Processing equipment and processing station

Abstract

To provide a machining apparatus and a machining station that uses a grinding wheel attached to the tip of the spindle to machine a workpiece by rotating the spindle. [Solution] A spindle 10 with a grinding wheel 11 attached to its tip is rotatably held relative to an inner case 7. When the inner case 7 is housed in the outer case 8, a spacer 30 made of an elastic material is interposed between the inner case 7 and the outer case 8. With the inner case 7 supported by the spacer 30, the spindle 0 is rotated to process the workpiece with the grinding wheel 11. As a result, when the rotating grinding wheel contacts the workpiece to process it, the vibrations generated by the processing are absorbed by the spacer. Therefore, chipping and cracking of the workpiece are less likely to occur during processing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a processing apparatus and a processing station that attach a grinding wheel for processing to the tip side of a spindle and rotate the spindle to process a workpiece with the grinding wheel.

Background Art

[0002] As an apparatus for chamfering a workpiece, for example, a grinding apparatus as shown in Patent Document 1 has been proposed. This technology relates to a grinding apparatus in which a grinding wheel 11 is rotatably attached to the tip of an output shaft 10, and the corner of the workpiece is brought into contact with the outer peripheral side surface of the rotating grinding wheel 11 while the workpiece is slidably moved using a guide member (workpiece guide plate 37) to smoothly chamfer the corner of the workpiece.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Disclosure of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the grinding apparatus described in Patent Document 1, when the grinding wheel 11 rotates and contacts the workpiece, vibrations mainly in the radial direction occur in the main spindle (output shaft 10). Simultaneously, these vibrations also occur on the workpiece side, and if the workpiece material is brittle against external forces, there is a possibility that chipping or cracking may occur due to the vibrations during processing. Glass is a prime example of a material that is particularly brittle and prone to chipping. When processing such glass, it is preferable to use an elastic rubber grinding wheel 11 made of rubber material impregnated with abrasive grains. Although a rubber grinding wheel can absorb vibrations to some extent, even a rubber grinding wheel needs to be hard for grinding, and if the vibrations are large, there is a possibility that chipping or cracking may occur if the workpiece is made of a brittle material, even with a rubber grinding wheel. Furthermore, rubber grinding wheels cannot be used in cases such as cutting. In Patent Document 1, the outer peripheral side of the grinding wheel 11 is in contact with the workpiece, but similar problems arise even if the workpiece is in contact with the flat side of the grinding wheel. Therefore, in machining equipment that uses a grinding wheel attached to the tip of the spindle to machine a workpiece by rotating the spindle, there was a need for machining equipment that could further suppress vibrations. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] As a first method, a spindle with a grinding wheel attached to its tip is rotatably held relative to an inner case. When housing the inner case into the outer case, a spacer made of an elastic material is interposed between the inner case and the outer case. With the inner case supported by the spacer, the spindle is rotated to process the workpiece with the grinding wheel. This means that when the rotating grinding wheel contacts the workpiece during machining, the vibrations generated by the machining process are absorbed by the spacer. Even if the vibrations are not completely eliminated, they can be significantly reduced. Because the spacer is made of an elastic material, it can absorb fine vibrations in various directions that occur between the grinding wheel and the workpiece by bending itself. In particular, even when the workpiece is made of a brittle material, chipping and cracking are less likely to occur in any of the machining processes, such as polishing, grinding, and cutting.

[0006] A "spacer made of elastic material" is defined as a material that flexes in response to vibrations generated during processing and returns to its original shape when the vibrations cease. Since this refers to a material, materials that are not materials but have a spring-like shape, such as a coil spring, are excluded. Suitable elastic materials include rubber, such as natural rubber, synthetic rubber, and rubber contained in resin-based elastomers. Specifically, examples of usable materials include urethane rubber, nitrile rubber, silicone rubber, fluororubber, acrylic rubber, styrene rubber, butyl rubber, chloroprene rubber, epichlorohydrin rubber, and polysulfide rubber. The shape of the "grinding wheel" may be, for example, a disc-shaped or cylindrical grinding wheel for polishing and grinding, or a thin plate-shaped grinding wheel for cutting. Examples of types of "grinding stones" that can be used include diamond grinding stones and rubber grinding stones.

