Brush components for grinding units in workpiece grinding equipment

Abstract

The liquid-proof box is attached to a grinding unit having a grinding wheel for grinding a workpiece, and houses a coolant nozzle that sprays coolant to cool the workpiece during grinding, etc., and has the function of preventing the coolant from spraying outward. [Solution] Of a pair of clamping parts 4, 5 that grip a workpiece 12, an opening 111b is formed in a wall plate 111a on the side of one of the clamping parts 4 to take in at least a partial axial section of the one of the clamping parts 4, and a liquid-proof brush 117 that seals the gap between the opening 111b and the circumferential surface of one of the clamping parts 4 is fixed continuously around the opening 111b on the inner surface of the wall plate 111a in the circumferential direction of the opening 111b, so that the end of the liquid-proof brush 117 on the circumferential surface side of one of the clamping parts 4 is brought into contact with or is made capable of coming into contact with the circumferential surface of one of the clamping parts 4.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a brush component for a grinding unit having a function of preventing a coolant for suppressing heating of a workpiece during grinding from being ejected to the outside. [Background technology]

[0002] A workpiece grinding device that grinds or polishes the peripheral surface of a workpiece such as an ingot whose surface is to be finished into a cylindrical shape has a grinding wheel for grinding the workpiece, a nozzle for spraying a coolant to cool the workpiece during grinding, and the like, and is equipped with a cover or box to prevent the scattering of grinding chips and coolant generated during grinding (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0003] The cover has a size (volume) large enough to enclose the workpiece and at least a portion of the workpiece-side section of the pair of clamping parts that grip the workpiece, and an opening is formed in the wall panel that faces the axial direction of the workpiece to allow the clamping parts to pass through (paragraph 0059, Figure 3 of Patent Document 1; paragraph 0026, Figure 1 of Patent Document 2).

[0004] Since grinding chips and coolant can fly out of the cover from the opening in the wall panel during grinding, flexible liquid-stopping materials such as brushes are attached to the opening to prevent scattering (paragraph 0064, Figure 5 of Patent Document 1; paragraph 0026, Figure 3 of Patent Document 2).

[0005] However, in both of the above examples, since the liquid-stopping material is placed on the outside of the cover, it is difficult to keep the grinding chips and coolant inside the cover, and there is a possibility that some of the grinding chips and coolant may leak out of the cover. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-226530 A (paragraphs 0056 to 0064, Figures 1 to 5) [Patent Document 2] JP 2002-36112 A (paragraphs 0020 to 0026, Figures 1 to 3) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In Patent Document 1, water injection units that inject water onto the surface of the workpiece (object to be processed) are arranged in the circumferential direction of the workpiece inside the cover, and a water film is formed, which primarily prevents grinding chips and coolant from scattering outside the cover (paragraph 0063). For this reason, it can be said that the liquid-stopping material only needs to fulfill a secondary role, and since Patent Document 1 has a doubly effective effect of preventing leakage of grinding chips, etc., with the water injection units and the liquid-stopping material, it can also be said that by arranging the liquid-stopping material on the outside of the cover, it is possible to expect an effect of preventing leakage of grinding chips, etc.

[0008] However, if we focus on the liquid stop material placed on the outside of the cover, the liquid stop material is not restrained (prevented) from deforming due to pressure acting from the inside of the cover toward the outside, and is in a state where it can deform from the inside of the cover toward the outside when pressure acts from the inside of the cover. Therefore, in this case, the liquid stop material has no room to perform its function of retaining grinding chips and the like inside the cover that tend to scatter to the outside through the opening, so it is difficult for the liquid stop material placed on the outside of the cover to completely retain grinding chips and the like within the cover.

[0009] Patent document 1 also brings the end of the liquid-stopping material (brush) on the work side into contact with the surface (circumferential surface) of the work (paragraph 0064), but if the pressure from inside the cover exceeds the frictional force caused by the contact, it cannot be expected to have the effect of preventing the liquid-stopping material from deforming toward the outside of the cover, and therefore the contact state of the liquid-stopping material with the work cannot be said to be effective in preventing grinding chips and the like from flying away.

[0010] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above background, the present invention proposes a brush component for a grinding unit that can effectively prevent the scattering of grinding chips and the like that would otherwise fly to the outside. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The brush component for the grinding unit in the workpiece grinding device according to claim 1 comprises a pair of clamping parts that face each other in the longitudinal direction of the support table, grip the workpiece when they approach each other, and are supported by the support part so as to be rotatable around the axis together with the workpiece while gripping the workpiece; a rotation drive device that rotates each of the pair of clamping portions that grip the workpiece together with the support portion around the axis of the clamping portion; a linear drive device that linearly moves at least one of the pair of clamping portions together with the support portion that supports the one clamping portion in a longitudinal direction relative to the support base; a grinding unit that is installed on the support table and is capable of linear movement in the longitudinal direction of the support table, and has a grinding wheel that grinds or polishes the workpiece, a clamping unit attached to the grinding unit, which moves together with the grinding unit when the grinding unit moves toward one of the clamping units that is linearly movable in the longitudinal direction of the support table, and surrounds the pair of clamping units and the workpiece held by both clamping units; The liquid-proof box has an opening formed in a wall plate on the side of the one clamping portion for taking in at least a partial section of the workpiece side in the axial direction of the one clamping portion when the grinding unit moves toward the one clamping portion, a plurality of brush components arranged in the circumferential direction around the opening, the brush components constituting a liquid-proof brush are fixed continuously around the opening on the inner circumferential surface of the wall panel to close a gap between the opening and the circumferential surface of one of the clamping portions, the brush components being fixed continuously around the opening in the circumferential direction, the end portion of the one of the clamping portions on the circumferential surface side being in contact with or capable of coming into contact with the circumferential surface of the one of the clamping portions, The brush is constructed of a large number of linear materials and a holder that holds all ends of one side of the large number of linear materials, and the holders are fixed to the wall plate adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction of the opening, and the linear materials are in contact with or overlap with the linear materials of the brush components that are adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction of the opening.

[0012] "A pair of clamping parts that face each other in the longitudinal direction of the support table and grip the workpiece when they approach each other... supported by the support part" means that, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, a pair of clamping parts 4, 5 that grip (sandwich) the workpiece 12 in its axial direction are arranged facing each other in the longitudinal direction of the support table 2 that supports the workpiece grinding device 1, and each clamping part 4, 5 is supported (held) by support parts 6, 7, respectively. "The longitudinal direction of the support table 2" refers to the length direction (long side direction) of the support table 2 when viewed in a plan or elevation. "The axial direction of the workpiece 12" refers to the axial direction of the workpiece 12.

[0013] The phrase "a pair of clamping parts supported by a support part so as to be rotatable around an axis together with the workpiece while gripping the workpiece" means that when the pair of clamping parts 4, 5 are gripping the workpiece 12, the pair of clamping parts 4, 5 and the workpiece 12 can rotate around an axis together with the support parts 6, 7. The "axis" refers to the axis of the clamping parts 4, 5 and the support parts 6, 7, but also the axis of the workpiece 12. The pair of clamping parts 4, 5 constitute the gripping device 3.

[0014] "A rotary drive device that rotates each of a pair of clamping parts that grip a workpiece around the axis of the clamping part together with the support parts" means that the rotary drive device rotates each of a pair of clamping parts 4, 5 that grip a workpiece 12 and the support parts 6, 7 that support each of the clamping parts 4, 5 around the axis of the clamping parts 4, 5. The rotary drive device is a motor or the like. The rotary drive device links one clamping part 4 (5) and the other clamping part 5 (4) together with the support parts 6, 7 that support them, and rotates them simultaneously.

[0015] The phrase "a linear drive device that moves at least one of a pair of clamps, together with the support part that supports that clamp, in a linear direction relative to the support base" means the following. That is, the linear drive device 8 that moves either one of the pair of clamps 4, 5, 4 (5) and the support part 6 (7) that supports it back and forth (linearly) in the longitudinal direction of the support base 2 may be connected to only one of the clamps 4 (5) (support part 6 (7)), or may be connected to both clamps 4, 5 (support parts 6, 7). The linear drive device 8 is connected directly or indirectly to the clamps 4 (5) or support part 6 (7).

[0016] Basically, it is sufficient to reciprocate either one of the clamping parts 4 (5) (supporting part 6 (7)) so that the pair of clamping parts 4, 5 can grip the workpiece 12. However, if both clamping parts 4, 5 (supporting parts 6, 7) are allowed to reciprocate, the work efficiency when gripping the workpiece 12 can be improved or fine adjustments can be made.

