Flexible Finishing Station and Method for Brake Pads

Abstract

A finishing station (1) configured to chamfer and / or slot on a block (5) of friction material of a brake pad (2), comprising a robot multi-joint arm (8) supporting a head (11) rotating about a first axis (A), supporting a tool (19) including a rigid plate (20) perpendicular to the first axis (A), and supporting first and second motorized holding devices (24, 25), each first and second motorized holding device (24, 25) holding one brake pad (2) and being independently rotatable about a second axis (B) parallel to the first axis (A) and being configured to be arranged side by side across a first axis spacing (I1), and first and second grinding modules (9, 37) arranged in front of the robot multi-joint arm (8), each first and second grinding module (9, 37) including a pair of grinding wheels (31, 32; 41, 42) arranged in respective axis spacings identical to the first axis spacing (I1).

Description

Cross-reference to related applications

[0001] This patent application claims the priority of Italian Patent Application No. 102022000012506 filed on June 13, 2022, and the entire disclosure thereof is incorporated herein by reference.

Technical field

[0002] The present invention relates to an automatic grinding station for finishing brake pads with flexible operation.

[0003] Herein and hereinafter, "flexible" means "having the ability to adapt to new, different, or changing requirements".

[0004] In other words, the present invention relates to a finishing grinding station capable of performing a plurality of different machining operations for removing / ablation of the friction material from the friction material block of the brake pad and providing chamfers and / or slots of different shapes on the friction material block, either without any rearrangement or with minimal rearrangement, simultaneously or sequentially.

Background art

[0005] Braking elements for vehicles generally comprise a friction material block and a support therefor, and the friction material block is joined to the support, for example, by adhesion or other means. The support usually consists of a metal plate, also known as a "back plate".

[0006] The friction material block generally starts from a suitable mixture of raw material components including an organic binder such as a thermosetting resin, fibers, abrasives, inorganic fillers, lubricants, etc., and is hot formed under pressure, for example, co-formed on the support.

[0007] When the brake pad is operating on the vehicle, for example, in order to avoid the generation of noise during braking of the vehicle, the brake pad thus obtained may be chamfered at least some of the edges of the friction material block, and / or the flat surface of the friction material block on the side opposite to the support may be subjected to a finishing operation in which slots are provided to subdivide the friction material block into a plurality of sections.

[0008] Finishing stations based on operating machines capable of performing a preset number of preset chamfers or slots on the friction material block of the brake pad are known, which include two rails, and two parallel chains pull the brake pad along the rails with a double line and interact with a rotary grinding wheel arranged in a stationary position to perform chamfers on the axis providing the chamfer angle by interpolation. This type of finishing station allows for a high production speed of up to 2100 pieces per hour, but is very lacking in flexibility. First, they are specialized to always perform a single type of chamfer (or slot) at the same position because they are defined by grinding wheels that use a flat chamfer angle without adjustment.

[0009] Second, due to their structure, the operating machines are not capable of performing chamfers or slots with an angle greater than 35°.

[0010] To meet the flexibility requirements, finishing stations based on robotic manipulators serving two rotary grinding wheels have been developed. The first one is fixed, and the second one moves along the axis to reach the required position of the chamfer or slot and is capable of performing any type of chamfer, but the production speed is relatively low as it reaches a productivity of 600 pieces per hour at the maximum speed. Summary of the Invention

[0011] The object of the present invention is to provide an improved automatic finishing station for brake pads that has no drawbacks of the prior art, and in particular, is reliable, easy to install, and capable of simultaneously or sequentially performing a plurality of chamfers and / or slots of any different shapes on the friction material block of the brake without any reconfiguration or with minimal reconfiguration.

[0012] According to the present invention, an improved automatic finishing station for brake pads is thus provided as defined in the appended claims.

[0013] In particular, the finishing station according to the present invention executes different types of chamfers and slots on the same brake pad, processes two pads simultaneously at once, generates chamfers and slots of any inclination and any normal shape on the brake pad at a speed of up to 2100 pads / hour, and can also generate any combination of slots.