[0007] As a second method, the spacer was made of rubber material. This is because rubber is the best material for a spacer. As a third method, the spacer is arranged in a ring shape on the outer circumference of the inner case in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the main shaft. As a fourth method, the spacer, which is arranged in a ring shape on the outer circumference of the inner case, is in contact with the outer case in a ring shape on the inner circumference. With these configurations, vibrations can be stably absorbed and damped regardless of the direction of the vibration acting on it. The spacer may surround the entire area in the direction of the main axis, or it may surround only a portion of it.

[0008] As a fifth method, the multiple spacers are arranged at intervals in the axial direction of the main spindle. This creates a gap between the inner and outer cases, making it less likely for heat to build up. This is especially effective when using spacers made of materials that are prone to thermal degradation. For example, it is a good idea to provide slits or fins on the outer case to dissipate heat. As a sixth means, the spacer is interposed between the inner case and the outer case at at least two locations, one towards the front and one towards the rear of the inner case. With this configuration, when a radial force acts on the grinding wheel, which is cantilevered relative to the main spindle, the load (vibration) can be reliably absorbed by the spacers at the front and rear. As a seventh method, the spacer is positioned between the inner case and the outer case in such a way that its movement in the thrust direction is restricted. This prevents the inner case from shifting in the thrust direction even when a thrust force is applied to the grinding wheel. As a means 8, the spacer was made to contact the inner case and the outer case with a strip-shaped surface. By having a wide, strip-shaped surface rather than a thin linear surface in contact with the inner and outer cases, the spacer tilts and contacts the inner case, especially when the spindle is pushed by a radial force, thus increasing the damping force against vibration. As a means 9, the inner case has a cylindrical shape, and its axis coincides with the axis of the main shaft. This ensures that vibrations are transmitted evenly to the spacer regardless of the phase of rotation of the grinding wheel, thus reducing deformation and uneven wear of the spacer due to prolonged use. As a means 10, the processing station is provided with the processing device, a rotational drive means for rotating the spindle, and a processing area for processing the workpiece. This is a plant-like configuration for operating a processing device. Suitable means of rotation include, for example, a motor or an engine using an internal combustion engine. The processing area is, for example, the area where the workpiece is held and processed by a grinding wheel. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, when a rotating grinding wheel contacts and processes a workpiece, the vibrations generated by the processing are absorbed by the spacer. Therefore, chipping and cracking of the workpiece are less likely to occur during processing. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] A plan view of a processing station according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] A side view of a processing station according to the same embodiment. [Figure 3] A cross-sectional view illustrating the structure of a grinding apparatus according to the same embodiment. [Figure 4] Cross-sectional view along line AA in Figure 3. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Hereinafter, a processing apparatus, which is one embodiment of the present invention, will be described based on the drawings. In the following description, "front" refers to the left direction in Figure 3, and "rear" refers to the right direction in the same figure. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the processing station 1 is equipped with a grinding device 2 as a processing device and a geared motor 3 for driving the grinding device 2. The grinding device 2 is fixed to the top of a first frame 5 installed on the base 4, and the geared motor 3 is fixed to the top of a second frame 6 installed on the base 4. The grinding device 2 and the geared motor 3 are positioned adjacent to each other. The geared motor 3 consists of a single-phase AC induction motor and a reduction mechanism, with the motor shaft 7 exposed at the rear. The grinding device 2 has a housing 9 consisting of an inner case 7 and an outer case 8, and a spindle 10 is rotatably supported, passing through the inner case 7 in the front-to-back direction. A grinding wheel 11 is fixed to the front end of the spindle 10 by a nut 13 via a washer 12. The grinding wheel 11 in this embodiment is a type of elastic grinding wheel (rubber grinding wheel) in which abrasive grains are compounded with silicone rubber as a binder as a flexible material. A timing belt 15 is wound between the spindle 10, which protrudes rearward from the housing 9, and the motor shaft 7, and the rotational force of the geared motor 3 is transmitted to the spindle 10 via the motor shaft 7 and the timing belt 15.

