Ball magazine for a device for lapping and / or grinding balls

Abstract

To provide a ball magazine for a device for lapping and / or grinding balls, which maintains the order of the balls and reduces a risk that the balls cannot move in the ball magazine.SOLUTION: A ball magazine (1) for a device (2) for the lapping and / or grinding of balls (4), comprising a ball removal section (12) which is designed to couple the ball magazine (1) to the device (2), comprising at least one storage section (14) and further comprising a ball supply section (16) which is designed to guide the balls (4) from the ball magazine (1) back to the device (2), wherein the storage section (14) has a gradient at least in sections.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The invention relates to a ball magazine for a device for lapping and / or grinding balls according to the preamble of claim 1 . [Background technology]

[0002] Balls can be used in a variety of applications, which may impose different requirements on the geometric and / or surface properties of the ball, such as ball roundness, surface roughness, ball diameter tolerance and / or ball shape defects, which are particularly susceptible to processing of the ball.

[0003] For processing the surface and / or geometry of a ball, lapping and / or grinding machines are known in which the ball is processed between two coaxial disks. At least one of the disks is provided with at least one raceway for guiding the ball through the machine. Typically, one of the disks is stationary, while the other rotates, moving the ball through its at least one raceway. The movement of the ball and / or the disks can be utilized to process the surface of the ball. For this purpose, at least one of the disks and / or at least one raceway can be supplied with, for example, a suitable abrasive and / or lapping agent.

[0004] For economical manufacturing, modern ball grinding or lapping machines are equipped with magazines that can hold several times the number of balls required for a single disk batch. The balls are then removed from the lapping or grinding disks, collected in the magazine, and fed back to the lapping or grinding disks. Known magazine types include drum magazines, bucket elevator magazines, and ring magazines.

[0005] However, drum magazines do not distinguish between lapped and non-lapped balls, nor do they differentiate between balls with different degrees of lapping, resulting in an uncontrollable mix of lapped and non-lapped balls. This results in uneven ball processing, since only the larger diameter balls are actually lapped, while the rest are simply sent onward without being processed. Meanwhile, the uneven ball diameters can distort the channel shape, resulting in poor processing results.

[0006] The drawbacks of a bucket elevator as a magazine are not much different from those of a rotating drum, since the balls are no longer supplied to a common stockpile in the magazine, but are divided into quantities corresponding to the number of buckets. However, even in this case, a mixture of balls with different degrees of grinding or lapping is unavoidable.

[0007] In contrast, the use of a ring magazine allows the processed balls to continue through the entire sequence of movements through the lapping or grinding discs and magazine in virtually the same order, i.e., the just-processed ball is not presented to the lapping or grinding disc again until other balls have passed through the lapping or grinding disc. However, ring magazines can become jammed due to balls that become stuck in the ring magazine with entrained lapping and / or abrasive material, necessitating intervention. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a ball magazine for a ball lapping and grinding machine, which maintains the order of the balls and reduces the risk of balls becoming stuck within the ball magazine. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] This object is achieved by a ball magazine for a device for lapping and / or grinding balls according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0010] The following describes a ball magazine for an apparatus for lapping and / or grinding balls, which has a ball removal section designed to connect the ball magazine to the apparatus, has at least one storage section, and has a ball supply section designed to guide the balls from the ball magazine back to the apparatus.

[0011] The device for lapping and / or grinding balls can have at least one disc, the at least one disc having at least one race for guiding the balls.

[0012] The ball may be made of metal, glass, wood, plastic material, ceramic or a combination thereof, among others.

[0013] However, the device may also have a first disk and a second disk, where the first disk may be stationary and the second disk may rotate relative to the first disk, and preferably the disks may be arranged in a horizontal orientation, one above the other in the direction of gravity.

[0014] Alternatively, the disks may be oriented vertically.

[0015] The first disc and / or the second disc may be specifically designed for grinding and / or lapping balls.

[0016] Also, when the device has two discs, the first disc may have a recess into which the ball removal section and / or the ball supply section may be at least partially inserted.

[0017] The recesses can be sector-shaped, rectangular, oval, etc.

[0018] In particular, the ball extraction section can be designed to guide the balls out of the race.

[0019] Additionally, the ball removal section can be designed to guide the balls back into the races.

[0020] Also, when the apparatus has two discs, the races can be formed on both the first disc and the second disc. The first disc and / or the second disc can be provided with multiple races, for example, two, three, four, or even more races. This allows for more balls to be machined simultaneously. When multiple races are provided, they are preferably arranged coaxially.

[0021] Furthermore, if the device has multiple races, ball steering means are provided to direct the balls through the first race, then through the second race, and so on through all the races in sequence. The ball magazine may advantageously be combined with such ball steering means. For example, the ball steering means may be connected to a ball removal section so that balls that have passed the last race are delivered to the ball removal section.

