Apparatus for grinding or polishing workpieces, comprising a container for receiving a grinding or polishing medium
Patent Information
- Application Number
- PCT/EP2026/053632
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2025-02-21
- Filing Date
- 2026-02-11
- Publication Date
- 2026-08-27
Smart Images
Figure EP2026053632_27082026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] Device for grinding or polishing workpieces with a container for holding a grinding or polishing medium
[0002] The invention relates to a device for grinding and / or polishing, in particular metallic, workpieces by moving the workpieces relative to a grinding and / or polishing medium, comprising:
[0003] - at least one container for holding the grinding and / or polishing medium;
[0004] - at least one workpiece holder movable in and relative to the container for the detachable fastening of the workpieces; and
[0005] - a software-configured control and / or regulating device, which is designed to control and / or regulate at least one process parameter of the grinding and / or polishing of the workpieces.
[0006] Such devices for surface finishing of workpieces are known, for example, in the form of so-called drag finishing machines, in which the workpiece is immersed in an abrasive and / or polishing medium located in a container, which generally comprises a bed of solid abrasive or polishing granules, and is moved relative to the granules within this bed. Drag finishing machines represent a special type of vibratory finishing machine in which the workpieces to be processed are detachably fixed, e.g., individually or on one or more clamping devices of a workpiece holder of the machine, in order to polish or grind them as a result of the relative movement with respect to the abrasive and / or polishing medium or with respect to the bed of granules. Drag finishing machines often include a generally rotating part, essentially in the form of, for example, a...A motor-driven rotating plate, driven by a suitable gearbox, to which the workpiece holders are attached directly or indirectly, for example via lifting devices. This attachment is particularly eccentric with respect to the axis of rotation of the rotating part of the drag finishing machine. When this part – the so-called plate – of the drag finishing machine rotates, the workpiece holders attached to it describe a path. The workpieces carried by the workpiece holders are immersed in the container, which is filled with the grinding and / or polishing medium or with a bulk of granular particles, often with the addition of liquids such as water, surfactants, etc., whereby the surface treatment of the workpieces takes place due to the relative movement of the workpieces with respect to the grinding and / or polishing medium. Such drag finishing machines are known, for example, from DE 102 04 267 CI, DE 200 05 361 Ul, or DE 10 2010 052 222 Al.
[0007] Alternatively or additionally, the container holding the grinding and / or polishing medium can be moved relative to the workpieces, which are also moving (e.g., rotated around their own axis) or stationary, for example, around its own axis and / or along a path, such as a circular track. If only the container is moved and the workpieces themselves do not undergo any translational movement, this is also referred to as "immersion grinding" or "immersion polishing" as a special form of drag finishing. Such devices for surface finishing of workpieces, in which the workpiece holder supporting the workpiece during surface finishing is essentially stationary, are also called immersion finishing machines.
[0008] The grinding and / or polishing media used in such devices, designed as drag or immersion finishing machines for surface treatment of workpieces, can be of very different nature and usually comprise – as already mentioned – a bed of solid granular particles. These particles can, in principle, be of natural origin (e.g., from organic material such as walnut or coconut shells, wood, cherry pits, etc.), mineral origin (e.g., from silicates, oxides, etc.), and / or synthetic origin (e.g., from plastics), depending on the workpieces to be treated. This means that the granular particles can range from very soft (and consequently with very low material removal during surface treatment) to very hard (and consequently with very high material removal during surface treatment) and can be mixed together in various proportions.Furthermore, as already indicated, vibratory finishing is known to be carried out dry or – with the addition of liquids, such as water, which may contain additives such as surfactants – in the form of wet finishing.