[0012] Let's explain the internal structure of the housing 9 of the grinding device 2 in more detail. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the inner case 7 constituting the housing 9 is a cylindrical body made of an alloy. A flange portion 20 extending in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the main shaft 10 is formed on the outer periphery of the front surface of the inner case 7. A female screw 21 is formed on the outer periphery of the inner case 7 near the rear end. Ring-shaped large-diameter surfaces 22 each having a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the inner peripheral surface are formed near the front and rear of the inner case 7. Ball bearings 23 as bearings are disposed on the large-diameter surfaces 22 of the inner case 7. The main shaft 10 is rotatably supported by the ball bearings 23 arranged at intervals. The main shaft 10 is a solid alloy rod having a circular cross-sectional shape. The main shaft 10 is formed to have several different diameters with respect to the reference diameter depending on its position in the longitudinal direction. The reference diameter is the diameter of the portion supported by the ball bearing 23 in the present embodiment. The main shaft 10 has a grinding wheel mounting portion 10a at the front end of the main shaft 10 with a diameter smaller than the reference diameter, an intermediate ring portion 10b with a diameter larger than the reference diameter serving as a positioning reference of the main shaft 10, a rear protruding portion 10c with a diameter smaller than the reference diameter for attaching the driven pulley 24, and a screw portion 10d formed at the rear end of the rear protruding portion 10c. With the main spindle 10 positioned in the inner case 7, its intermediate ring portion 10b is positioned to contact the front outer side of the ball bearing 23 (inner ring) of the inner case 7, and its rear projection portion 10c protrudes to the rear of the inner case 7. A passive pulley 24 is fitted into the protruding rear projection portion 10c. The passive pulley 24 is a component around which the timing belt 15 is wound to transmit rotational force from the geared motor 3 to the main spindle 10. The passive pulley 24 is pressed against the side of the ball bearing 23 (inner ring) by a lock nut 27 attached to the threaded portion 10d. The thrust direction movement of the main spindle 10 relative to the ball bearing 23 is restricted by the passive pulley 24, the lock nut 27, and the intermediate ring portion 10b. An alloy ring plate 25 for holding the front ball bearing 23 is fixed to the inner case 7 by bolts 26 on the front surface of the inner case 7. The forward movement of the front ball bearing 23 is restricted by the ring plate 25 within the large diameter surface 22, and the backward movement of the rear ball bearing 23 is restricted by the passive pulley 24.

[0013] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the outer case 8 that constitutes the housing 9 is an alloy block body having a rectangular parallelepiped appearance with a cylindrical inner peripheral surface 8a. The outer case 8 is fixed to the first gantry 5 by fixing bolts 28. Ring-shaped large-diameter surfaces 29 are formed on the front and rear of the inner peripheral surface 8a of the outer case 8, each having a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the inner peripheral surface 8a. Styrene rubber spacers 30 are disposed at the positions of the large-diameter surfaces 29 at the front and rear of the outer case 8. The spacer 30 is a ring body whose radial cross-section appears as a substantially rectangular shape. The outer diameter of the spacer 30 coincides with the diameter of the inner peripheral surface 8a of the outer case 8, and the inner diameter of the spacer 30 coincides with the diameter of the outer peripheral surface of the inner case 7. Therefore, the spacer 30 is in close contact with the inner case 7 and the outer case 8 over the entire circumference. With the spacer 30 disposed, the inner case 7 is supported in the outer case 8 with a slight gap. That is, the inner case 7 is supported by the outer case 8 via the front and rear spacers 30. The front spacer 30 abuts against the inner surface of the flange portion 20 on the inner case 7 side while being disposed on the large-diameter surface 29 on the outer case 8 side. The rear spacer 30 is pressed by a lock nut 31 against the surface formed by the orthogonal intersection of the large-diameter surface 29 and the inner peripheral surface 8a with respect to the female screw 21 near the rear end of the inner case 7 while being disposed on the large-diameter surface 29 on the outer case 8 side. That is, both the front and rear spacers 30 are in close contact with the surrounding members at the inner and outer circumferences, the front and rear end faces, and movement is restricted. In this state where the inner case 7 is supported by the outer case 8 via the spacer 30, the axial direction of the cylindrical shape of the outer case 8 coincides with the axial direction of the main shaft 10.

