of the workpiece 510, further enhancing the axial stability of the workpiece 510, preventing the inclination or vibration of the workpiece 510 caused by unilateral positioning of the structure B512 during the processing, and improving the grinding quality. The number of the inclined surfaces 110 is at most no more than 4 groups. When processing more than 4 workpieces 510 at one time, it is easy to cause a decrease in processing accuracy due to reasons such as insufficient rigidity of the workpiece support 100. Limiting the number of the inclined surfaces 110 can balance the processing accuracy and processing efficiency.

[0035] To achieve automated production, this grinding machine is equipped with a feeding mechanism 400 and a loading and unloading mechanism 600. The feeding mechanism 400 includes a feeding rack 410, on which a first feeding belt 420, a second feeding belt 430 and a lifting and transferring assembly 440 are assembled. The first feeding belt 420 is used to convey a tray 500 loaded with a workpiece 510 to be processed. The loading and unloading mechanism 600 is used to transfer the workpiece 510 from the tray 500 to the support seat 100, and to transfer the processed workpiece 510 from the support seat 100 to the tray 500. The second feeding belt 430 is used to convey the tray 500 loaded with the processed workpiece 510. The first feeding belt 420 and the second feeding belt 430 are assembled on the feeding rack 410 in an upper and lower layer distribution. The lifting and transferring assembly 440 is used to transfer the tray 500 from the area of the first feeding belt 420 to the area where the second feeding belt 430 is located. This design can realize automatic loading and unloading and automatic sorting and conveying of the tray 500 before and after processing, reduce manual intervention, and reduce the idle time of the equipment.

[0036] Further, the feeding rack 410 is provided with a lifting area at the conveying end of the first feeding belt 420. The lifting and transferring assembly 440 is located in the lifting area. The lifting and transferring assembly 440 includes a lifting cylinder 441 and a transfer cylinder 442. The lifting cylinder 441 is vertically arranged and connected with a support bracket 443 for supporting the tray 500. The transfer cylinder 442 is horizontally arranged and connected with a push plate 444. Before processing, the first feeding belt 420 conveys the tray 500 to the support bracket 443 for the loading and unloading mechanism 600 to carry. During transfer, the lifting cylinder 441 drives the support bracket 443 to descend from the area of the first feeding belt 420 to the area of the second feeding belt 430, and the transfer cylinder 442 drives the push plate 444 to push the tray 500 from the support bracket 443 to the second feeding belt 430.

[0037] Before processing, the lifting cylinder 441 moves the support bracket 443 to the area of the first feeding belt 420. The first feeding belt 420 conveys the tray 500 to the support bracket 443, and then the loading and unloading mechanism 600 performs the loading and unloading operation, and the grinding machine performs grinding processing. When all the workpieces 510 in the tray 500 are completed with grinding processing, the lifting cylinder 441 drives the support bracket 443 to descend to the area of the second feeding belt 430, and the transfer cylinder 442 pushes the tray 500 to the second feeding belt 430. The second feeding belt 430 conveys the tray 500 away from the equipment or to the next process.

[0038] The loading and unloading mechanism 600 adopts a modular design and includes a mounting frame 610. A handling seat 630 is assembled on the mounting frame 610 through a first two-axis moving module 620. A first grasping component 650 and a second grasping component 660 are assembled on the handling seat 630 through a second two-axis moving module 640. The first grasping component 650 is used to transfer the workpiece 510 from the tray 500 to the supporting seat 100, and the second grasping component 660 is used to transfer the workpiece 510 from the supporting seat 100 to the tray 500. Both the first grasping component 650 and the second grasping component 660 include a plurality of groups of clamping jaws 670, and the number of clamping jaws 670 on each grasping component corresponds to the number of workpieces 510 processed at one time.

[0039] Furthermore, a baffle 450 and two groups of symmetrically arranged positioning cylinders 460 are also assembled on the feeding frame 410; the baffle 450 is used to block the tray 500 when the tray 500 is transferred to the supporting bracket 443; the positioning cylinder 460 is connected to a positioning plate 461, a positioning post 462 is arranged on the positioning plate 461, and a positioning groove for cooperating with the positioning post 462 is arranged on the tray 500. The cooperation between the baffle 450 and the positioning cylinder 460, and the cooperation between the positioning post 462 and the positioning groove of the tray 500 ensure the accurate positioning of the tray 500 during the transfer process, and further improve the reliability of the automated operation.