[0017] "A workpiece grinding device equipped with a grinding unit that is mounted on a support table and is capable of linear movement in the longitudinal direction of the support table, and has a grinding wheel that grinds or polishes the workpiece" means that the components of the workpiece grinding device 1 include a grinding unit 11 that is mounted on the support table 2 and is capable of linear movement in the longitudinal direction of the support table.

[0018] "A liquid-proof box that is attached to the grinding unit, moves with the grinding unit when the grinding unit moves toward one of the clamping parts that is freely linearly movable in the longitudinal direction of the support base, and surrounds the pair of clamping parts and the workpiece held by both of these clamping parts" means that when the grinding unit 11 moves toward one of the clamping parts 4 (5) on the support base 2, the workpiece 12 and at least a part of the workpiece 12 side of the pair of clamping parts 4, 5 that hold it are enclosed within the liquid-proof box 111 that is part of the grinding unit 11. Before moving toward one of the clamping parts 4 (5), the grinding unit 11 is located on the opposite side of one of the clamping parts 4 (5), on the other clamping part 5 (4) side.

[0019] The phrase "an opening is formed in the wall panel on the side of one of the clamping sections to take in at least a portion of the axial workpiece side of one of the clamping sections when the grinding unit moves toward one of the clamping sections" means that an opening 111b is formed in the wall panel 111a that constitutes the liquid-proof box 111 and is located on the side of one of the clamping sections 4 (5), to allow the workpiece 12 and one of the clamping sections 4 (5) to enter the liquid-proof box 111 when the grinding unit 11 moves.

[0020] The phrase "liquidproof brushes 117 are fixed continuously around the periphery of the opening on the inner peripheral surface of the wall panel in the circumferential direction of the opening to fill the gap between the opening and the peripheral surface of one of the clamp parts" means that liquidproof brushes 117 are fixed continuously around the periphery of the opening 111b on the inner peripheral surface of the wall panel 111a so as to fill the gap between the opening 111b and the peripheral surface (outer peripheral surface) of one of the clamp parts 4 (5) when the clamp part 4 (5) is inserted through the opening 111b. The "inner peripheral surface of the wall panel 111a" refers to the inside surface of the liquidproof box 111.

[0021] "Continuously" means that the liquid-proof brush 117 is made up of a plurality of brush components 117A (claim 1), as described below, and when the opening 111b is viewed from the front as shown in Figures 14 and 15, the adjacent brush components 117A, 117A are arranged so that there are no gaps between the linear materials 117a, 117a of the adjacent brush components 117A, 117A.

[0022] The liquid-proof brush 117 is generally disk-shaped or plate-shaped, with the edge closer to the opening 111b being annular in shape to match the shape of the opening 111b so that one of the clamp parts 4 (5) can be inserted through the opening 111b. The liquid-proof brush 117 is fixed to the wall plate 111a at a position around the opening 111b on the far side from the opening 111b, and continues toward the opening 111b in the radial direction of the opening 111b. "Fixed" also includes being fixed in a detachable manner.

[0023] When viewed in the radial direction of the opening 111b, the entire portion of the liquid-proof brush 117 other than the portion that protrudes from the opening 111b toward the clamp unit 4 (5) is in contact with, or is capable of contacting, the inner circumferential surface of the wall panel 111a surrounding the opening 111b, as shown in Figures 11, 12-(c), and 16-(c). The "portion of the liquid-proof brush 117 other than the portion that protrudes from the opening 111b toward the clamp unit 4 (5)" is the portion (section) where the liquid-proof brush 117 overlaps with the wall panel 111a when the wall panel 111a is viewed from the front from inside the liquid-proof box 111. The portion of the liquid-proof brush 117 that overlaps with the wall panel 111a is in contact with, or is capable of contacting, the inner circumferential surface of the wall panel 111a.

[0024] The "state of contact" means that at least a part of the wire 117a, which is the part of the liquid-proof brush 117 located on the wall panel 111a side, is in contact with the inner circumferential surface of the wall panel 111a. The "state where contact is possible" means that, when viewed in the radial direction of the opening 111b, the part (section) of the liquid-proof brush 117 (wire 117a) near the clamp part 4 (5) comes into contact with the inner circumferential surface of the wall panel 111a when pressure is generated from the inside to the outside of the liquid-proof box 111 as the coolant is sprayed from the coolant nozzle 113.

[0025] The phrase "a liquid-proof brush whose end on the peripheral surface side of one clamp part is in contact with the peripheral surface of the other clamp part" means that, when viewed in the radial direction of the opening 111b, the tip part of the liquid-proof brush 117 (wire material 117a) on the clamp part 4(5) side of the part (section) that transitions from the part of the liquid-proof brush 117 (wire material 117a) on the wall panel 111a side farther from the opening 111b to the opening 111b side is in contact with the peripheral surface of the clamp part 4(5).

[0026] The phrase "contacting the peripheral surface of the clamping portion 4(5)" means that when the grinding unit 11 moves toward one of the clamping portions 4(5) and at least a partial section of one of the clamping portions 4(5) on the workpiece 12 side in the axial direction is taken into the opening 111b of the wall plate 111a, the end of the liquid-proof brush 117 (wire material 117a) on the peripheral surface side of one of the clamping portions 4(5) comes into contact with the peripheral surface of one of the clamping portions 4(5) as shown in Figure 12-(c). In this case, as shown in Figure 12-(c), the end of the liquid-proof brush 117 (the tip portion of the wire material 117a) protrudes from the opening 111b toward the clamping portion 4(5).

[0027] The phrase "a liquid-proof brush in a state in which its end portion on the peripheral surface of one clamp portion can come into contact with the peripheral surface of the other clamp portion" means that when at least a partial section of one clamp portion 4 (5) on the workpiece 12 side in the axial direction is taken into the opening 111b of the wall plate 111a, the end portion (tip of the linear material 117a) of the liquid-proof brush 117 on the peripheral surface side of one clamp portion 4 (5) comes close enough to come into contact with the peripheral surface of one clamp portion 4 (5). In this case, the end portion (tip of the linear material 117a) of the liquid-proof brush 117 does not necessarily protrude from the opening 111b toward the clamp portion 4 (5) and does not come into contact with the peripheral surface of the clamp portion 4 (5).

[0028] When the end of the liquid-proof brush 117 (wire material 117a) on the peripheral side of one of the clamping parts 4(5) is in contact with the peripheral surface of the one of the clamping parts, and the grinding unit 11 moves toward the one of the clamping parts 4(5) and at least a partial section of the one of the clamping parts 4(5) on the workpiece 12 side in the axial direction is taken into the opening 111b of the wall plate 111a, the part (section) of the liquid-proof brush 117 near the opening 111b curves or bends as shown in Figure 12-(c) due to continued contact with the one of the clamping parts 4(5). The part (section) of the liquid-proof brush 117 near the opening 111b can also be said to be the end section on the peripheral side of the one of the clamping parts 4(5).

[0029] The "portion of the liquid-proof brush 117 closer to the opening 111b" refers to the portion of the liquid-proof brush 117 (wire material 117a) that protrudes or is about to protrude from the portion that overlaps with the wall panel 111a toward the opening 111b, and the end (tip portion) of that portion on the clamp portion 4(5) side is in contact with or can be in contact with the clamp portion 4(5). "The liquid-proof brush 117 is in contact with the circumferential surface of the clamp portion 4(5)" means that the liquid-proof brush 117 (wire material 117a) closes the gap between the circumferential surface of the clamp portion 4(5) and the opening 111b.

[0030] As described above, the portion of the liquid-proof brush 117 (wire material 117a) that overlaps with the wall plate 111a is in contact with or is capable of coming into contact with the inner circumferential surface of the wall plate 111a, and the liquid-proof brush 117 is fixed to the wall plate 111a inside the liquid-proof box 111. As a result, even when pressure acts on the liquid-proof brush 117 from the inside to the outside of the liquid-proof box 111, at least the portion that overlaps with the wall plate 111a is restrained by the wall plate 111a from bending and deforming outward from the liquid-proof box 111, and therefore no bending deformation occurs.

[0031] In addition, the tip portion (tip portion of the wire material 117a) or end section of the portion of the liquid-proof brush 117 that may extend from the portion overlapping with the wall panel 111a toward the opening 111b is in contact with or is in a state where it can come into contact with the clamp portion 4 (5) (claim 1), so even if pressure is generated from the inside to the outside of the liquid-proof box 111 on the portion of the liquid-proof brush 117 that may extend toward the opening 111b, the portion of the liquid-proof brush 117 that may extend toward the opening 111b will bend and deform outward from the liquid-proof box 111 due to the pressure, and a situation in which it protrudes outside the liquid-proof box will be avoided.