[0014] Next, the configuration around the processing area of the workpiece will be described. A main plate 32 is positioned in front of the base 4, adjacent to the first frame 5. A cantilevered leg 33 is positioned in front of the base 4, further forward of the main plate 32. A slide 35, supported to be vertically movable, is mounted on the cantilevered leg 33. The slide 35 is vertically movable by an up-and-down movement mechanism 36 located in front of the main plate 32. A workpiece guide plate 37, serving as a guide member, is fixed to the upper end of the slide 35. The workpiece guide plate 37 is a member with a roughly V-shaped side profile, formed by connecting two rectangular planar plates at a 90-degree angle, and has an elongated through-hole 39 in the center of its longitudinal direction. The upper surface of the workpiece guide plate 37 is the sliding surface 37a on which the workpiece slides as it moves. The axis of the spindle 10 is positioned at a 60-degree angle (tilted) with respect to the direction of movement of the workpiece. Also, as shown in Figure 1, the direction in which the outer peripheral surface of the grinding wheel 11 is positioned is at a 30-degree angle to the axis of the spindle 10. The grinding device 2 and geared motor 3 are surrounded by the first cover 40, and the grinding wheel 11 is surrounded by the second cover 41. In this embodiment, both covers 40 and 41 are shown only in Figure 2. In this embodiment, the description of the power supply section to the geared motor 3 is omitted. Yes, they are.

[0015] Next, we will explain the operation of the processing station 1 configured in this way. First, the slide 33 is moved up and down to adjust the position of the workpiece guide plate 37 relative to the grinding wheel 11 on the grinding device 2. The upward movement stops when the upper part of the outer peripheral side surface of the grinding wheel 11 is exposed through the through hole 39 to a suitable position according to the amount of grinding. Once the position of the workpiece guide plate 37 relative to the grinding wheel 11 is determined, the geared motor 3 is driven according to standard procedure, and the rotational force of the motor shaft 7 is transmitted to the spindle 10 on the grinding device 2 via the timing belt 15. The grinding wheel 11 rotates together with the spindle 10 and becomes ready for grinding. Then, the workpiece is moved along the sliding surface 37a of the workpiece guide plate 37, and the corners of the workpiece positioned on the intersecting line L are ground. In this embodiment, a glass workpiece is used as an example. In this process, the outer surface of the grinding wheel 11 contacts the workpiece during grinding, resulting in vibrations primarily occurring radially between the grinding wheel 11 and the workpiece. However, the grinding device 2's spacer 30 is made of an elastic material and can absorb vibrations, thus damping vibrations transmitted to the workpiece and reducing the likelihood of chipping or cracking during processing. Here, the grinding wheel 11 is a rubber grinding wheel and is flexible, so it has the ability to absorb vibrations itself, but it also needs to be somewhat hard to grind the workpiece. Therefore, if the vibrations on the spindle side of the grinding device 2 can be dampened in this way, a harder rubber grinding wheel can be used as the grinding wheel 11.

[0016] By configuring it in this way, the above embodiment achieves the following effects. (1) The vibration of the entire inner case 7, including the spindle 10, is absorbed by the spacer 30, so that even workpieces made of brittle materials such as glass are less likely to chip or crack when chamfering the workpiece. (2) Because the vibration of the entire inner case 7, including the main spindle 10, is dampened, even when using a hard grinding wheel with good grinding performance, it is less likely to chip or crack, thus improving the processing efficiency when grinding workpieces made of brittle materials. (3) Since the spacer 30 is in close contact with the inner case 7 and the outer case 8, it can absorb vibrations in all directions. (4) The spacers 30 are located only at two places, front and rear, on the housing 9, and a gap is formed on the outside of the inner case 7, so heat is less likely to build up when the spacers 30 vibrate during processing. (5) Since the spacer 30 is restricted from moving in the front-rear direction, it can absorb vibrations in the thrust direction. In particular, when grinding is performed on the front surface rather than the outer surface of the grinding wheel 11, thrust vibrations can be effectively dampened.