[0009] To provide a rotary movement of the workpieces, such as around their own axis, as an alternative or additional to a translational movement relative to the grinding and / or polishing medium, resulting in even more effective surface finishing, the workpiece holders of known devices are frequently rotary-driven, for example by means of suitable motors (see, e.g., DE 10 2010 052 222 Al). Furthermore, workpiece holders for drag finishing machines are known whose clamping devices for the detachable fastening of the workpieces are rotatably mounted and can be set in rotation via a shaft rotatably mounted in the workpiece holder. For this purpose, the workpiece holder has, e.g.,A planetary gear with a central sun gear engages with planetary gears, which in turn are rotationally fixed to a support shaft of a respective clamping device and are arranged around the circumference of the sun gear of the workpiece holder. Due to this movement of the clamping devices, which are rotatably mounted on the workpiece holder, along with the workpieces, this movement consists of a translational movement (in the direction of rotation of the support element or the "plate" of the drag finishing machine) and a rotational movement (around the axis of the respective clamping device or around the workpiece axis) by the grinding and / or polishing medium, resulting in a uniform machining quality with shorter machining times compared to purely translational movement. Furthermore, alternatively or additionally, the workpiece holder itself can be rotatably fixed to the support element of the drag finishing machine in a corresponding manner (see, e.g.,(DE 20 2009 008 070 Ul).
[0010] Furthermore, conventional devices for surface treatment of workpieces in the form of drag or immersion finishing machines of the aforementioned type have been further developed into electrochemical devices for grinding and / or polishing workpieces, such that the device has, on the one hand, at least one first electrode, which is arranged inside the container or otherwise electrically contactable with the container, and, on the other hand, at least one second electrode, which is in electrically conductive connection with the at least one workpiece holder. A voltage source of such an electropolishing device serves to apply an electrical voltage to the electrodes, at least such that the first electrode has a negative voltage and the second electrode a positive voltage, whereby pulsed voltages and / or temporary reversals of the voltage polarity are also possible.The workpieces to be electropolished, which in this case should be made of an electrically conductive, especially metallic, material, can thus be subjected, at least temporarily, to a positive voltage (the second electrode serves as the positive electrode or anode), whereas the container and with it the grinding and / or polishing medium contained therein are subjected, at least temporarily, to a negative voltage (the first electrode serves as the negative electrode or cathode), while the workpieces are moved relative to the grinding and / or polishing medium during their surface treatment. The latter, in this case, comprises an electrically conductive, liquid electrolyte, which may also contain a bed of solid granular particles.The granular particles can be either compact or porous and, in principle, made from any material. For some applications, for example, porous plastic particles made of ion exchange resins have proven advantageous. Such grinding and / or polishing media contain, for example, on the one hand, a plurality of solid, porous granular particles based on polymers, e.g., in the form of ion exchangers, and on the other hand, a liquid electrolyte in the form of an electrically conductive, hydrophilic liquid, e.g., from the group of inorganic acids and sulfonic acids, water, and optionally nonpolar compounds such as oils, etc.
[0011] The surface quality of the processed workpieces can often be further improved using electrochemical devices for grinding and / or polishing in the form of electropolishing machines, whereby such electrochemical polishing also represents a process of abrasive surface treatment. When the electrodes are subjected to an electrical voltage via a voltage source (see above), a current flows due to the electrical conductivity of the liquid electrolyte – possibly in addition to purely mechanical surface treatment of the metallic workpieces resulting from friction against granules contained in the grinding and / or polishing medium – which causes the surface anodic removal of material from the metallic workpieces.The electrodes can be supplied with either direct current or pulsed voltages, with the workpiece connected to the positive electrode (anode), while the grinding and / or polishing medium containing the liquid electrolyte, or the container holding it, is connected to the negative electrode (cathode). Typically, the workpieces are moved within the grinding and / or polishing medium to ensure the desired relative movement of the workpieces relative to the medium, including any solid granules they may contain, and to minimize the concentration gradient that forms on the surface of the workpieces.Devices for electrochemical polishing of metallic workpieces in the form of such electropolishing machines are known, for example, from WO 2024 / 056315 Al or from DE 10 2024 112 828 Al, which was not yet published at the priority date of the present application.
[0012] A growing problem with devices of this type for grinding and / or polishing workpieces is, on the one hand, their increasing complexity, which necessitates trained specialists for operation. The device's control and / or regulating unit typically enables the execution of a multitude of pre-programmed and / or user-programmed surface treatment programs, which depend on the grinding and / or polishing medium, the workpiece material, the workpiece geometry, and other factors. In the case of electrochemical devices for surface treatment, various programs for the electrical voltages applied to the electrodes are added, which in turn depend significantly on the composition of the grinding and / or polishing medium, the material, and the desired electrochemical material removal from the workpieces being processed.Furthermore, the electrical voltage applied to the electrodes usually needs to be calibrated with an initial reference measurement of the resulting electrical current, and overheating of the container after prolonged processing times must be prevented. In addition, the grinding and / or polishing media used, particularly—though not exclusively—when they are suitable for electropolishing and contain liquid electrolytes, which can often be harmful and / or corrosive, prove to be cumbersome to handle, especially when they have to be transferred from their packaging into the device's container with as little contact with the operator's skin as possible.