[0032] As a result, the portion of the liquid-proof brush 117 that can protrude toward the opening 111b closes the gap between the peripheral surface of the clamp portion 4 (5) and the opening 111b, and this substantially completely prevents grinding chips and coolant from scattering outside the liquid-proof box 111 when the workpiece 12 is ground.

[0033] In particular, when the liquid-proof brush 117 is viewed from above from inside the liquid-proof box 111, the radial length of the portion (section) of the liquid-proof brush 117 (wires 117a) that can protrude toward the opening 111b (the section that overlaps with the opening 111b) can be shorter than the length of the portion (section) that overlaps with the wall plate 111a. Therefore, the bending rigidity of the protruding section (wires 117a) is relatively greater than the bending rigidity of the section that overlaps with the wall plate 111a, making it less susceptible to bending deformation. Therefore, even if pressure is generated from the inside of the liquid-proof box 111 toward the outside, it is unlikely that only the portion (section) of the liquid-proof brush 117 that can protrude toward the opening 111b will bend and deform outward from the opening 111b.

[0034] Specifically, the liquid-proof brush 117 is composed of a plurality of brush components 117A arranged circumferentially around the opening 111b as shown in Figures 14 and 15, and each brush component 117A is composed of a large number (a large number of) linear materials 117a and a holder 117b that holds (restrains) all ends on one side of the large number of linear materials 117a (Claim 1).

[0035] When multiple brush components 117A are arranged around the opening 111b, the holders 117b, 117b are fixed to the wall plate 111a adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction of the opening 111b, and the linear materials 117a contact or overlap with the linear materials 117a of the brush components 117A adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction of the opening 111b (claim 1). The adjacent brush components 117A, 117A are arranged continuously so that there are no gaps between the linear materials 117a, 117a of the brush components 117A, 117A as described above (claim 1).

[0036] A single wire 117a does not have the ability to prevent grinding chips and coolant from scattering outside the opening 111b, but when a large number of wires are gathered together, they have a thickness in the thickness direction of the wall plate 111a (holder 117b) and are arranged in the circumferential direction of the opening 111b, so that the wires 117a themselves form a wall-like shape as shown in Figure 16. When the wires 117a of adjacent brush components 117A overlap each other in the circumferential direction of the opening 111b, they close the gap between the circumferential surface of the clamp portion 4 (5) and the opening 111b, while ensuring appropriate bending rigidity and elasticity that do not easily bend and deform, and they have the ability to prevent grinding chips and coolant from scattering outside the opening 111b.

[0037] The term "multiple wires" refers to a collection of wires 117a so numerous that no gaps are visible between them when the liquid-proof brush 117 is viewed in the thickness and circumferential directions. Alternatively, it refers to a collection of wires 117a so densely packed that the wall plate 111a is not visible beyond the wires 117a when the multiple brush components 117A are arranged around the opening 111b and the wall plate 111a is viewed from inside the liquid-proof box 111. Specifically, this refers to a collection of several dozen or more wires in each of the thickness and circumferential directions of the liquid-proof brush 117. Although it depends on the thickness (diameter) of each wire 117a, "multiple wires" specifically refers to several tens to several hundreds of wires.

[0038] During grinding of the workpiece 12, the numerous wire-shaped materials 117a are in contact with or in a state where they can come into contact with the wall plate 111a, and because they have a moderate bending rigidity in the thickness direction, they act as a wall as part of the brush component 117A to prevent grinding chips and coolant from scattering outside the opening 111b.

[0039] If the wire 117a protrudes beyond the opening 111b toward the clamp unit 4(5), when the grinding unit 11 moves toward one of the clamp units 4(5) and takes the workpiece 12 and one of the clamp units 4(5) into the liquid-proof box 111, the section radially closer to the clamp unit 4(5) (the section overlapping the opening 111b) temporarily elastically deforms as shown in Figure 12-(c) so as not to impede the insertion of the clamp unit 4(5) through the opening 111b. After the clamp unit 4 is inserted into the liquid-proof box 111, the wire 117a returns to its original shape or attempts to return to its original shape, closing the gap between the opening 111b and the outer circumferential surface of the clamp unit 4(5).

[0040] The liquid-proof brush 117 is composed of a plurality of brush components 117A arranged around the opening 111b (claim 1), and in particular, by making the widths of the brush components 117A, 117A adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction of the opening 111b different in the circumferential direction of the opening 111b, it becomes possible to arrange the plurality of brush components 117A regularly and without gaps in the circumferential direction of the opening 111b.

[0041] For example, when arranging brush components 117A with a certain angle in the circumferential direction between the center lines of adjacent brush components 117A in the width direction, as shown in Figure 14, we consider how to prevent gaps from occurring between the linear materials 117a of adjacent brush components 117A, 117A under the condition that the width of the holder 117b of the brush components 117A is maintained at a certain level or more and the length of the linear materials 117a is not made too large. In the example shown in Figures 14 and 15, where 16 brush components 117A are arranged in the circumferential direction, the angle between the center lines of adjacent brush components 117A in the width direction is 22.5 degrees, which is 360 degrees / 16, or half of 45 degrees.

[0042] Ensuring that the width of holder 117b of brush component 117A is at least a certain value means arranging multiple fasteners such as screws (bolts) 15 in the width direction to fix holder 117b of each brush component 117A to wall panel 111a, and also means not increasing the number of brush components 117A to be arranged around opening 111b too much. "Preventing the length of linear material 117a from becoming too large" means not reducing the bending rigidity when many linear materials 117a are gathered together, making them less susceptible to bending deformation.

[0043] As shown by the two-dot chain line in Figure 15, if the circumferential width of the openings 111b of adjacent brush components 117A, 117A is constant and an angle of 22.5 degrees (half of 45 degrees) is set between the center lines of adjacent brush components 117A, 117A in the width direction, the holders 117b, 117b of adjacent brush components 117A, 117A are likely to interfere with each other, making it difficult to arrange the brush components 117A regularly without gaps. If the angle between the center lines is set to 22.5 degrees, the number of brush components 117A arranged in the circumferential direction of the opening 111b will be 16.

[0044] In this case, if one tries to ensure that the width of the holder 117b of the brush component 117A is at least a certain width, one of the holders 117b must be moved away from the center of the opening 111b, which means that the length of the wire 117a is increased, which reduces the bending rigidity of the many wires 117a and makes them more susceptible to deformation by water pressure.

[0045] In contrast, by making the circumferential widths of the openings 111b of adjacent brush components 117A, 117A different as shown by the solid lines in Figure 15, it becomes possible to arrange multiple brush components 117A regularly in the circumferential direction without creating gaps between the holders 117b, 117b of adjacent brush components 117A, 117A.

[0046] In the example of Figure 15, when the elevational shape of holder 117b is rectangular, by setting the width ratio of two types of holders 117b, 117b with different widths to 10:7, the ends of adjacent holders 117b, 117b near opening 111b come into contact with each other, eliminating gaps and making it possible to arrange holders 117b, 117b regularly around opening 111b with an angle of 22.5 degrees between the center lines in the width direction.

[0047] By arranging a plurality of holders 117b (brush components 117A) while the ends of adjacent holders 117b, 117b near the opening 111b are in contact with each other, it is possible to bring the linear materials 117a, 117a of adjacent brush components 117A, 117A into contact with each other. By bringing the linear materials 117a, 117a of adjacent brush components 117A, 117A into contact with each other and into close contact with each other, the density of the linear materials 117a increases as they are closer to the opening 111b, making it less likely that gaps will form among the linear materials 117a.

[0048] As a result, between adjacent brush components 117A, 117A, the linear materials 117a, 117a of both brush components 117A, 117A are in close contact with each other, ensuring shielding against grinding chips and coolant, and making it possible to effectively prevent the scattering of grinding chips and the like that would otherwise attempt to fly out of the liquid-proof box 111.

[0049] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 16, the holder 117b of the brush component 117A is divided into a fixed portion 117b1 that is fixed to the wall panel 111a of the liquid-proof box 111 directly or indirectly by overlapping it, and a holding portion 117b2 that holds a large number of linear materials 117a, and it is appropriate that the surface of the fixed portion 117b1 facing the wall panel 111a and the surfaces of the large number of linear materials 117a facing the wall panel 111a form a continuous plane (Claim 2).