[0014] A numerically controlled manipulator constituted by a robotic articulated arm having at least six numerical control axes (or simply "robot" hereinafter) includes a head provided with a tool having a rigid plate that rotates about a first axis, is integrally attached to the head, and is disposed substantially perpendicular to the first axis, and first and second motorized holding devices supported by the rigid plate arranged side by side. Such motorized holding devices constitute the seventh and eighth numerical axes of the robot according to the present invention, as can be seen.

[0015] Each of the first and second motorized holding devices includes a motor integrally supported by the rigid plate and a clamping assembly configured to hold one vehicle braking element, so that the tool is configured to support two vehicle braking elements simultaneously.

[0016] The clamping assemblies of each of the first and second holding devices are configured to be rotated by corresponding motors about respective second axes, the second axes of the first and second holding devices being parallel to each other and to the first axis, arranged side by side, spaced apart between the first axes at a distance between the second axes, and the second axes being arranged eccentrically with respect to the first axis.

[0017] The first and second holding devices are operable independently of each other by motors.

[0018] Moreover, the clamping assembly of each of the first and second holding devices is configured to hold one vehicle braking element at a time by its support arranged on the side opposite to the first face of the friction material block which is to support the friction material block and which is to be provided with chamfers and / or slots.

[0019] The clamping assembly of each of the first and second holding devices is configured to hold the first face of the friction material block parallel to the rigid plate of the tool and facing the first grinding module which is part of the automatic finishing station of the present invention.

[0020] The first grinding module comprises first and second motorized heads supported by a first fixed base arranged close to the robotic articulated arm, the first motorized head supporting one respective first grinding wheel rotating about a third axis which is its own axis of symmetry, and the second motorized head supporting one respective second grinding wheel rotating about a fourth axis which is its own axis of symmetry. The first and second motorized heads are arranged side by side, parallel to each other, and rotatable about respective fifth axes arranged perpendicular to the third and fourth rotation axes of the respective first and second grinding wheels.

[0021] The fifth axis is spaced apart between the second axes, i.e., at the same distance from each other as between the first axes.

[0022] Furthermore, the automatic finishing station of the present invention also includes, alongside the first grinding module, a second grinding module disposed in front of the robotic articulated arm, and at least one conveyor disposed between the robotic articulated arm and the first and second grinding modules.

[0023] The conveyor is configured to carry a plurality of vehicle braking elements in a row along the empty space delimited between the robotic articulated arm and the first and second grinding modules.

[0024] Here, with reference to some actual embodiments of its implementation, which are only intended to disclose non-exhaustively and non-limitingly some features that are part of the content of the present disclosure, and with reference to the figures of the accompanying drawings, the preferred but non-limiting embodiments of the present invention are described in more detail.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0025]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 5

Figure 6

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Figure 8

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Figure 11

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 11, reference numeral 1 indicates an automatic finishing station for vehicle braking elements 2 such as brake shoes or brake pads as a whole, and an alternative pair of vehicle braking elements 2 is schematically shown in a perspective view in FIG. 8.

[0027] The finishing station 1 is configured to perform chamfers 3 and / or slots 4 (FIG. 11) on a block 5 of friction material supported by a support 6 (usually made of metal), and the block 5 of friction material and the support 6 together form one vehicle braking element 2.

[0028] Several braking elements 2 constituted by brake pads are shown in Fig. 11, which have different finishes, i.e., chamfers 3 of different shapes are provided, and / or they have their side edges arranged at different positions, and / or they have a central transverse slot 4 provided on the first surface 7 of the friction material block 5 on the side opposite to the support 6 and facing the element to be braked (e.g., brake disc) during use.

[0029] In particular, the chamfer 3b is known as a J chamfer, and the chamfer 3c is a flat chamfer and can have different inclinations with respect to the support 6, which is usually a flat plate. The braking elements 2 can themselves have different dimensions and shapes depending on the vehicle for which they are designed to operate together.

[0030] The braking element 2 shown in Fig. 8 is still not finished and thus lacks any chamfers or slots.