[0013] The invention is based on the objective of further developing a device for surface treatment of workpieces of the type mentioned above - whether it is essentially in the form of a drag finishing machine or essentially in the form of an electropolishing machine - while at least largely avoiding the aforementioned disadvantages, in such a way that its handling and operation are simplified in a simple and cost-effective manner.
[0014] According to the invention, this problem is solved in a device for surface treatment of workpieces of the type mentioned above by the fact that the device has a support platform on which the at least one container can be placed interchangeably, wherein the container is provided with at least one machine-readable code which contains at least one piece of information which
[0015] - the abrasive and / or polishing medium contained in the container and / or
[0016] - at least one process parameter specific for grinding and / or polishing the workpieces using this grinding and / or polishing medium, and wherein the device has a reading unit designed to read the code of the container when the container has been placed on the support platform of the device.
[0017] The inventive design therefore provides, on the one hand, that the device has a support platform which is not connected to the container and on which a container can be placed interchangeably. This allows the container to be pre-filled, particularly by the manufacturer, with a respective grinding and / or polishing medium, after which the operator of the device only needs to position the container on its support platform without having to transfer the grinding and / or polishing medium into a stationary container. The respective grinding and / or polishing medium can, in particular, be provided by the manufacturer in its finished composition in a respective container, so that any mixing or dosing processes with critical substances by the user become unnecessary, optionally subject to the addition of harmless substances, such as water.Once the grinding and / or polishing medium is exhausted after a certain operating period, it can be disposed of and the containers can be recycled.
[0018] On the other hand, the embodiment according to the invention provides that each container is provided with at least one machine-readable code which contains at least one piece of information which
[0019] - the abrasive and / or polishing medium contained in the container and / or
[0020] - characterizes at least one process parameter specific to the grinding and / or polishing of the workpieces using this grinding and / or polishing medium, wherein the device has a reading unit designed to read the code of the container when the container has been placed on the support platform of the device. In this way, the operation of the device can be simplified and, in particular, the risk of incorrect operation can be reduced by means of the reading unit of the device, preferably automatically, which provides information representative of the respective grinding and / or polishing medium contained in a respective container or of the grinding and / or polishing processes that can be carried out with it using the device according to the invention, when a container with a specific grinding and / or polishing medium, such as e.g.Granular particles with or without liquid for purely mechanical grinding or polishing, purely liquid electrolytes or mixtures of liquid electrolytes with granular particles for electrochemical grinding and / or polishing, are placed on the support platform of the device.
[0021] In order to enable reliable and, in particular, automatic reading of the code of a respective container, the code can advantageously be arranged on the underside of the container, while the reading unit is arranged on the support platform of the device, so that the code of the container is located exactly opposite the reading unit when the container has been placed on the support platform.
[0022] Furthermore, it proves advantageous if the device has positive locking elements, which can be arranged directly on its support platform and interact with complementary positive locking elements of the container when the container has been placed on the support platform. In principle, any known positive locking elements are suitable for this purpose, such as interlocking grooves / projections, abutments for contact with the container, and the like.
[0023] In an advantageous embodiment, the reading unit of the device can be connected to a display device, such as a screen or touchscreen, of the device in order to visualize information contained in the code of the container to the user on the display device.
[0024] Alternatively or, in particular, additionally, it proves advantageous if the reading unit of the device is connected to its control and / or regulating device, so that information contained in the code can be read directly into the control and / or regulating device, which can then preset and / or suggest to the user one or more surface treatment programs, or even just individual parameters thereof, specifically suitable for the grinding and / or polishing medium contained in a respective container.