[0050] In this case, the surface (back surface) of the fixed portion 117b1 facing the wall plate 111a and the surfaces (back surfaces) of the numerous wire rods 117a facing the wall plate 111a form a continuous plane, so that the entire surfaces of the numerous wire rods 117a facing the wall plate 111a are aligned and in contact with the wall plate 111a, and gaps are unlikely to form between the wall plate 111a and the wire rods 117a, making it easier to prevent grinding chips and coolant from leaking out of the opening 111b. [Effects of the Invention]

[0051] Of the pair of clamps that grip the workpiece, a liquid-proof brush is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the wall panel on the side of one of the clamps, around the periphery of the opening for receiving one of the clamps, to close the gap between the opening and the peripheral surface of one of the clamps, and the end of the liquid-proof brush on the peripheral side of one of the clamps is in contact with, or is in a state where it can be in contact with, the peripheral surface of one of the clamps.As a result, even when pressure from the inside of the liquid-proof box toward the outside acts on the liquid-proof brush, the wall panel can restrain bending deformation of at least the part of the liquid-proof brush that overlaps with the wall panel, and as a result, bending deformation of the liquid-proof brush can be avoided.

[0052] Furthermore, because the tip (end) of the portion of the liquid-proof brush that can protrude toward the opening from the portion overlapping the wall plate is in contact with or is in a state where it can come into contact with the clamping portion, even if pressure is generated from the inside of the liquid-proof box toward the outside of the box on the portion of the liquid-proof brush that can protrude toward the opening, it is possible to prevent the portion of the liquid-proof brush that can protrude toward the opening from being bent and deformed by the pressure and protruding outside the liquid-proof box.As a result, in addition to the portion of the liquid-proof brush that can protrude toward the opening closing the gap between the circumferential surface of the clamping portion and the opening, it is possible to virtually completely prevent grinding chips and coolant from scattering outside the liquid-proof box when the workpiece is ground. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0053] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing the entire workpiece grinding device. FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an elevation view of FIG. 1. [Figure 3]2A is a plan view showing a pair of clamping parts in FIG. 1 gripping a workpiece, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along line xx in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 3-(a) is an enlarged view of a pair of clamping parts and a workpiece. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing one (following) clamping portion, a support portion that supports it, and an example of supplying pressure liquid that controls the projection and retraction of a plurality of gripping members. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a follow-up clamp portion in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a view taken along the line yy in FIG. 6. [Figure 8] 10 is a partial cross-sectional elevation view showing the follower clamp portion and the other (fixed) clamp portion gripping the workpiece in the axial direction. FIG. [Figure 9] 10 is a plan view showing the liquid-proof box attached to the grinding unit surrounding the workpiece, the follower clamping portion, and the fixed clamping portion. FIG. [Figure 10] 9A is a cross-sectional view taken along line aa in FIG. 9, (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line bb in (a), and (c) is a cross-sectional view taken along line cc in (a). [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is an enlarged plan view of the liquid-proof box and its surrounding area shown in FIG. [Figure 12] 11(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along line xx in FIG. 11, (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line yy in FIG. 11, and (c) is a cross-sectional view showing the bending deformation of the opening side of the liquid-proof brush shown in (a) when one (following) clamp part is taken into the liquid-proof box. [Figure 13] (a) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the cooling liquid sprayed from the nozzle being discharged from the liquid-proof box, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line xx in (a). [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the liquid-proof box, showing the liquid-proof brush fixed to the wall panel around the opening, as seen from inside the liquid-proof box. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is an elevational view showing a state in which a plurality of brush components constituting the liquid-proof brush are arranged around the opening. [Figure 16]14. (a) and (b) are elevation views showing examples of the production of the two types of brush components shown in FIG. 14, and (c) is a side view of (a) and (b). [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is an elevational view showing the placement of a reinforcing plate on a wall plate for fixing a plurality of brush components to the wall plate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0054] 1 and 2 show an example of the configuration of a workpiece grinding device 1 having a pair of clamping parts 4 and 5 that face each other in the longitudinal direction of a support table 2, grip (clamp) a workpiece 12 when they approach each other, and are supported by support parts (spindles) 6 and 7 so that they can rotate around their axis together with the workpiece 12 while gripping the workpiece 12. The pair of clamping parts 4 and 5 make up a gripping device 3. The support table 2 is a stand assembled in the shape of a three-dimensional frame to support the workpiece grinding device 1.

[0055] In addition to the gripping device 3, the workpiece grinding device 1 is equipped with a rotational drive device that rotates each of the pair of clamping parts 4, 5 gripping the workpiece 12 together with the support parts 6, 7 that support them about the respective axes of both clamping parts 4, 5, and a linear drive device 8 that moves at least one of the clamping parts 4 (5) together with the support part 6 (7) that supports it in a linear manner in the longitudinal direction relative to the support table 2. The rotational drive devices are specifically workpiece rotation motors 98, 104 attached to the movable side presser unit 9 and the fixed side presser unit 10, respectively, which will be described later.

[0056] 9, the workpiece grinding device 1 is equipped with a grinding unit 11 that is installed on a support table 2 so as to be able to move linearly in the longitudinal direction of the support table 2, and that has a grinding wheel 112 that grinds or polishes a workpiece 12. A liquid-proof box 111 is connected to the grinding unit 11, and this box moves together with the grinding unit 11 when the grinding unit 11 moves toward one of the clamping units 4 (5) that is able to move linearly in the longitudinal direction of the support table 2, and surrounds the pair of clamping units 4, 5 and the workpiece 12 gripped by these clamping units 4, 5.

[0057] 1 and 9, the grinding unit 11 is arranged on a plane so as to be able to move linearly on approximately the same track as the movable-side presser unit 9, which is able to move linearly in the longitudinal direction relative to the support base 2. In addition, one of the clamp units 4 supported by the movable-side presser unit 9 is arranged on one side of the movable-side presser unit 9 in the width direction of the support base 2, and therefore a liquid-proof box 111 is arranged on the same side of the grinding unit 11 as the one of the clamp units 4. The liquid-proof box 111 is omitted from Fig. 1.

[0058] In the illustrated example, in order to securely grip a workpiece 12 having an end face with an irregular three-dimensional shape on one side in the axial direction, one of the pair of clamping sections 4, 5, the clamping section 4 (5), as shown in Figures 4 and 6, serves as a follower clamping section, and has multiple independent gripping members 41 that can freely protrude and retract from the end face of the other clamping section 5 (4) toward the workpiece 12.

[0059] When a silicon carbide single crystal (SiC) ingot is used as the workpiece 12, the SiC ingot itself may have a flat end face on one axial side due to its manufacturing method (sublimation method), but an uneven end face on the other axial side. For this reason, when the workpiece 12 is a SiC ingot, it is required that the uneven end face of the ingot can be securely gripped.

[0060] The drawings show an example in which one clamp section 4, which is part of the movable-side presser unit 9, behaves as a follower clamp section having a gripping material 41, but there is also a case in which the other clamp section 5, which is part of the fixed-side presser unit 10, behaves as a follower clamp section having a gripping material 41. Below, an example in which one clamp section 4 is a follower clamp section and the other clamp section 5 is a fixed clamp section that is part of the fixed-side presser unit 10 will be described.

[0061] The pair of clamping units 4, 5 are arranged so that their axis centers are positioned on the same straight axis on the support base 2 as shown in Figures 1 and 2, and a linear driving device 8 is indirectly connected to at least one of the clamping units 4 (5). In the example shown, the linear driving device 8 is connected to a movable-side presser unit 9 integrated with one of the clamping units 4, which is the follower clamping unit, but the linear driving device 8 may also be connected to the other clamping unit 5.

[0062] In the illustrated example, one of the clamp sections (following clamp section) 4 is integrated with the movable side pressure unit 9 at the support section 6 that supports it, and the linear drive device 8 is connected to the movable side pressure unit 9, so that the following clamp section 4 moves linearly in the longitudinal direction of the support table 2 relative to the fixed side pressure unit 10 when the linear drive device 8 is driven.

[0063] In the illustrated example, the other clamping portion 5 is integrated with the fixed-side presser unit 10 at the support portion 7 that supports it, as will be described later. In this relationship, the other clamping portion 5 does not move linearly in the longitudinal direction of the support base 2, and therefore, hereinafter, the clamping portion that pairs with the following clamping portion 4 will be referred to as the fixed clamping portion 5. Since the workpiece 12 basically has a cylindrical outer peripheral surface and a circular cross-sectional shape, the end faces of both the following clamping portion 4 and the fixed clamping portion 5 are basically circular.