[0031] The automatic finishing station 1 comprises at least one robotic articulated arm 8 (also simply referred to hereinafter as "robot 8" in this specification), and at least one first grinding machining module 9 (also simply referred to hereinafter as "grinding module 9" in this specification) configured to remove / abrade a part of such a friction material block on the side of the first surface 7 of the friction material block 5 in order to obtain one or more chamfers 3 (e.g., 3b or 3c) and / or slots 4 of a pre-established shape on the friction material block 5.

[0032] According to one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the finishing station 1 is formed by joining two identical sub-stations 1b arranged side by side and preferably surrounded by a protective cabin 10 (known and only partly shown for simplicity) as schematically shown in Fig. 1.

[0033] Each sub-station 1b constitutes a complete finishing station according to the present invention, according to the simplest embodiment of the present invention. Therefore, the following description refers to either a single finishing sub-station 1b or the entire finishing station 1 without loss of generality.

[0034] At least one robotic articulated arm 8 can be of a known type and comprises a motorized head 11 that rotates about a first axis A (this first axis A is the sixth numerically controlled axis of the robot 8, as is usual in commercially available robots, like the robotic articulated arm 8, and the six numerically controlled axes are counted in ascending order from the base to the wrist).

[0035] Preferably, at least one robotic articulated arm 8 has six numerically controlled axes including the first axis A. In particular, the motorized rotating head 11 can be supported by a motorized rotating joint 12 (FIG. 9), which is the fifth numerically controlled axis of the robot 8, according to the usual sequence used in commercially available robots such as the robot 8 that can rotate the head 11 about an axis R perpendicular to the first axis A, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 9. The head 11 is arranged in two different positions where its axis A is directed horizontally (FIG. 1) and vertically (FIG. 9), respectively.

[0036] Generally speaking, the robotic articulated arm 8 comprises two linear elements 13 and 14 connected to each other by a motorized joint 15, a motorized rotating base 16, and a further motorized rotating joint 18 that connects the base 16 to the linear element 14 at a greater distance from the head 11 (FIG. 9).

[0037] According to a first aspect of the present invention, the head 11 supports a tool 19, which is shown in greater detail at an enlarged scale in FIGS. 2, 4, and 8.

[0038] Tool 19 has two opposite ends 21, 22 (FIG. 8) of different widths, which are preferably connected by a tapered edge of a curved configuration, so that in plan view it forms a kind of "deformed" triangle that closely resembles the shape of a capital Y, and thus comprises a rigid plate 20 having a "Y" shape in plan view.

[0039] The plate 20 is integrally attached to the head 11 by its narrow end 22, for example by bolts (not shown), and is arranged substantially perpendicular to the first axis A. For this purpose, the end 22 is provided with a crown of a suitable seat 23 arranged circularly about the axis A, so that the plate 20 is forced to rotate about the axis A together with the head 11. Therefore, the end 21 can also be rotated eccentrically therefrom about the axis A. See, for example, FIGS. 1 and 10, which appear as if the plate 20 and the end 21 have been rotated by 90°.

[0040] According to one aspect of the invention, the rigid plate 20 supports, at the end 21, a first motorized holding device 24 and a second motorized holding device 25 that are identical to each other and are arranged side by side along the opposite side edges of the end 21.

[0041] Each of the first and second motorized holding devices 24, 25 comprises a motor 26 integrally supported by the rigid plate 20 and a clamping assembly 27 configured to hold one vehicle braking element 2 (FIG. 8), so that the tool 19 is configured to support two vehicle braking elements 2 simultaneously at once.

[0042] Moreover, the clamping assemblies 27 of each of the first and second holding devices 24, 25 are configured to be rotated by the corresponding motor 26 and are angularly connected about their respective second axes B (FIG. 4) with respect to an outlet shaft (not shown).

[0043] The two second axes B of the first and second holding devices 24, 25 (FIG. 4) are parallel to each other and to the first axis A, are arranged side by side, and are spaced apart at the first axial distance I1, that is, at the distance I1 from each other and between the two second axes B.