[0025] The control and / or regulating device can therefore preferably be designed to control and / or regulate at least one process parameter or essentially all process parameters of one or more surface processing programs for grinding and / or polishing the workpieces, depending on the at least one piece of information contained in the code, whereby it is conceivable, for example, that the control and / or regulating device automatically sets or specifies corresponding process parameters, or the control and / or regulating device can, for example, also suggest corresponding process parameters to the user, e.g., by displaying them on the display device, after which the user can decide whether to accept or modify these process parameters.
[0026] The machine-readable code of the container can, in principle, be any known code, such as barcodes, QR codes, or the like, which can be read by a reading device arranged on the support platform of the device, in the form of a scanner, a digital camera, or the like, when the container has been placed on the support platform. In an advantageous embodiment, however, it can be provided that the machine-readable code of the container is stored on a memory, in particular one that does not require power, wherein the reading unit is designed to read the code stored in the memory when the container has been placed on the support platform.
[0027] In this case, the storage medium can preferably be an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) transponder, e.g., with a transmission standard for contactless data exchange via near-field electromagnetic induction (NFD, Near Field Communication), wherein the reading unit is designed to read the information encoded in the RFID transponder. The reading unit can therefore be a known RFID reader designed to generate a magnetic or electromagnetic field to power and read the typically passive RFID transponder.
[0028] According to an advantageous embodiment, the memory can further be a writable memory, such as a writable RFID transponder, with the reading unit being further configured for writing to the memory. The information that can be stored in coded form on the memory can include, for example, process parameters of grinding and / or polishing programs individually entered into the device by the user, the operating time achieved so far of the grinding and / or polishing medium contained in the container, temperatures, electrical voltages, electrical currents, etc., determined during surface treatment.
[0029] As already indicated, the control and / or regulating device may advantageously have an input device, in particular in the form of a combined input / display device, such as a touchscreen, wherein the control and / or regulating device in this case is configured to write the memory accordingly with information entered into the input device.
[0030] According to an advantageous embodiment of the device according to the invention, at least one sensor can be assigned to the memory, wherein measured values acquired by the sensor can be stored in the memory, particularly at least temporarily. Suitable sensors can be, for example, temperature, current, conductivity sensors, or the like, whose measured values can not only be stored as information in the memory of the container, but can also be displayed on a display device of the device, wherein the reading unit of the device is able to read out the sensor-acquired information essentially continuously during surface processing, so that it is displayed to the user more or less in real time.
[0031] As already indicated, the device according to the invention for surface treatment of workpieces can, on the one hand, be a purely mechanical device, e.g., of the type of a drag or immersion finishing machine, or, in particular, it can be a device for electrochemical surface treatment of workpieces, e.g., of the type of an electropolishing machine, which comprises:
[0032] - at least one first electrode which can be arranged inside the container and / or electrically contacted with the container when the container has been placed on the support platform;
[0033] - at least one second electrode which is in electrically conductive contact with the at least one workpiece holder; and
[0034] - at least one voltage source to apply an electrical voltage to the electrodes such that the first electrode has a negative voltage and the second electrode has a positive voltage. As mentioned at the outset, the voltage source used to apply an electrical voltage to the electrodes can, in particular, optionally generate a DC voltage with controllable and / or adjustable magnitude and polarity, a pulsed voltage with controllable and / or adjustable amplitude, period, and polarity, as well as temporary reversals of the voltage polarity, again with controllable and / or adjustable amplitude and period.
[0035] The first electrode can conveniently be inserted into the container in an interchangeable manner and connected to the device, for example, by means of a cable, or the support platform of the device has an electrical contact piece connected to the first electrode, which is in electrically conductive contact with an electrical contact piece of the container when the container has been placed on the support platform of the device.
[0036] As already indicated, such a device for electrochemical grinding and / or polishing of, in particular, metallic, workpieces may be provided that the grinding and / or polishing medium contains at least one liquid electrolyte and, in particular, a plurality of granular particles, preferably of the type described above.