[0064] The drawing shows an example in which the linear drive device 8 placed on the support base 2 is configured from, for example, a motor 81 installed on the support base 2, a drive shaft 82 for converting the rotational force of the motor 81 into linear motion and transmitting the motion to the movable-side presser unit 9, a ball screw 85, etc. However, as long as the linear drive device 8 is a mechanism that transmits power as linear motion to the movable-side presser unit 9 (one of the clamping sections (following clamping section) 4), the mechanism (configuration) and installation position are not important, and devices other than mechanisms using ball screws, etc. can also be used.

[0065] The drawings also show that the fixed-side presser unit 10, which is installed on the support table 2 adjacent to the grinding unit 11 equipped with a grinding wheel 112 shown in FIG. 10, which grinds or polishes the workpiece 12 as shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 9, in the width direction of the support table 2, is fixed to the support table 2 so as not to move linearly.

[0066] The grinding unit 11 is installed on the support table 2 so as to be able to move linearly in the longitudinal direction of the support table 2, and moves linearly when a motor 114 attached to the grinding unit 11 rotates, as shown in Fig. 1. On the side of the pair of clamping sections 4, 5 of the grinding unit 11, as shown in Fig. 10, a liquid-proof box 111 is attached which houses a grinding wheel 112 and other components, as well as a coolant nozzle 113 which sprays coolant to cool the workpiece 12 during grinding, etc., and the grinding wheel 112 and other components are stored inside the liquid-proof box 111 as described below. The interior of the liquid-proof box 111 will be described in detail below.

[0067] Since the fixed side pressure unit 10 is fixed to the support table 2, when the workpiece 12 is gripped by the pair of clamping sections 4, 5, the movable side pressure unit 9, which is equipped with the following clamping section 4 and the support section 6 that supports it, moves linearly (approaches) toward the fixed side pressure unit 10 when the linear drive device 8 is driven, and the following clamping section 4 and the fixed clamping section 5 grip the workpiece 12.

[0068] 1, as motor 81 constituting linear drive device 8 rotates, drive shaft 82 directly connected to motor 81 rotates. At the same time, driven gear 84 meshing with drive gear 83 connected to the movable-side presser unit 9 side of drive shaft 82 rotates. A ball screw 85 is connected to driven gear 84 in parallel with drive shaft 82, and ball screw 85 rotates as driven gear 84 rotates, and nut 86 screwed onto the movable-side presser unit 9 side of ball screw 85 reciprocates (linearly moves) in the axial direction relative to ball screw 85.

[0069] The nut 86 is a part of a main body 91 that constitutes the movable-side presser unit 9, and the main body 91 reciprocates (linearly moves) in the axial direction of the ball screw 85 simultaneously with the reciprocating movement of the nut 86. A control unit 92 having a control device that controls the protrusion and retraction of the gripping material 41 that is housed so as to be freely protruded and retracted in the following clamp unit 4 is integrated on one side of the main body 91 in a direction perpendicular to the reciprocating direction, and the control unit 92 reciprocates (linearly moves) together with the main body 91 in the axial direction of the ball screw 85. The main body 91 of the movable-side presser unit 9 runs on parallel guides 93, 93 that are laid on the support base 2 in parallel to the axial direction of the ball screw 85, and is guided by both guides 93, 93.

[0070] The support part 6 is integrally connected to the control part 92 of the movable-side presser unit 9, and the follower clamp part 4 is integrally connected to the end of this support part 6 on the fixed clamp part 5 side. The support part 6 is connected to the fixed clamp part 5 side of the control part 92. The support part 6 and follower clamp part 4 reciprocate together with the control part 92 when the motor 81 rotates, and when they move towards the fixed clamp part 5 side, they grip the workpiece 12 together with the fixed clamp part 5 which is supported in a fixed state by the support part 7 which is part of the fixed-side presser unit 10.

[0071] The fixed side pressure unit 10 equipped with the fixed clamp section 5 is fixed to the support table 2, so when gripping the workpiece 12, the movable side pressure unit 9 moves toward the fixed side pressure unit 10, and the follower clamp section 4 and the fixed clamp section 5 grip the workpiece 12.

[0072] 4 shows an example in which a SiC ingot is used as the workpiece 12, with one end face having an irregular three-dimensional shape and the other end face forming a flat surface perpendicular to its axis. The irregular three-dimensional end face of the workpiece 12 faces the follower clamping unit 4, and the flat end face faces the fixed clamping unit 5. In this relationship, the end face of the fixed clamping unit 5 facing the follower clamping unit 4 forms a flat surface perpendicular to the axis of the workpiece 12. The workpiece 12 is inserted between the follower clamping unit 4 and the fixed clamping unit 5 by a loader unit, which will be described later.

[0073] As described above, the follower clamping section 4 has a plurality of gripping members 41 that can freely protrude and retract from the end face on the fixed clamping section 5 side. The plurality of gripping members 41 are stored in a storage section 42 formed in the follower clamping section 4 so that they can protrude and retract independently from the end face of the follower clamping section 4, as shown in Figures 4 and 6. When gripping the workpiece 12, the tip ends of the plurality of gripping members 41 on the workpiece 12 side protrude from the end face of the follower clamping section 4, and when the tip faces of the gripping members 41 grip the workpiece 12 in the axial direction between them and the end face of the fixed clamping section 5, the axial tip faces of all of the gripping members 41 grip the workpiece 12 together with the end face of the fixed clamping section 5, as shown in Figure 4.

[0074] The workpiece 12 is inserted between the end faces of the clamping parts 4 and 5, with a distance maintained between the opposing end faces, while being held by a loader unit (not shown) that carries the workpiece 12 in and out between the pair of clamping parts 4 and 5. However, in order to avoid any influence on the peripheral surface, which is the grinding surface, caused by the workpiece 12 being held directly by the loader unit, a supported material 12A is bonded with an adhesive or the like to the end face of the workpiece 12 on the fixed clamping part 5 side, as shown in Fig. 4, in order to be held directly by the loader unit.

[0075] In this case, the workpiece 12 is held by the loader unit at the peripheral surface of the supported material 12A integrated with it and is moved toward the fixed clamp section 5 until the end face of the supported material 12A on the side of the fixed clamp section 5 comes into surface contact with the end face of the fixed clamp section 5. As the end face of the fixed clamp section 5 comes into surface contact with the end face of the supported material 12A, a uniform compressive force is applied in the axial direction of the workpiece 12 in a state of contact with the workpiece 12 due to the movement of the follower clamp section 4 toward the fixed clamp section 5, and the workpiece 12 is gripped with a constant compressive force.

[0076] When the end face of the supported material 12A on the side of the fixed clamp unit 5 comes into contact with the end face of the fixed clamp unit 5, the end face of the workpiece 12 side of the air supply pipe 102 for blowing cleaning air shown in FIG. 8, which is located in the control unit 101 of the fixed-side presser unit 10 to which the support unit 7 that supports the fixed clamp unit 5 is connected, reacts as a sensor dog. At the same time, a sensor 103 installed behind the control unit 101 (opposite the fixed clamp unit 5) detects the contact of the workpiece 12 (supported material 12A) with the end face of the fixed clamp unit 5, thereby stopping the loader unit from moving the workpiece 12 toward the fixed clamp unit 5. The end face of the air supply pipe 102 on the side of the workpiece 12 comes into contact with a protrusion 12A1 shown in FIG. 4, which is formed or protruded from the end face of the supported material 12A on the side of the fixed clamp unit 5.

[0077] The loader unit is arranged on the side of the fixed-side presser unit 10 opposite the grinding unit 11 so that it can move back and forth (linearly) in the axial direction of the fixed clamp unit 5. The loader unit may be supported by the support table 2. While holding the workpiece 12, the loader unit moves the workpiece 12 between the trailing clamp unit 4 and the fixed clamp unit 5 by linear motion in the longitudinal and width directions of the support table 2, and stops once the flat end face of the workpiece 12 coincides with the end face position of the fixed clamp unit 5. At this time, the axis of the workpiece 12 and the axes of the trailing clamp unit 4 and the fixed clamp unit 5 are parallel to each other.

[0078] After the loader unit places the workpiece 12 between the follower clamping unit 4 and the fixed clamping unit 5, it moves the workpiece 12 slightly to make fine adjustments toward the fixed clamping unit 5, and when the workpiece 12 comes into surface contact with the end face of the fixed clamping unit 5, it receives a command from the sensor 103 and stops the workpiece 12. If there is any problem with the follower clamping unit 4 and the fixed clamping unit 5 gripping the workpiece 12, the loader unit will move away from the stopping position of the workpiece 12.