[0044] The second axis B is, moreover, arranged eccentrically with respect to the first axis A, and the first and second holding devices 24, 25 are configured to be operable independently of each other by two independent motors 26.

[0045] The clamping assembly 27 of each of the first and second holding devices 24, 25 is configured to hold one of the vehicle braking elements 2 to be finished, by means of its support 6 / by its support 6 and on the side opposite the first face 7 of its friction material block 5, and to keep the first face 7 always parallel to the rigid plate 20 and facing towards the first grinding module 9.

[0046] According to a further aspect of the invention, in combination with the tool 19 described above, the first grinding module 9 comprises a first motorized head 28 and a second motorized head 29, both of which are supported by a first fixed base 30 (FIGS. 1 and 10) which is arranged close to, that is, well within the operating range of, the robotic articulated arm 8 so as to be easily and quickly accessible by the head 11.

[0047] The first motorized head 28 supports one respective first motorized grinding wheel 31 which rotates about a third axis C (FIG. 7) which is also its axis of symmetry, and the second motorized head 29 supports one respective second grinding wheel 32 which rotates about a fourth axis D which is also its axis of symmetry.

[0048] Heads 28 and 29 are not directly motorized, but are known as "angle heads" because they receive motion from respective motorized spindles 280, 290 (Figs. 2 and 7) by means of a pair of gears (known and not shown for simplicity) that transmit motion to grinding wheels 31, 32 to rotate the grinding wheels 31, 32 about axes C and D respectively.

[0049] According to an aspect of the invention, the first and second "motorized" heads 28, 29 are also rotatable and are configured to be rotated by respective motors 33 about respective fifth axes E (Fig. 7).

[0050] In the non-limiting embodiment shown, motors 33 are each arranged laterally to the corresponding axis E and transmit motion to angle heads 28, 29, and via transmission gears 330 (known and not shown in detail for simplicity), rotate angle heads 28, 29 independently of each other about one axis E each, so that it is also possible to tilt the corresponding axes C, D at any angle.

[0051] The two axes E of the two motorized heads 28, 29 are actually arranged side by side, parallel to each other, and perpendicular to the third and fourth rotation axes C, D of the first and second grinding wheels 31, 32 respectively.

[0052] Moreover, according to a non-trivial aspect of the invention, the fifth axis E is provided between a second axis I2 that is the same as the first axis interval I1, i.e., the distance measured perpendicular to each other, i.e., between a pair of the second axes B of the first and second holding devices 24, 25, and is separated by the distance measured perpendicular to them.

[0053] The first and second angle heads 28, 29 can be rotated independently of each other about their respective fifth axes E by means of a pair of alternative independent motors 33, so that the first grinding module 9 is configured to rotate the first and second motorized angle heads 28, 29 in response to signals from the control unit 34 (FIG. 10) by a pre-established angle of up to 90° or even 180°, either the same or different from each other.

[0054] The control unit 34 is an integral part of the automatic finishing station 1 according to the invention and can serve both sub-stations 1b, or, in an embodiment not shown, the automatic finishing station 1 can be provided with two control units 34, one for each sub-station 1b.

[0055] The control unit 34 is connected via a data cable 35 to at least one robotic articulated arm 8 and at least one first grinding module 9 (in the embodiment shown, together with those of both sub-stations 1b) and controls them via control signals 36 running along the data cable 35.

[0056] The control unit 34 is configured to operate the robotic articulated arm 8 and simultaneously rotate the first and second motorized holding devices 24, 25 and the first and second motorized heads 28, 29 of the first grinding module 9, which are provided with the respective first and second rotary grinding wheels 31, 32, in order to obtain a plurality of chamfers 3, in particular flat chamfers 3c, of a predetermined shape at predetermined positions along each side of the friction material block 5 on the friction material block 5.

[0057] Thus, according to an important aspect of the invention, it is possible to perform chamfering at any position, to obtain any angle with respect to the axis of the brake pad and to obtain any angle with respect to the backplate surface in order to obtain flat chamfer(s).