[0022] The balls located between the disks can be set in motion by the rotation of one disk. As the balls roll and rest on the surfaces of the races or disks, they are able to produce a more or less noticeable sliding action called a lapping moment. This lapping moment, combined with suitable lapping and / or abrasives that may be introduced into the device along with the balls, can significantly contribute to the gradual reduction of ball out-of-roundness and / or the reduction or elimination of scratches on the ball surface by material removal. The removal of material from the balls specifically means that the ball diameter at the start of the process should be larger than the ball diameter at the end of the process.

[0023] To reduce the risk of the balls becoming stuck within the ball magazine, the storage section is at least partially sloped, which allows the balls to reach a velocity sufficient to reduce the risk of the balls becoming stuck within the storage section due to entrained lap abrasives and / or abrasives, etc.

[0024] Additionally, the storage section may have areas where the storage section is flat or smooth in extent. The storage section may also have multiple subsections, for example alternating sloped and flat subsections, which allows for adjustment of the speed at which the balls roll into the storage section.

[0025] Additionally, the slope within a storage section may vary or may be constant. For example, a storage section may have at least one subsection that has a slope that is different from the slope of other subsections of the storage section.

[0026] The storage section can have channels with a width adapted to the diameter of the balls, which makes it possible to maintain the order of the balls.

[0027] The length of the storage section can also be selected depending on the number of balls to be accommodated in the storage section. The length of the storage section is preferably selected so that there is an area within the storage section where the balls can freely roll a predetermined distance. This reduces the risk of the balls accumulating in the storage section and becoming trapped in the device.

[0028] Preferably, at least one lifting unit is provided between the storage section and the ball supply section and is designed to lift at least one ball and guide it to the ball supply section. Because the ball magazine has a slope, the end of the storage section is lower than the start of the storage section, and it may be necessary to lift the ball to a level where it can be guided back into the device. Advantageously, this can be achieved by a lifting unit. The at least one lifting unit can be provided, for example, at the lowest point of the storage section. The at least one lifting unit can preferably comprise a conveying screw or a conveying belt.

[0029] The ball removal section can also have a slope that guides the balls to a height level above the height level of the device. The storage section must have a minimum slope to prevent balls from getting stuck within the storage section. In other words, the length of the storage section, which is also the maximum number of balls that can be stored in the storage section, also depends on the maximum starting height level available as the beginning of the storage section. Because the ball removal section has an additional slope, the starting height level of the storage section can be raised, thereby increasing the storage capacity of the storage section.

[0030] Furthermore, the ball removal section, the storage section and / or the ball supply section may have at least one ball guide element. The ball guide element may be designed to prevent the balls from falling. The ball guide element may advantageously be designed to have the lowest possible frictional resistance to reduce the risk of the balls getting stuck in the ball guide element. The ball guide element may be a channel, a rail, one or more bars, etc. In particular, the ball guide element may be designed to support the balls against gravity.

[0031] Preferably, the ball removal section, the storage section and / or the ball supply section can have at least one guide element for the spacers, which is designed to space two balls apart. The guide element can advantageously prevent the spacers from getting lost in the ball magazine and ensure that the balls abut against each other. The spacers can be designed, for example, as rings arranged around the balls, and the guide element can have a U-shaped profile designed to guide the spacers therethrough.

[0032] Furthermore, at least one guard element can be provided to prevent the balls from falling. The guard element can be preferably provided in a shape that corresponds to the slope of each of the ball removal section, the storage section, and / or the ball supply section. For example, if the ball removal section, the storage section, and / or the ball supply section are formed in a channel-like shape, if the slope of the section is too steep, the balls may fall out of the channel. In such a case, a guard element can be arranged, for example, above the channel to prevent the balls from falling out of the channel.

[0033] The thread flight of the conveying screw can preferably be adapted to the diameter of the balls, for example, the height of the thread flight can be adapted to allow the balls to be received on the thread flight of the conveying screw, so that the balls can be smoothly transported by the lifting unit.

[0034] In addition, the at least one lifting unit can interact with a spacer designed to space the two balls apart in order to lift the two balls. For example, the spacer can be designed in the shape of a ring provided around the balls, and the lifting unit can be designed so that when the spacer is lifted, the balls disposed within the spacer are lifted accordingly.

[0035] Preferably, an alignment section is provided which is designed to align the spacers with the conveying axis of the lifting unit, which has the advantage that the lifting unit can lift the balls together with the spacers, and also reduces the risk of the spacers falling off the balls when they are lifted by the lifting unit.

[0036] The ball magazine may further comprise multiple lifting units and / or multiple storage sections, thereby increasing the storage capacity of the ball magazine. In particular, the storage sections and lifting units may be arranged alternately, with each storage section being followed by one lifting unit.