[0079] After the workpiece 12 has stopped, the movable-side presser unit 9 moves toward the workpiece 12 (toward the fixed-side presser unit 10) by operating the linear drive device 8. When the detection material 43 fixed to the end surface of the follower clamp unit 4 on the workpiece 12 side shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 comes into contact with any part of the irregular three-dimensional end surface of the workpiece 12, the sensor 94 shown in FIGS. 2 and 5 installed behind the movable-side presser unit 9 (on the opposite side of the follower clamp unit 4) detects the contact of the detection material 43 with the workpiece 12 and stops the movable-side presser unit 9 (linear drive device 8).

[0080] Here, the fixing position of the detection material 43 to the end face of the following clamping portion 4 is adjusted so that the tip surface of the detection material 43 on the end face of the following clamping portion 4, rather than any of the gripping materials 41 protruding from the end face of the following clamping portion 4 on the workpiece 12 side, can reliably come into contact with the end face of the workpiece 12 when the following clamping portion 4 moves toward the workpiece 12 side.

[0081] 6, when all the gripping members 41 are immersed in the storage section 42 of the follower clamping unit 4, the tip end surface of the detection member 43 on the workpiece 12 side is adjusted to be positioned closer to the workpiece 12 than the tip end surface of all the gripping members 41 on the workpiece 12 side when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the follower clamping unit 4. The detection member 43 is fixed to the end surface of the follower clamping unit 4 at this adjusted position.

[0082] In Figure 6, the tip surface of the uppermost gripping member 41 is shown to be aligned with the tip surface of the detection member 43, but in the immersed state, the gripping member 41 is stored in the storage section 42 as shown by the two-dot chain line. Note that although the detection member 43 is placed at the center of the end face of the following clamping section 4 in Figures 6 and 7, it is not necessarily required to place the detection member 43 at the center of the end face.

[0083] The end face of the workpiece 12 on the side of the follower clamping unit 4 may have an irregular three-dimensional shape as shown in Fig. 4. A plurality of independent gripping members 41 are stored in the storage section 42 of the follower clamping unit 4 so that they can freely protrude and retract in the axial direction of the follower clamping unit 4, so that each gripping member 41 can follow this irregular three-dimensional shape and all gripping members 41 can come into contact with and press against the end face of the workpiece 12.

[0084] When gripping the workpiece 12, each gripping member 41 protrudes from the end face of the follower clamping member 4 on the workpiece 12 side (fixed clamping member 5 side) toward the workpiece 12, and when the end face on the workpiece 12 side of each gripping member 4 comes into contact with the end face of the workpiece 12, it receives a reaction force from the workpiece 12 and stops protruding from the follower clamping member 4. In this stopped state, each gripping member 41 receives hydraulic pressure, which will be described later, and a constant compressive force acts on the workpiece 12 from each gripping member 41. The sum of the compressive forces acting on the workpiece 12 from all gripping members 41 is the reaction force acting on the workpiece 12 from the paired fixed clamping member 5, and this reaction force becomes the compressive force when the fixed clamping member 5 grips the workpiece 12.

[0085] In particular, in preparation for cases where the end face of the workpiece 12 on the follower clamping unit 4 side has a slightly uneven shape, it is desirable that the end of the gripping material 41 on the workpiece 12 side has a shape that tapers from the support unit 6 side toward the workpiece 12 side, as shown in Figures 4 and 6. More specifically, the end of the gripping material 41 on the workpiece 12 side has a shape in which the cross-sectional area perpendicular to the axis of the gripping material 41 decreases or gradually decreases from the support unit 6 side that supports the follower clamping unit 4 toward the workpiece 12 side.

[0086] Because the tip of the gripping material 41 has a tapered shape, even when the end surface of the workpiece 12 has a finely uneven shape as shown in Figure 4, each gripping material 41 can contact the end surface of the workpiece 12 essentially at a point or at a surface close to a point, making it possible to grip the workpiece 12 accurately and stably without moving (shifting) the workpiece 12 even slightly in a direction perpendicular to the axis.

[0087] Furthermore, when the workpiece 12 is gripped by the entire gripping material 41 of the following clamping section 4, in order to prevent the detection material 43 from being involved in gripping the workpiece 12, in other words, to prevent the detection material 43 from interfering with the gripping by the gripping material 41, the protruding length of the detection material 43 is adjusted so that when the entire gripping material 41 protrudes, the tip surface of the entire gripping material 41 on the workpiece 12 side is positioned closer to the workpiece 12 than the detection material 43.

[0088] By positioning the tip surface of all gripping members 41 on the workpiece 12 side closer to the workpiece 12 than the tip surface of the detection member 43 on the workpiece 12 side when extended, it is possible to prevent any part of the tip surface of the detection member 43 from contacting the end surface of the workpiece 12 before any part of the tip surface of all gripping members 41. This is possible as long as the center of the end surface of the workpiece 12 on the trailing clamping member 4 side does not have a three-dimensional shape that is extremely convex toward the trailing clamping member 4. When all gripping members 41 grip the workpiece 12, by not having the detection member 43 contact the workpiece 12 before the all gripping members 41 do, it is possible to avoid malfunctions caused by the detection member 43 contacting the workpiece 12.

[0089] As shown in Figures 5, 6 and 8, a pressure fluid supply pipe 95 is arranged within the control section 92 of the movable side presser unit 9 to supply pressure fluid for controlling the rise and fall of each gripping member 41, and pressure fluid such as pressure oil is supplied into the pressure fluid supply pipe 95 from a tank 99 by a hydraulic pump 96 through a control valve 97 such as an electromagnetic valve, as shown in Figure 5. As shown in Figure 6, the pressure fluid supply pipe 95 branches out to each storage section 42 that stores each gripping member 41 within the follower clamp section 4, and equal pressure fluid is supplied to the multiple storage sections 42 that store each gripping member 41, and equal hydraulic pressure such as oil pressure is applied to the axial back surface of each gripping member 41.

[0090] In Figure 6, the two-dot chain line representing the gripping member 41 indicates the protruding position and retracted position of the gripping member 41, and the difference between these positions indicates the possible stroke of the gripping member 41. Basically, all of the gripping members 41 are not subjected to hydraulic pressure from the hydraulic fluid, and are therefore free to move in the axial direction, and are kept in a state where they are retracted into the storage section 42 of the follower clamp unit 4, with their tip surfaces not protruding beyond the detection member 43. This retracted state can also be maintained by utilizing the restoring force of, for example, placing some kind of spring, such as a coil spring, around each gripping member 41.

[0091] When the detection material 43 comes into contact with the end face of the workpiece 12 and the sensor 94 detects this, pressurized liquid is supplied from the tank 99 to each storage section 42 through the pressurized liquid supply pipe 95, and each gripping material 41 protrudes according to the shape of the end face of the workpiece 12, stopping when it comes into contact with the end face of the workpiece 12. When each gripping material 41 is stopped, it receives the pressure necessary for holding from the pressurized liquid in the storage section 42, and continues to grip the workpiece 12 together with the fixed clamping unit 5 with a constant compressive force. When gripping the workpiece 12, the compressive forces acting on the workpiece 12 from the trailing clamping unit 4 and the fixed clamping unit 5 are balanced, so the sum of the compressive forces from all gripping materials 41 is equal to the compressive force from the fixed clamping unit 5.

[0092] Furthermore, in order to apply a uniform compressive force in the axial direction to the end face of the workpiece 12 from multiple locations when all the gripping members 41 grip the workpiece 12, it is reasonable to arrange the multiple gripping members 41 at equal radial distances from the center of the end face of the follower clamping section 4, and to distribute them evenly in the circumferential direction, as shown in Figure 7. In the drawing, four rod-shaped (pin-shaped) gripping members 41 are arranged, but the number is arbitrary, and if the gripping members 41 are rod-shaped, at least three will suffice. If the gripping members 41 are curved or bent plate-shaped, at least two will suffice.

[0093] When the multiple gripping members 41 grip the end face of the workpiece 12, the pressure of the pressurized fluid is adjusted so that an appropriate amount of fluid pressure is applied to each gripping member 41. When the gripping of the workpiece 12 by the multiple gripping members 41 is released after grinding of the peripheral surface of the workpiece 12 is completed, the hydraulic pump 96 is released and the pressurized fluid is returned to the tank 99 from the pressurized fluid supply pipe 95, the pressure acting on the back surface of each gripping member 41 is released, and the follower clamp unit 4 retreats from the workpiece 12.