[0037] The information contained in the container's code can, in principle, be any information relevant to the surface treatment of workpieces. This information can either be generated by the manufacturer or supplemented by the user of the device, provided the code is stored on a readable and writable memory, such as an RFID transponder. For example, the container's code can contain at least one piece of information selected from the following group:
[0038] - Activation and / or blocking information of the device for the container, for example to ensure that only a container with a grinding and / or polishing medium approved by the manufacturer can be used for the device or that an exhausted grinding and / or polishing medium is not accidentally reused;
[0039] - at least one material property of the grinding and / or polishing medium contained in the container, such as its chemical composition, any hazard warnings, the maximum operating time, whereby a warning message can be generated shortly before and / or upon reaching this time, e.g. by means of the control and / or regulating device, the possible uses of the grinding and / or polishing medium for specific materials of the workpieces to be processed; target values for current measurements to be carried out during initial calibration, such as a minimum and a maximum value for this, limit values for medium-specific process parameters, such as minimum and / or maximum temperatures, electrical voltages, electrical currents including possible amplitudes, periods and polarities of pulsed and / or temporarily reversed voltages, etc.Flow, media-specific heating and / or cooling functions for determining the current temperature during surface treatment, without having to provide additional heat sensors, etc. ; and.
[0040] - at least one process parameter of the grinding and / or polishing of the workpieces using the grinding and / or polishing medium contained in the container, such as specific values for the processing temperature, electrical voltages, electrical currents including possible amplitudes, periods and polarities of pulsed and / or temporarily reversed voltages or currents, complete parameter sets of preset or selectable surface treatment programs, which can be set and / or monitored by means of the control and / or regulating device for various surface treatment programs, etc.
[0041] Of course, the container code may also contain further information, such as the trade name of the abrasive and / or polishing medium contained therein, its batch number, date of manufacture, place of manufacture, expiry date, etc.
[0042] Furthermore, it may be provided in a manner known as such that the workpiece holder is designed to carry out at least one relative movement with respect to the container from the group
[0043] - rotary movement of the workpiece holder and / or the container (provided the support platform has, for example, a rotary-driven carousel on which the container can be placed, in particular by means of positive locking elements), in particular essentially about an axis of symmetry of the workpiece holder and / or the container;
[0044] - translational movement of the workpiece holder in relation to the container, e.g. in the form of circular, oval, elliptical, orbital movements, reciprocal movements, etc.; and
[0045] - Vibration excitation of the workpiece holder and / or the container (if the support platform has, for example, a vibration device by means of which the container, placed on the support platform, in particular by means of positive locking elements, can be set into vibration)
[0046] The control and / or regulating device of the apparatus can be designed, in particular, to control and / or regulate the respective movement of the workpiece holder and / or the container.
[0047] Finally, according to an advantageous embodiment of the device according to the invention, the control and / or regulating device can be further configured for wireless communication with a mobile device, such as a tablet computer, laptop, smartphone, or the like, which is programmed using application software, such as an application or a so-called "app". In particular, process parameters for grinding and / or polishing the workpieces can be transmitted between the control and / or regulating device and the mobile device. Any known wireless transmission standards are suitable for transmitting the information, such as various mobile communication standards including LTE, 5G, and 6G, and / or Bluetooth, WLAN, etc., for data transmission over relatively short distances.In this way, it becomes possible, in particular, to transfer virtually complete surface treatment programs back and forth between the control and / or regulating device and the mobile device, and to modify or even completely reprogram them using both the input device of the control and / or regulating device and the mobile device. If the memory of the container on which the code is stored is writable, then, as described above, information can be stored in the container's memory not only by the control and / or regulating device, but also by the mobile device communicating with it.
[0048] Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of an exemplary embodiment with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 shows a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a device according to the invention for surface treatment of workpieces in the form of an electropolishing machine with a container placed on its support platform; Figure 2 shows a view of the device corresponding to Figure 1 with the container removed; and Figure 3 shows a schematic perspective detail view of the container of the device according to Figures 1 and 2 viewed from a low angle.