[0058] Looking particularly at the configuration shown in FIG. 2, by rotating the rotatable holding devices 24, 25 to appropriate positions, rotating the rotatable heads 28, 29 by the same angle (e.g., 90°) and in the same direction, and providing grinding wheels 31, 32 of a thinner thickness than the grinding wheels shown in FIGS. 7 and 10, for example, of an appropriate shape, on the rotatable heads 28, 29, it is also clear that it is possible to finally obtain the slot 4 on the surface 7.

[0059] According to a further aspect of the present invention, the automatic finishing station 1 (in the embodiment, both of its sub-stations 1b are shown) comprises a second grinding module 37 arranged alongside the first grinding module 9 in combination with the first grinding module 9, and both grinding modules 9, 37 are arranged in front of the robotic articulated arm 8 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 10 thereon.

[0060] The automatic finishing station 1 further comprises at least one conveyor 38 arranged between the robotic articulated arm 8 and the first and second grinding modules 9, 37 (FIGS. 2 and 10).

[0061] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the finishing station 1 comprises two identical conveyors 38 arranged side by side between two robots 8 on one side and two alternative sets of grinding modules 9, 37 on the other side, constituting two sub-stations 1b.

[0062] In any case, each conveyor 38 is configured to carry a plurality of vehicle braking elements 2 in a row along the empty space delimited between the robotic articulated arm 8 and the first and second grinding modules 9, 37 of either the complete finishing station 1 or both sub-stations 1b.

[0063] Each second grinding module 37 (Figs. 3, 5, and 6) comprises a second fixed base 39 that supports a motor-driven shaft 40 which rotates about a sixth axis F that corresponds to its own axis of symmetry and is arranged perpendicular to the fifth axis E.

[0064] The shaft 40 removably and juxtaposedly supports one third and one fourth grinding wheel 41 and 42 which are fixed and combined at an angle to the shaft 40 and are spaced apart from each other at a third axial distance l3, i.e., at the distance between one third grinding wheel 41 and one fourth grinding wheel 42 measured at the middle part of the shaft 40 (Fig. 3).

[0065] According to one aspect of the invention, the third axial distance I3 is the same as the first and second axial distances I1 and I2.

[0066] Both the third and fourth grinding wheels 41, 42 are coupled at an angle to the shaft 40 and are forced to rotate together about the sixth axis F at the same speed.

[0067] The shaft 40 is equipped therewith with a quick-assembly bearing unit 43 for connecting the third and fourth grinding wheels 41, 42 to the shaft 40.

[0068] Referring to Fig. 3, the quick-assembly bearing unit 43 comprises a tubular spindle 44 arranged coaxially with the shaft 40 and configured to support thereon the third and fourth grinding wheels 41, 42 fixed at an angle to the shaft 40.

[0069] Some spacers 45 are also supported by the spindle 44 to block together the third and fourth grinding wheels 41, 42 at the third axial distance I3.

[0070] Finally, the quick-assembly bearing unit 43 comprises a quick-connection device 46 for connecting the spindle 44 to the shaft 40 with an angular offset between the heads, and this quick-connection device 46 is preferably of the Morse taper type, as shown in Figure 3.

[0071] According to a further aspect of the invention, the automatic finishing station 1 (or each of both sub-stations 1b) comprises two sets 47, 48 of third and fourth grinding wheels 41, 42 (Figures 5, 6) which are interchangeably connectable to the motor-driven shaft 40.

[0072] The first set 47 includes a pair of grinding wheels 41b, 42b configured to obtain a J chamfer (as shown in Figure 3) on the blocks 5 of friction material of a pair of braking elements 2 to be finished, which are held by the paired holding devices 24, 25 as shown in Figure 4.

[0073] The second set 48 includes a pair of grinding wheels 41c, 42c configured to obtain a slot 4 (much thinner than the grinding wheels 41b, 42b) on the first face 7 of the blocks 5 of friction material of a pair of braking elements 2 to be finished, which are held by the paired holding devices 24, 25 as shown in Figure 4.