[0094] Each gripping material 41 is free to move in the axial direction when the hydraulic pressure is released, but by placing a spring around the gripping material 41 as described above, the gripping material 41 can be automatically immersed (restored) into the storage section 42 when the hydraulic pressure is released. The restoring force (biasing force) of the spring is set to be smaller than the force of the hydraulic pressure acting on the back surface of each gripping material 41.

[0095] 1, 3, and 9 moves linearly in its longitudinal direction on the support table 2 by the rotation of a motor 114 connected thereto as a linear drive device. Specifically, when the motor 114 rotates, the ball screw 115 moves linearly in response to the rotation of the motor, and simultaneously, the grinding unit 11, which is integrated with a nut threaded onto the ball screw 115, moves in the reciprocating direction of the movable-side presser unit 9.

[0096] With the fixed clamp unit 5 to the follower clamp unit 4 housed inside the liquid-proof box 111 located on the clamp units 4, 5 side of the grinding unit 11, the support units 6, 7 are rotated around their respective axes by the drive of work rotation motors 98, 104, which serve as rotation drive devices attached to the rear side of the movable-side pressure unit 9 and the fixed-side pressure unit 10 shown in Figures 1 and 2, respectively, and the follower clamp unit 4 and the fixed clamp unit 5 are rotated together with the workpiece 12. The drive shafts of the work rotation motors 98, 104 are connected to each other inside the movable-side pressure unit 9 and the fixed-side pressure unit 10, and by synchronizing the work rotation motors 98, 104, they rotate simultaneously at a uniform speed.

[0097] As the workpiece 12 rotates around its axis together with the supports 6 and 7, the peripheral surface of the workpiece 12 is ground or polished by the grinding wheel 112. When grinding the peripheral surface of the workpiece 12, the grinding wheel 112 is rotated in the opposite direction to the rotation of the workpiece 12. In Figures 9 and 10, reference numeral 116 denotes a notch grinding wheel for forming grooves in the axial direction of the workpiece 12 while the rotation of the workpiece 12 is stopped.

[0098] As a result of the grinding unit 11 moving toward the movable-side presser unit 9, the fixed clamp unit 5, workpiece 12, and follower clamp unit 4 are taken into and enclosed by the liquid-proof box 111 attached to the grinding unit 11. With the fixed clamp unit 5, workpiece 12, and follower clamp unit 4 enclosed by the liquid-proof box 111, a grinding wheel 112 mounted in the liquid-proof box 111 shown in Fig. 10 comes into contact with the circumferential surface of the rotating workpiece 12 while rotating, thereby grinding the circumferential surface of the workpiece 12. At this time, the workpiece 12 is kept below a certain temperature by coolant sprayed from a coolant nozzle 113.

[0099] The liquid-proof box 111 is formed in a box shape from a wall plate 111a through which the following clamp portion 4 (5), which is one of the clamp portions, is inserted, a wall plate 111c through which the fixed clamp portion 5 (4), which is the other clamp portion, is inserted, and side plates 111e, 111e that connect the wall plate 111a and the wall plate 111c and have surfaces parallel to the movement direction of the grinding unit 11. The bottom of the liquid-proof box 111 is open, as will be described later. The wall plate 111a is located on the following clamp portion 4 (5) side, and the wall plate 111c is located on the fixed clamp portion 5 (4) side.

[0100] An opening 111b having a shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the following clamp unit 4 is formed in the wall panel 111a on the following clamp unit 4 (5) side of the liquid-proof box 111, so that at least a portion of the axial direction of the following clamp unit 4 can be taken into the liquid-proof box 111 when the grinding unit 11 moves toward the movable-side presser unit 9 as shown in Fig. 10-(b). An opening 111d having a shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the fixed clamp unit 5 is formed in the wall panel 111c on the fixed clamp unit 5 (4) side, so that at least a portion of the axial direction of the fixed clamp unit 5 can be taken into the liquid-proof box 111 as shown in Fig. 10-(a).

[0101] A liquid-proof brush 117 is installed (fixed) around the opening 111b on the inner peripheral surface of the wall plate 111a to prevent the coolant from the coolant nozzle 113 from spraying out of the liquid-proof box 111 when the follower clamp 4 is inserted into the liquid-proof box 111 through the opening 111b. A liquid-proof brush 117 may also be installed around the opening 111d on the inner peripheral surface of the wall plate 111c. However, the coolant sprayed from the coolant nozzle 113 closer to the wall plate 111c shown in FIG. 10-(a) to cool the workpiece 12 when it is ground with the grinding wheel 112 arranged closer to the wall plate 111c is unlikely to spray out of the opening 111d due to the direction of rotation of the grinding wheel 112, so the liquid-proof brush 117 does not necessarily have to be installed.

[0102] 10-(a) is sprayed from the coolant nozzle 113 closer to the wall plate 111a mainly when grinding with the notch grindstone 116 to form grooves in the axial direction of the workpiece 12 while the rotation of the workpiece 12 is stopped. In this regard, the liquid-proof brush 117 has the role of preventing the coolant sprayed from the coolant nozzle 113 closer to the wall plate 111a from spraying out of the liquid-proof box 111.

[0103] More specifically, since the notch grinding wheel 116 is located closer to the wall plate 111a (closer to the follower clamp portion 4) inside the liquid-proof box 111, the coolant nozzle 113 for the notch grinding wheel 116 is also located closer to the wall plate 111a. For this reason, the liquid-proof brush 117 mainly serves to prevent the coolant sprayed from the coolant nozzle 113 from spraying out of the liquid-proof box 111 during grinding with the notch grinding wheel 116. The notch grinding wheel 116 rotates clockwise when the cross section shown in Fig. 10-(a) is viewed in the planes shown in Fig. 3-(a) and Fig. 9.

[0104] The bottom of the liquid-proof box 111 is open as shown in Figure 13, and the coolant and grinding chips sprayed from the coolant nozzle 113 fall below the liquid-proof box 111 through a drainage outlet 118 integrated below the liquid-proof box 111. The coolant and other materials that fall from the liquid-proof box 111 are discharged through a drainage channel 13 located below the workpiece grinding machine 1 into a drainage ditch 14 installed on the outside of the workpiece grinding machine 1.

[0105] As shown in FIG. 14, when the liquid-proof brush 117 is fixed around the opening 111b on the inner peripheral surface of the wall panel 111a, the end portion on the peripheral side of the following clamp portion (one of the clamp portions) 4(5) is in contact with the peripheral surface of the following clamp portion 4(5) or is in a state where it can be in contact with the peripheral surface of the following clamp portion 4(5), essentially blocking the gap between the opening 111b and the peripheral surface of the following clamp portion 4(5).

[0106] Specifically, the liquid-proof brush 117 is composed of a plurality of brush components 117A arranged circumferentially around the opening 111b of the wall panel 111a as shown in FIG. 14, and each brush component 117A is composed of a large number of (multiple) wire-shaped materials 117a and a holder 117b that holds all ends on one side of the large number of wire-shaped materials 117a as shown in FIG. 16.

[0107] Holder 117b is mainly made of synthetic resin, hard rubber, metal, etc. Wire members 117a are made of synthetic resin, synthetic fiber, animal hair, etc., and have a thickness of about several tenths of a millimeter to several millimeters. All ends on one side of the numerous wire members 117a are inserted into grooves, holes, etc. formed on the wire member 117a side of holder 117b, and are held and integrated by holder 117b in the thickness direction, or by welding, or by filling with adhesive.

[0108] The holders 117b of the multiple brush components 117A are adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction of the opening 111b and are fixed to the wall plate 111a, for example, in a removably manner, and when each brush component 117A is fixed to the wall plate 111a, the linear members 117a of the brush components 117A come into contact with or overlap with the linear members 117a of the brush components 117A adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction of the opening 111b.

[0109] 16, the holder 117b of the brush component 117A is further divided into two parts: a fixing part 117b1 that overlaps and is fixed to the wall plate 111a of the liquid-proof box 111, and a holding part 117b2 that holds a large number of wires 117a, and the ends of the large number of wires 117a on the holding part 117b2 side are gathered together and held in an integrated state by the holding part 117b2. Insertion holes 117b3 are formed in the fixing part 117b1 in the width direction thereof for joining to the wall plate 111a with a plurality of screws (bolts) 15 or the like.