[0049] Figures 1 and 2 schematically depict a device for grinding and / or polishing workpieces, particularly metallic ones, which in this case is designed as an electrochemical polishing machine. It comprises a housing 1, in which an electronic control and / or regulating device (not shown) is housed, and a support platform 2, on which a container 3 is interchangeably mounted in Figure 1, whereas the container 3, shown again in detail in Figure 3, has been removed in Figure 2. The container 3 serves to hold a grinding and / or polishing medium (not shown), which in this case contains, for example, a plurality of granular particles dispersed in a liquid electrolyte. The device further comprises one or more [unclear] relative to the container 3.The workpiece holder(s) are movable to the support platform 2, which serves to place the workpiece(s) on it, for the detachable fastening of the workpieces to be machined. These workpiece holders are not visible in Figures 1 and 2. Each workpiece holder is, for example, mounted on the underside of a plate (also not visible) which is driven by a motor via the control and / or regulating device and is mounted in a plate housing 4. As the plate rotates, the workpiece holder describes a path, such as a circular path. The workpiece holder may also be driven, for example, by a rotary drive to rotate the workpiece to be machined about an axis of rotation.In this way, the workpieces to be processed can be moved both translationally and rotationally in relation to the grinding and / or polishing medium located in the container 3, which has been placed on the support platform 2, by means of the control and / or regulating device in a speed-controlled and / or regulated manner, in order to ensure the desired surface treatment of the same.
[0050] As can be seen in particular from Figures 2 and 3, the device has, on the one hand, positive locking elements 6 arranged on its support platform 2, e.g. in the form of projections, which interact with complementary positive locking elements 7 of the container 3, e.g. in the form of recesses arranged on the outside of the same, when the container 3 has been placed on the support platform 2, so that the container 3 is always held in the intended position on the support platform 2.
[0051] The device, designed in this case as an electrochemical polishing machine, further comprises a first electrode, not visible in the drawings, which can be arranged inside a container 3 placed on the support platform 2 and / or otherwise electrically connected to the container 3, for example by means of an electrode connection 5 (see Fig. 2), to which the first electrode can be connected by means of a cable. In addition, the device comprises a second electrode, also not visible in the drawings and located, for example, inside the housing 1, which is in electrically conductive contact with the workpiece holder. A second electrode, also not visible in the drawings and located, for example,The voltage source housed in the housing 1 serves to apply an electrical voltage, controllable and / or adjustable by means of the control and / or regulating device, to the electrodes in order to subject the latter to a voltage profile, depending on the material of the workpiece to be processed and depending on the type of grinding and / or polishing medium held in a respective container 3, in which the first electrode has a negative voltage at least temporarily and the second electrode has a positive voltage at least temporarily.
[0052] As can be seen in Fig. 3, the container 3 is provided with a machine-readable code, which in this case is stored on a non-energized memory 8 located on the underside of the container 3. The memory 8 can, for example, be an RFID transponder, which can also be writable. A reading unit (not shown in the drawing), arranged on the support platform 2 of the device, e.g., directly below its support surface for the container 3, and operatively connected to the control and / or regulating device of the device, serves to read the code stored in the memory 8 when a respective container 3 has been placed on the support platform 3. In this case, the reading unit is designed to read the information encoded in the memory 8 or the RFID transponder and, in particular, also to write to the memory.The information contained in the code stored in memory 8 of container 3 may, for example, be information characterizing a grinding and / or polishing medium contained in a respective container and / or process parameters specific to the grinding and / or polishing of workpieces using this grinding and / or polishing medium, with reference to the above explanations regarding specific examples of such information. The control device may be configured, in particular, to control and / or regulate one or more process parameters of the grinding and / or polishing of workpieces, or, in particular, to execute virtually complete surface treatment programs depending on the information contained in the code stored in memory 8 of container 3.
[0053] The reading unit is connected, on the one hand, to the control and / or regulating unit of the device so that information read from the memory 8 of a respective container 3 can be processed by the control and / or regulating unit. On the other hand, the reading unit is connected, via the control and / or regulating unit, to a combined display / input unit 9 of the device (see Figures 1 and 2) in order to display read information and / or, for example, suggestions for specific processing programs based thereon, etc., as well as to allow the operator to input information, which can also be stored in the memory 8 of the container 3 by means of the control and / or regulating unit, provided that the memory 8 is writable.The combined display / input device 9 includes, for example, on the one hand a display device 10 in the form of a display 10, and on the other hand an input device 11 with several operating buttons.
[0054] If desired, one or more sensors (not shown in the drawing) can also be assigned to the memory 8 of the container 3, such as temperature, current, voltage sensors, etc., wherein measured values recorded by the sensor can in turn be read out by the reading unit of the device and preferably stored at least temporarily in the memory 8 of the container 3 and, of course, also in the control and / or regulating device of the device.