[0074] Depending on the shape of the grinding wheels 41b, 42b, the resulting J chamfer can have different radii. Similarly, the slots can have different thicknesses and shapes, such as "U" shape and "V" shape, depending on the shape of the grinding wheels 41c, 42c.

[0075] As already described, the automatic finishing station 1 in its preferred embodiment comprises two robot multi-joint arms 8 arranged side by side to form two pairs of sub-stations 1b operating simultaneously, each robot multi-joint arm 8 being served by a respective conveyor 38 and by corresponding first and second grinding modules 9, 37 arranged side by side in front of the corresponding robot multi-joint arm 8 and on the side opposite the robot multi-joint arm 8 with respect to the corresponding conveyor 38.

[0076] Preferably, each conveyor 38 is an endless belt conveyor of any known type, as schematically shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 10.

[0077] According to a further aspect of the invention, each conveyor 38 is provided with two pairs of positioning templates 49 for the vehicle braking elements 2 arranged in a vertical row one after the other along the conveyor 38 and operating on both sides thereof.

[0078] Each pair of positioning templates 49 is separated from the other by a fourth axis interval I4 (FIG. 2) identical to the first axis interval I1, the fourth axis interval I4 being set between the central portions of a pair of brake pads 2 blocked by a pair of templates 49 arranged side by side along the conveyor 38.

[0079] From what has been described so far, it is clear that the invention also relates to a method for obtaining chamfers 3 and / or slots 4 on a friction material block 5 supported by a support 6, where the friction material block 5 and the support 6 form a vehicle braking element 2, and the method operates on two vehicle braking elements 2 at a time and arranges them side by side with the same axis as the first axis between which the tool 19 holds two vehicle braking elements 2 at a time, and simultaneously contacts them with the first and second grinding wheels 31, 32 or the third and fourth grinding wheels 41, 42 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) of each pair, etc. This is implemented by the finishing station 1 described above by operating at least one (both) robotic articulated arm 8 provided with the tool 19 (each).

[0080] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, having two robotic articulated arms 8 and a corresponding plurality of pairs of grinding modules 9, 37, it is clear that both the chamfer 3 and the slot 4 can be obtained in sequence on the same braking element 2.

[0081] In particular, the J chamfer can be obtained by a module 37 equipped with grinding wheels 41b, 42b, while the flat chamfer and / or slot can be obtained by appropriately rotating the tool 19 by both the head 11 and the two holding devices 24, 25 supported thereby, and when the grinding wheels of appropriate shape and thickness are provided in the module 9, it can be obtained by simultaneously rotating the two motorized heads 28, 29.

[0082] When the module 37 is used to provide both the J chamfer and the slot, this is made possible by exchanging the grinding wheels 41b, 42b for grinding wheels 41c, 42c, and the operation is made quick, easy, and possible by the quick release and assembly bearing unit 43.

[0083] Accordingly, all the objects of the present disclosure are achieved. A certain specific terminology

[0084] A particular braking device, system, and method are disclosed in the context of certain exemplary embodiments, but the scope of the present disclosure extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments to other alternative embodiments and / or uses of the embodiments, as well as certain modifications and equivalents thereof, such as brake shoes for a braking system based on a brake drum, which will be understood by those skilled in the art. The use with any structure is clearly within the scope of the present invention. Various features and aspects of the disclosed embodiments can be combined with each other or substituted for each other to form various modes of the assembly. The scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by the specific disclosed embodiments described herein.

[0085] Conditional language, such as "can," "could," "might," or "may," generally conveys that a particular embodiment includes or does not include a particular feature, element, and / or step, unless otherwise specified or otherwise understood within the context in which it is used. As such, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that a feature, element, and / or step is required in any way for one or more embodiments.

[0086] Unless otherwise stated, the terms "approximately," "about," and "substantially," as used herein, still represent an amount close to the recited amount that performs the desired function or achieves the desired result. For example, in some embodiments, the terms "approximately," "about," and "substantially" can refer to an amount within 10% of the recited amount, as the context may indicate. Similarly, the term "generally," as used herein, represents a value, amount, or characteristic that mainly includes or tends towards a particular value, amount, or characteristic.