[0037] According to yet another aspect, there is provided an arrangement for lapping and / or grinding balls, the arrangement comprising at least one first device for lapping and / or grinding balls, one second device for lapping and / or grinding balls, and at least one ball magazine as described above, wherein the at least one ball magazine is disposed between the first device and the second device, and a ball removal section of the ball magazine removes balls from the first device and a ball supply section guides balls from the ball magazine to the second device.

[0038] Further advantages and advantageous embodiments are set forth in the description, drawings and claims. In particular, the combinations of features set forth in the description and drawings are examples only, and therefore, these features may be used alone or in other combinations.

[0039] The present invention will be explained in more detail below on the basis of exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings. The exemplary embodiments and the combinations shown in the exemplary embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to define the scope of protection of the present invention. The scope of protection is defined solely by the accompanying claims. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0040] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic perspective view of a ball magazine according to a first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of detail A of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view of a ball magazine according to a second embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of detail B of FIG. 3. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view of a lifting unit of a ball magazine according to a third embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a side view of the lifting unit of FIG. 5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0041] In the following, identical or functionally equivalent elements will be designated with the same reference numerals.

[0042] A ball magazine 1 for an apparatus 2 for lapping and / or grinding balls 4 according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. The apparatus 2 for lapping and / or grinding balls 4 has a first disc 8 and a second disc 10, each of which has at least one race 6 for guiding the balls 4. The apparatus 2 shown in Figure 1 is provided with three races 6. However, the apparatus 2 can also have a greater or lesser number of races.

[0043] In particular, the first disc 8 may remain stationary and the second disc 10 may rotate relative to the first disc 8. As can be seen in Figure 1, the discs 8, 10 may be arranged one above the other in the direction of gravity, and the discs 8, 10 may be oriented horizontally.

[0044] The ball 4, located between the disks 8 and 10, can be set into motion by the rotation of one of the disks 8. As the ball 4 rolls and rests on the surface of the race or disk, it is able to produce a more or less noticeable sliding movement, called a lapping moment. This lapping moment, combined with suitable lapping abrasives and / or abrasives that may be introduced into the apparatus 2 together with the ball 4, can significantly contribute to the gradual reduction of the out-of-roundness of the ball 4 by material removal and / or the reduction or elimination of scratches on the ball surface. The removal of material from the ball particularly means that the ball diameter at the start of the processing should be greater than the ball diameter at the end of the processing.

[0045] The ball magazine 1 further comprises a ball removal section 12 designed to couple the ball magazine 1 to the device 2 and remove balls from the device 2. The balls 4 may be guided beyond the ball removal section 12 to a storage section 14 where they can be stored. The storage section 14 guides the balls 4 to a ball supply section 16 designed to guide the balls 4 from the ball magazine 1 back to the device 2.

[0046] To reduce the risk of the balls 4 becoming stuck in the ball magazine 1, the storage section 14 is at least partially sloped. The slope allows the balls to reach a sufficient velocity to reduce the risk of becoming stuck in the storage section 14, for example due to entrained lap abrasives and / or abrasives.

[0047] The ball removal section 12, the storage section 14, and the ball supply section 16 each further have a channel 15 having a width adapted to the diameter of the balls. The channel 15 can be designed as a ball guide element for guiding the balls 4. The channel 15 can comprise a plurality of parallel bars 30 for guiding the balls 4. For example, the channel can be formed by at least one bar 30 arranged below the ball 4 and two bars 20 arranged laterally adjacent to the ball 4. Alternatively, the channel 15 can have any other shape. For example, the channel 15 can be in the form of a half shell. Depending on the slope, a guard element (not shown) can be provided to prevent the balls from falling out of the channel 15. In that case, the guard element can be arranged, for example, above the channel to prevent the balls 4 from falling out of the channel 15.

[0048] Furthermore, the ball removal section 12, the storage section 14 and / or the ball supply section 16 may be provided with at least one guide element 34 for a spacer 32 designed to space two balls 4 apart from each other. In Figures 1 and 2, the spacer 32 is formed as a ring arranged around the ball 4, and the guide element 34 is a U-shaped profile that partially surrounds the spacer 32.

[0049] As seen in Figure 1, storage section 14 includes multiple subsections 18, 20, 22, and 24. Subsections 18, 20, 22, and 24 can have different slopes. For example, one or more of subsections 18, 20, 22, and 24 can have at least a partially flat section. Additionally, the slopes of subsections 18, 20, 22, and 24 can vary or be constant.

[0050] The length of the storage section 14 may also vary depending on the number of balls 4 contained therein. The length of the storage section 14 is preferably selected so that there is an area within the storage section 14 where the balls 4 can freely roll a predetermined distance.