[0017] The above embodiments are merely described as specific examples illustrating the principles and concepts of the present invention. In other words, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The present invention can also be embodied in modified forms, for example, as follows. The configuration of the processing station 1 in the above embodiment is an example. The position, orientation, and distance from the geared motor 3 of the grinding device 2 can be changed as appropriate. A motor other than the geared motor 3 may be used. The driving means does not have to be a motor. In the above embodiment, a rubber grinding wheel was used as the grinding wheel, but for cutting or rough polishing, a diamond grinding wheel may be used instead. In the above embodiment, strip-shaped spacers 30 are placed at two locations, front and rear. However, the number of spacers 30 can be increased as appropriate. The width of each spacer 30 can also be changed as appropriate. Alternatively, a single long, cylindrical spacer may be used. The material of spacer 30 can be changed as appropriate. • While the above example uses chamfering the corners of a workpiece, other parts of the workpiece may also be processed. For example, it can be used when polishing uneven surfaces. To dissipate the heat trapped between the inner case 7 and the outer case 8 to the outside of the outer case 8, slits may be provided in the outer case 8 or heat dissipation fins may be provided on the outer surface of the outer case 8. A dust collector may be installed alongside the processing station 1 described above. • In the above embodiment, a glass workpiece was used, but materials other than glass, such as stone, wood, or plastic, may also be used. Furthermore, the present invention may be implemented in any manner that does not depart from the spirit of the present invention.

[0018] The present invention is not limited to the configuration described in the embodiments above. The components of each embodiment and modification described above may be arbitrarily selected and combined. Furthermore, any component of each embodiment and modification may be arbitrarily combined with any component described in the means for solving the invention or any component that embodies any component described in the means for solving the invention. We intend to obtain rights for these as well in amendments or divisional applications of this application. Furthermore, the applicant intends to acquire rights to the overall design or a partial design by filing an application for amendment to the design application. The drawing depicts the entire device with solid lines, but it is a drawing that includes not only the overall design but also the partial design claimed for a part of the device. For example, it is a drawing that includes a partial design for a part of the device, as well as a part of the device that is unrelated to a component. The part of the device may be a component of the device, or a part of a component. [Explanation of symbols]

[0019] 1... Processing station, 2... Grinding device as a processing device, 7... Inner case, 8... Outer case, 10... Spindle, 11... Grinding wheel as a grinding wheel, 30... Spacer.

Claims

1. A machining apparatus comprising a spindle with a grinding wheel attached to its tip, which is rotatably held relative to an inner case; a spacer made of an elastic material interposed between the inner case and the outer case when the inner case is housed in the outer case; and the spindle being rotated while the inner case is supported by the spacer, thereby machining a workpiece with the grinding wheel.

2. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the spacer is made of rubber material.

3. The machining apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the spacer is arranged in a ring shape in the outer circumference direction of the inner case in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the main spindle.

4. The processing apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the spacer, which is arranged in a ring shape in the outer peripheral direction of the inner case, is in contact with the outer case in a ring shape in the inner peripheral direction.

5. The processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a plurality of the spacers are arranged at intervals in the axial direction of the main spindle.

6. The processing apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that the spacer is interposed between the inner case and the outer case at at least two locations, one towards the front and one towards the rear of the inner case.

7. The processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the spacer is positioned between the inner case and the outer case in a manner that restricts its movement in the thrust direction.

8. The processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the spacer has a strip-shaped surface that contacts the inner case and the outer case.

9. The processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the inner case has a cylindrical shape and its axis coincides with the axis of the main spindle.

10. A machining station comprising a machining apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, a rotational drive means for rotating the spindle, and a machining area for machining a workpiece.

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