[0087] The present disclosure expressly contemplates that the various features and aspects of the disclosed embodiments can be combined with or substituted for one another. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by the specific disclosed embodiments described above, but should be determined only by reading fairly the full scope of the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An automatic finishing station (1) for a vehicle braking element (2), such as a brake shoe or a brake pad, configured to chamfer and / or slot on a block (5) of friction material supported by a support (6), wherein the block of friction material and the support form the vehicle braking element (2), and the automatic finishing station (1) comprises at least one robotic articulated arm (8) and at least a first grinding module (9) configured to remove / ablate a part of such a block of friction material on the side of a first face (7) of the block (5) of friction material in order to obtain on the block (5) of friction material one or more chamfers (3) and / or slots (4) of a pre-established shape. i) - The robotic articulated arm (8) comprises a head (11) rotating about a first axis (A). ii) - The head (11) supports a tool (19) comprising a rigid plate (20) integrally attached to the head (11) and arranged substantially perpendicular to the first axis (A), the rigid plate (20) supporting first and second motorized holding devices (24, 25), the first and second motorized holding devices being arranged side by side. iii) - Each of the first and second motorized holding devices (24, 25) comprises a motor (26) integrally supported by the rigid plate (20) and a clamping assembly (27) configured to hold one of the vehicle braking elements (2), so that the tool (19) is configured to support two of the vehicle braking elements (2) simultaneously. iv) - The clamping assembly (27) of each of the first and second motorized holding devices (24, 25) is configured to be rotated by the corresponding motor (26) about a respective second axis (B), the second axes (B) of the first and second motorized holding devices being parallel to each other and to the first axis (A) and arranged side by side, spaced apart by a first inter-axis distance (I1), i.e., the distance between the second axes (B), the second axes (B) being arranged eccentrically with respect to the first axis (A), and the first and second motorized holding devices (24, 25) being operable independently of each other by the motor (26). v) - The clamping assemblies (27) of each of the first and second motorized holding devices (24, 25) are configured to hold one of the vehicle braking elements (2) at once, on the side opposite to the first face (7) of the friction material block (5) by its support (6), keeping the first face (7) parallel to the rigid plate (20) and facing towards the first grinding module (9). An automatic finishing station, characterized in that it combines the above. **Claim 2** vi) - The first grinding module (9) comprises first and second motorized heads (28, 29) supported by a first fixed base (30) arranged close to the robotic articulated arm (8), the first motorized head (28) supporting a respective first grinding wheel (31) rotating about a third axis (C) which is its own axis of symmetry, and the second motorized head (29) supporting a respective second grinding wheel (32) rotating about a fourth axis (D) which is its own axis of symmetry. vii) - The first and second motorized heads (28, 29) are rotatable about respective fifth axes (E) arranged side by side, parallel to each other, and perpendicular to the third (C) and fourth (D) axes of rotation of the respective first and second grinding wheels. viii) - The fifth axis (E) is separated by the same second axial distance (I2) as the first axial distance (I1), i.e., the distance from each other, i.e., the distance provided between the second axes (B) of the first and second motorized holding devices (24, 25). The automatic finishing station according to claim 1, characterized in that it is as described above. **Claim 3** The first and second motorized heads (28, 29) are rotatable independently of each other about the respective fifth axes (E), and the first grinding module (9) is configured to rotate the first and second motorized heads (28, 29) by a pre-established angle of up to 90° or 180°, which are the same as each other or different from each other, in response to a signal (36) from a control unit (34). The automatic finishing station according to claim 2 is characterized by this. **Claim 4** The automatic finishing station includes a control unit (34) for at least one of the robotic articulated arms (8) and at least one of the first grinding modules (9), and the control unit (34) is configured to operate the robotic articulated arm (8) to obtain a plurality of chamfers (3) of a predetermined shape at predetermined positions along each side of the friction material block (5) on the friction material block (5), and to simultaneously rotate the first and second motorized holding devices (24, 25) and the first and second motorized heads (28, 29) of the first grinding module (9) provided with the respective first and second rotary grinding wheels (31, 32). The automatic finishing station according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that.