Claims
Patent claims 1. Device for grinding and / or polishing, in particular metallic, workpieces by moving the workpieces relative to a grinding and / or polishing medium, comprising: - at least one container (3) for receiving the grinding and / or polishing medium; - at least one workpiece holder movable in and relative to the container (3) for detachably fastening the workpieces; and - a software-configured control and / or regulating device, which is designed to control and / or regulate at least one process parameter of the grinding and / or polishing of the workpieces, characterized in that the device has a support platform (2) on which the at least one container (3) can be placed interchangeably, wherein the container (3) is provided with at least one machine-readable code which contains at least one piece of information which - the grinding and / or polishing medium contained in the container (3) and / or - at least one process parameter specific to the grinding and / or polishing of the workpieces using this grinding and / or polishing medium is characterized, and wherein the device has a reading unit which is configured to read the code of the container (3) when the container (3) has been placed on the support platform (2) of the device.
2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the code is located on the underside of the container (3) and the reading unit is located on the support platform (2) of the device.
3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the device has, in particular on its support platform (2), positive locking elements (6) which interact with complementary positive locking elements (7) of the container (3) when the container (3) has been placed on the support platform (2).
4. Device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the reading unit is connected to a display device ( 10) of the device.
5. Device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the reading unit is connected to the control and / or regulating device of the device, wherein the control and / or regulating device is designed in particular for controlling and / or regulating at least one process parameter of the grinding and / or polishing of the workpieces as a function of the at least one piece of information contained in the code.
6. Device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the machine-readable code of the container (3) is stored on a memory, in particular without current, storage device (8), wherein the reading unit is designed to read the code stored in the memory (8) when the container (3) has been placed on the support platform (2).
7. Device according to claim 6, characterized in that the memory ( 8 ) is formed by an RFID transponder, wherein the reading unit is designed to read the information encoded in the RFID transponder .
8. Device according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the memory ( 8 ) is a writable memory ( 8 ), wherein the read unit is further configured for writing to the memory ( 8 ).
9. Device according to claim 8, characterized in that the control and / or regulating device is connected to an input device ( 11 ), in particular in the form of a combined input / display device ( 9 ), wherein the control and / or regulating device is configured to write the memory ( 8 ) according to information entered into the input device .
10. Device according to one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that at least one sensor is assigned to the memory ( 8 ), wherein measured values detected by the sensor can be stored in the memory ( 8 ) at least temporarily.
11. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising: - at least one first electrode which can be arranged inside the container (3) and / or electrically contacted with the container (3) when the container (3) has been placed on the support platform (2); - at least one second electrode which is in electrically conductive contact with the at least one workpiece holder; and - at least one voltage source to apply an electrical voltage to the electrodes such that the first electrode has a negative voltage and the second electrode has a positive voltage.
12. Device according to claim 11, characterized in that the first electrode can be inserted interchangeably into the container (3).
13. Device according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that the grinding and / or polishing medium contains at least one liquid electrolyte and in particular a plurality of granule particles.
14. Device according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the code of the container (3) contains at least one piece of information which is selected from the following group of information: - Activation and / or blocking information of the device for the container (3) ; - at least one material property of the grinding and / or polishing medium contained in the container (3); and - at least one process parameter of the grinding and / or polishing of the workpieces using the grinding and / or polishing medium contained in the container (3).
15. Device according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the workpiece holder for carrying out at least one relative movement with respect to the container (3) is selected from the group - rotational movement of the workpiece holder and / or the container (3) , in particular essentially about an axis of symmetry of the workpiece holder and / or the container ( 3 ); - translational movement of the workpiece holder in relation to the container (3) ; and - Vibration excitation of the workpiece holder and / or the container (3) is designed, wherein the control and / or regulating device is designed in particular for controlling and / or regulating the respective movement of the workpiece holder and / or the container (3).
16. Device according to one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the control and / or regulating device is further designed for wireless communication with a mobile terminal set up by means of application software, wherein in particular process parameters of the grinding and / or polishing of the workpieces can be transmitted between the control and / or regulating device and the mobile terminal.