[0040] The protection scope of the present invention includes but is not limited to the above embodiments. The protection scope of the present invention is subject to the claims, and any substitutions, deformations, and improvements that are easily conceivable by those skilled in the art to this technology fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A centerless grinding machine, comprising a support seat (100), a grinding wheel (200) and a guide wheel (300), wherein the support seat (100) is used to support a workpiece (510) and is located between the grinding wheel (200) and the guide wheel (300), the grinding wheel (200) is driven by a first motor (220), and the guide wheel (300) is driven by a second motor (310), during machining, the guide wheel (300) contacts the workpiece (510) to drive the workpiece (510) to rotate, and the grinding wheel (200) grinds the surface of the workpiece (510), characterized in that: The workpiece (510) to be processed comprises a structure A (511), on which a structure B (512) having an outer diameter greater than that of the structure A (511) is arranged; a support seat (100) is provided with a plurality of inclined surfaces (110) for placing the structure A (511); a grinding wheel (200) and a guide wheel (300) are provided with a plurality of accommodating grooves (210) for accommodating the structure B (512) on their circumferential sides; and the grinding wheel (200) is used to grind the circumferential side surface of the structure A (511).

2. A centerless grinder according to claim 1, characterized in that: A groove (120) for accommodating the structure B (512) is provided on the support seat (100); the end surface of the structure B (512) cooperates with the groove (120) close to the side wall of the inclined surface (110) to achieve axial positioning of the workpiece (510); the inclined surface (110) and the groove (120) are alternately distributed.

3. A centerless grinder according to claim 2, characterized in that: The structure B (512) is arranged at one end of the structure A (511), and the other end of the structure A (511) is positioned by a positioning block (130), wherein the positioning block (130) is assembled in the groove (120).

4. A centerless grinder according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of the inclined surfaces (110) is no more than 4 groups.

5. The centerless grinder according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a feeding mechanism (400) and a loading and unloading mechanism (600); the feeding mechanism (400) includes a feeding frame (410), the feeding frame (410) is equipped with a first feeding belt (420), the first feeding belt (420) is used to transport a material tray (500) containing workpieces (510) to be processed, and the loading and unloading mechanism (600) is used to transfer the workpieces (510) from the material tray (500) to the support seat (100), and to transfer the processed workpieces (510) from the support seat (100) to the material tray (500).

6. A centerless grinding machine according to claim 5, characterized in that: The feeding mechanism (400) further comprises a second feeding belt (430) and a lifting and transferring assembly (440); the second feeding belt (430) is used to convey a material tray (500) containing processed workpieces (510); the first feeding belt (420) and the second feeding belt (430) are arranged on the feeding rack (410) in an upper and lower distributed manner; the lifting and transferring assembly (440) is used to transfer the material tray (500) from the area of ​​the first feeding belt (420) to the area of ​​the second feeding belt (430).

7. A centerless grinding machine according to claim 6, characterized in that: The feeding rack (410) is provided with a lifting area at the conveying end of the first feeding belt (420), and the lifting and transferring assembly (440) is located in the lifting area. The lifting and transferring assembly (440) comprises a lifting cylinder (441) and a transferring cylinder (442). The lifting cylinder (441) is vertically arranged and connected to a supporting frame (443) for supporting the material tray (500), and the transferring cylinder (442) is horizontally arranged and connected to a push plate (444); Before processing, the first feeding belt (420) transports the material tray (500) to the support frame (443) to facilitate the loading and unloading mechanism (600) to carry it; during transfer, the lifting cylinder (441) drives the support frame (443) to descend from the area of ​​the first feeding belt (420) to the area of ​​the second feeding belt (430), and the transfer cylinder (442) drives the push plate (444) to push the material tray (500) from the support frame (443) to the second feeding belt (430).

8. The centerless grinding machine according to claim 5, characterized in that: The loading and unloading mechanism (600) comprises a mounting frame (610), on which a transport seat (630) is mounted via a first two-axis movable module (620), and on which a first grabbing assembly (650) and a second grabbing assembly (660) are mounted via a second two-axis movable module (640), wherein the first grabbing assembly (650) is used to transfer a workpiece (510) from a material tray (500) to a supporting seat (100), and the second grabbing assembly (660) is used to transfer a workpiece (510) from a supporting seat (100) to a material tray (500).

9. A centerless grinding machine according to claim 8, characterized in that: The first gripping assembly (650) and the second gripping assembly (660) both include a plurality of groups of clamping jaws (670), and the number of clamping jaws (670) on each group of gripping assemblies corresponds to the number of workpieces (510) to be processed in a single operation.

10. The centerless grinding machine according to claim 5, characterized in that: The feeding rack (410) is also equipped with a baffle (450) and two groups of symmetrically arranged positioning cylinders (460); the baffle (450) is used to block the material tray (500) when the material tray (500) is transferred to the supporting rack (443); the positioning cylinder (460) is connected to a positioning plate (461), a positioning column (462) is arranged on the positioning plate (461), and a positioning groove matching the positioning column (462) is arranged on the material tray (500).

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