5. The automatic finishing station further includes a second grinding module (37) arranged side by side with the first grinding module (9) and in front of the robotic articulated arm (8), and the automatic finishing station is arranged between the robotic articulated arm (8) and the first and second grinding modules (9, 37), and further includes at least one conveyor (38) configured to carry a plurality of vehicle braking elements (2) in a row along the empty space separated between the robotic articulated arm (8) and the first and second grinding modules (9, 37). The automatic finishing station according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that.

6. The second grinding module (37) supports a motor shaft (40) that rotates about a sixth axis (F) corresponding to its own axis of symmetry and arranged perpendicular to the fifth axis (E). The second grinding module (37) includes a second fixed base (39). The motor shaft (40) removably and juxtaposedly supports one third and one fourth grinding wheel (41, 42) that are fixed at an angle to the motor shaft (40) and have the same third axis spacing (I3) as the first and second axis spacings (I1, I2), i.e., at the distance between one third grinding wheel (41) and one fourth grinding wheel (42). The third and fourth grinding wheels (41, 42) are forced to rotate together about the sixth axis (F) at the same speed. The motor shaft (40) is equipped with a quick-assembly bearing unit (43) for connecting the third and fourth grinding wheels (41, 42) to the motor shaft (40). The automatic finishing station according to claim 5, characterized in that.

7. The quick-assembly bearing unit (43) is coaxially arranged with the motor shaft (40) and includes a tubular spindle (44) configured to support the third and fourth grinding wheels (41, 42) fixed at an angle to the motor shaft (40), several spacers (45) supported by the tubular spindle (44) to block the third and fourth grinding wheels (41, 42) together at the third axis spacing (I3), and a quick-connection device (46) for connecting the tubular spindle (44) to the motor shaft (40) at an angle with the heads. The quick-connection device (46) is preferably of the Morse taper type. The automatic finishing station according to claim 6, characterized in that.

8. The automatic finishing station comprises two sets (47, 48) of the third (41b, 41c) and fourth (42b, 42c) grinding wheels that can be replaceably connected to the motor-driven shaft (40), namely, a first set (47) configured to obtain a J chamfer on the block (5) of the friction material, and a second set (48) configured to obtain a slot (4) on the first surface (7) of the block of the friction material. The automatic finishing station according to claim 6 or 7 is characterized by this.

9. At least one of the robotic articulated arms (8) has six numerically controlled axes including the first axis (A). The automatic finishing station (1) comprises two of the robotic articulated arms (8) arranged side by side. Each robotic articulated arm (8) is serviced by a respective conveyor (38), and by first and second grinding modules (9, 37) arranged side by side in front of the corresponding robotic articulated arm (8) and on the side opposite to the robotic articulated arm (8) with respect to the corresponding conveyor (38). The automatic finishing station according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is characterized by this.

10. Each conveyor (38) is an endless belt conveyor, and is provided with two pairs of positioning templates (49) for the vehicle braking element (2) arranged in a vertical row in sequence along the conveyor (38) and operating on both sides thereof. The two pairs of positioning templates (49) are separated by the same fourth axis spacing (I4) in the first axis spacing (I1). The automatic finishing station according to claim 9 is characterized by this.

11. A method for obtaining chamfers (3) and / or slots (4) on a block (5) of friction material supported by a support (6), wherein the block of friction material and the support form a vehicle braking element (2), the method comprising operating two of the vehicle braking elements (2) at a time, and arranging the vehicle braking elements (2) such that they are arranged side by side across an axis that is the same as a first axis (I1) between which the tool (19) holds two of the vehicle braking elements (2) at a time, and simultaneously contacting them with respective pairs of first and second grinding wheels (31, 32) or third and fourth grinding wheels (41, 42), for example, by operating at least one of the robotic articulated arms (8) provided with the tool (19), the method being characterized by being carried out by an automatic finishing station (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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