[0110] The ends of the numerous wires 117a on the holding portion 117b2 side are integrated with each other by being bonded or the like as described above, and are then clamped in the thickness direction by being pressed, bonded, or the like by the holding portion 117b2, thereby being integrated with and held by the holding portion 117b2.

[0111] 16-(c), the surface of the fixing portion 117b1 facing the wall plate 111a and the surfaces of the numerous linear rods 117a facing the wall plate 111a form a continuous plane so that gaps are not or are unlikely to occur between the wall plate 111a and the linear rods 117a, and the entire surfaces of the numerous linear rods 117a facing the wall plate 111a are aligned in a state where they are substantially in contact with the wall plate 111a. By having the entire surfaces of the linear rods 117a facing the wall plate 111a in contact with the wall plate 111a, leakage of grinding chips and coolant out of the opening 111b is easily prevented.

[0112] Figure 15 shows an example of the arrangement of brush components 117A when two types of brush components 117A, 117A shown in Figures 16-(a) and (b), which have different widths of holders 117b, are arranged adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction of opening 111b.

[0113] In the example of Fig. 15, while giving the retainer 117b a width greater than a certain value, considering that the length of the linear member 117a does not become too large, the widths of the two brush constituent members 117A, 117A and the angle between the center lines in the width direction of the adjacent brush constituent members 117A, 117A are adjusted, and the two brush constituent members 117A, 117A are arranged around the opening 111b. In this example, the angle between the center lines in the width direction of the adjacent brush constituent members 117A, 117A is 22.5 degrees, but the angle is arbitrary. When the angle between the center lines is 22.5 degrees, the number of brush constituent members 117A constituting the liquid-proof brush 117 is 16.

[0114] As shown in Fig. 16, the brush constituent member 117A has a form in which a large number of linear members 117a project from the lower end of the holding portion 117b2 having a certain width and thickness in the direction of the center line in the width direction, and individually, the large number of linear members 117a are arranged substantially parallel to the center line in the width direction of the holding portion 117b2. When the brush constituent members 117A are arranged adjacent to each other in the width direction as shown in Fig. 15, the linear members 117a, 117a of the adjacent brush constituent members 117A, 117A contact or overlap each other.

[0115] In the examples shown in Figs. 14 to 16, on the vertical surface of the brush constituent member 117A, the retainer 117b has a rectangular shape, but the retainer 117b may be formed in a strip-shaped fan shape. When the retainer 117b has a rectangular shape, there are cases where no interval (gap) is secured between the ends on the linear member 117a side of the retainers 117b, 117b of the adjacent brush constituent members 117A, 117A as shown in Fig. 15, and cases where a slight interval is secured.

[0116] The linear members 117a on the back side (the side of the wall plate 111a) of the brush constituent member 117A are basically aligned with the back surface of the fixing portion 117b1 as shown in Fig. 16-(c) in order to eliminate the gap between the back surface of the brush constituent member 117A and the wall plate 111a, but this is not necessarily required. When the linear members 117a on the back side are aligned with the back surface of the fixing portion 117b1, when the brush constituent member 117A is joined to the wall plate 111a, the linear members 117a on the back side contact the wall plate 111a and close the gap between the brush constituent member 117A and the wall plate 111a.

[0117] 15, the closer the linear materials 117a on both sides of the holding portion 117b2 to the opening 111b, the closer they are to the opening 111b they are to the linear materials 117a of the adjacent brush components 117A, so they tend to tilt toward the center of the holding portion 117b2 in the width direction, and the closer they are to the opening 111b, the more they tend to bend and deform toward the center in the width direction.As a result, the closer they are to the opening 111b, the more densely the linear materials 117a are packed together, so the linear materials 117a function to make it difficult for grinding chips and coolant to pass through or to block them.

[0118] When fixing the brush component 117A to the wall panel 111a, in order to ensure stability of the fixed state of the brush component 117A, a reinforcing plate 111f for reinforcing the wall panel 111a when it is thin is placed directly or indirectly on the wall panel 111a as shown in FIG. 17, and is joined to the wall panel 111a together with the holding portion 117b2 of the brush component 117A by screws 15 shown in FIG. 14 or the like.

[0119] 17 is formed in the shape of a divided ring for fixing two brush components 117A of different widths shown in FIGS. 16-(a) and 16-(b), but the circumferential length of the reinforcing plate 111f is arbitrary, and it may also be formed in a ring shape. An insertion hole 111f1 is formed in the reinforcing plate 111f at a position corresponding to the insertion hole 117b3 of the fixing portion 117b1.

[0120] The reinforcing plate 111f shown in Fig. 17 is used for the purpose of fixing the fixing portions 117b1 of two adjacent brush components 117A. In this regard, the distance between the insertion holes 111f1, 111f1 of the reinforcing plate 111f corresponds to the distance between the insertion holes 117b3, 117b3 formed in the fixing portions 117b1, 117b1 of the two brush components 117A, 117A shown in Figs. 16-(a) and 16-(b). [Explanation of symbols]

[0121] 1...Workpiece grinding device, 2...Support stand, 3...gripping device, 4...One clamping part (following clamping part), 41...Gripping material, 42...Storage part, 43...Detection material, 5...the other clamp part (fixed clamp part), 6...Support part (of one clamp part), 7...Support part (of the other clamp part), 8...Linear drive device, 81...Motor, 82...Drive shaft, 83...Drive gear, 84...Driven gear, 85...Ball screw, 86...Nut, 9... Movable side presser unit, 91... Main body, 92... Control unit, 93... Guide, 94... Sensor, 95... Pressure liquid supply pipe, 96... Hydraulic pressure pump, 97... Control valve, 98... Work rotation motor (rotation drive device), 99... Tank, 10: Fixed side presser unit, 101: Control unit, 102: Air blower pipe, 103: Sensor, 104: Work rotation motor (rotation drive device), 11...Grinding unit, 111... liquid-proof box, 111a... wall plate, 111b... opening, 111c... wall plate, 111d... opening, 111e... side plate, 111f... reinforcing plate, 111f1... insertion hole, 112...Grinding wheels, 113...cooling nozzle, 114...Motor, 115...ball screw, 116...Notched grinding stone, 117...liquid-proof brush, 117A...brush component, 117a...wire material, 117b...holding tool, 117b1...fixing part, 117b2...holding part, 117b3...insertion hole, 118……Drain port, 12...Work, 12A...Supported material, 12A1...Protrusion, 13...drainage channel, 14...drainage ditch, 15...Screw.

Claims

1. a pair of clamping units that face each other in the longitudinal direction of the support table, grip a workpiece when they approach each other, and are supported by a support unit so as to be rotatable around an axis together with the workpiece while gripping the workpiece; a rotation drive device that rotates each of the pair of clamping portions that grip the workpiece together with the support portion around the axis of the clamping portion; a linear drive device that linearly moves at least one of the pair of clamping portions together with the support portion that supports the one clamping portion in a longitudinal direction relative to the support base; a grinding unit that is installed on the support table and is capable of linear movement in the longitudinal direction of the support table, and has a grinding wheel that grinds or polishes the workpiece, a clamping unit attached to the grinding unit, which moves together with the grinding unit when the grinding unit moves toward one of the clamping units that is linearly movable in the longitudinal direction of the support table, and surrounds the pair of clamping units and the workpiece held by both clamping units; The liquid-proof box has an opening formed in a wall plate on the side of the one clamping portion for taking in at least a partial section of the workpiece side in the axial direction of the one clamping portion when the grinding unit moves toward the one clamping portion, a plurality of brush components arranged in the circumferential direction around the opening, the brush components constituting a liquid-proof brush are fixed continuously around the opening on the inner circumferential surface of the wall panel to close a gap between the opening and the circumferential surface of one of the clamping portions, the brush components being fixed continuously around the opening in the circumferential direction, the end portion of the one of the clamping portions on the circumferential surface side being in contact with or capable of coming into contact with the circumferential surface of the one of the clamping portions, A brush component for a grinding unit in a workpiece grinding device, characterized in that it is composed of a large number of linear materials and a holder that holds all ends of one side of the large number of linear materials, the holders being fixed to the wall plate adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction of the opening, and the linear materials being in contact with or overlapping with the linear materials of the brush components adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction of the opening.

2. 2. A brush component for a grinding unit in a workpiece grinding device according to claim 1, characterized in that the holder is divided into a fixing portion that is fixed to the wall plate of the liquid-proof box by overlapping it, and a holding portion that holds the numerous linear materials, and the surface of the fixing portion facing the wall plate and the surfaces of the numerous linear materials facing the wall plate form a continuous plane.

Images