[0051] The disk 8 may further include a recess into which the ball removal section 12 and / or the ball supply section 16 are partially inserted. The recess 12 may be sector-shaped, rectangular, oval, etc. Since the illustrated device 2 has multiple races 6, ball steering means (not numbered) are provided to guide the balls 4 through the first race 6, then the second race 6, and then through all the races in sequence. The ball magazine 1 may advantageously be combined with such a ball steering means. For example, the ball steering means may be coupled to the ball removal section 12 and the ball supply section 16 so that the balls that have passed through the last race are transferred to the ball removal section 12, passed through the ball magazine 1, and then introduced from the ball supply section 16 into the first race 6.

[0052] A lifting unit 26 is provided between the storage section 14 and the ball supply section 16 to lift the balls 4 back up to the level of the device 2 at the end of the storage section 14. In the ball magazine 1 according to the first embodiment, the lifting unit 26 is designed as a conveying screw 28. In this case, the height of the thread flight 38 of the lifting unit 26 is adapted to the diameter of the spacer 32. The balls 4 are then positioned together with the spacer 32, with the spacer 32 abutting on at least one flank 40. An alignment section 42 is provided upstream of the lifting unit 26, which, in cooperation with the guide element 34, aligns the spacer 32 with the conveying axis of the conveying screw 28 to orient the spacer 32 so that it contacts the flank. If no spacer 32 is provided, the height of the thread flight 38 can be adapted to the ball diameter.

[0053] A ball magazine 1 for an apparatus 2 for lapping and / or grinding balls 4 according to a second embodiment will now be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4. The ball magazine 1 according to the second embodiment differs from the ball magazine 1 according to the first embodiment in that the ball removal section 12 has a slope 42 that can guide the balls 4 to a height level above that of the apparatus 2.

[0054] A lifting unit 26 for a ball magazine 1 according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 5 and 6. The lifting unit 26 for the ball magazine 1 according to the third embodiment differs from the ball magazine 1 of the first embodiment in that the lifting unit 26 comprises a conveyor belt 44. Again, an alignment section 42 is provided upstream of the lifting unit 26 which cooperates with a guide element 34 to align the spacers 32 with the conveying axis of the conveyor belt 44, in order to orient the spacers 32 so that they do not come into contact with the conveyor belt 44 in front of the balls 4. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 1 ball magazine 2 equipment 4 balls 6 races 8 discs 10 discs 12 Ball removal section 14 Storage Section 15 channels 16 Ball Supply Section 18 Subsections 20 Subsections 22 Subsections 24 Subsections 26 Lifting unit 28 Conveying screw 30 Bar material 32 spacer 34 Guidance elements 38 Thread Flight 40 Frank 42 Alignment Section 44 conveyor belt

Claims

1. A ball magazine (1) for a device (2) for lapping and / or grinding balls (4), comprising a ball removal section (12) designed to connect the ball magazine (1) to the device (2), at least one storage section (14), and a ball supply section (16) designed to guide the balls (4) from the ball magazine (1) back to the device (2), characterized in that the storage section (14) is at least partially sloped.

2. 2. The ball magazine (1) according to claim 1, wherein at least one lifting unit (26) is provided between the storage section (14) and the ball supply section (16) and is designed to lift at least one ball (4) and guide the at least one ball (4) to the ball supply section (16).

3. 3. The ball magazine (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the ball removal section (12) has a slope that guides the balls (4) to a height level above the height level of the device (2).

4. 4. The ball magazine (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the ball removal section (12), the storage section (14) and / or the ball supply section (16) have at least one ball guiding element (30).

5. 5. A ball magazine (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the ball removal section (12), the storage section (14) and / or the ball supply section (16) have at least one guide element (34) for a spacer (32) designed to space two of the balls (4) apart from each other.

6. 6. A ball magazine (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, provided with at least one guard element for protecting the balls (4) from falling.

7. 7. The ball magazine (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the at least one lifting unit (26) comprises a conveying screw (28) or a conveying belt (44).

8. 8. The ball magazine (1) according to claim 7, wherein the thread flights (38) of the conveying screw (28) correspond to the diameter of the balls.

9. 9. The ball magazine (1) according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the at least one lifting unit (26) interacts with a spacer (32) designed to space the two balls (4) apart from each other in order to lift the two balls (4).

10. 10. The ball magazine (1) according to claim 9, further comprising an alignment section (42) designed to align the spacer (32) with the conveying axis of the lifting unit (26).

11. 11. A ball magazine (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, comprising a plurality of lifting units (26) and / or a plurality of storage sections (14).

12. 12. An arrangement for lapping and / or grinding balls, said arrangement comprising at least one first device (2) for lapping and / or grinding balls (4), one second device (2) for lapping and / or grinding balls (4), and at least one ball magazine (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, said at least one ball magazine (1) being arranged between said first device (2) and said second device (2), said ball removal section (12) of said ball magazine (1) removing said balls (4) from said first device and said ball supply section (16) guiding said balls from said ball magazine (1) to said second device.

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