Centreless Grinding Workrest With Multi-Axis Shoe Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Centreless grinding machines often result in workpiece deformation due to internal stresses and misalignment issues, leading to surface scoring and pin deformation.
Innovation Solution
A workrest design with a shoe holder that rotates relative to the mount about at least two non-parallel rotational axes, allowing for greater freedom of motion and accommodating various workpiece profiles and misalignments, with adjustable resistance and biasing forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the shoe holder is fixed relative to the mount, then the structure is simple and stable, but it cannot accommodate workpiece profile variations and misalignment, leading to surface scoring
Solution Approach 1:
The shoe holder is made dynamically adjustable through rotational degrees of freedom. It can rotate about a first rotational axis (transverse to the mount's rotational axis) and a second rotational axis (parallel to the mount's rotational axis), allowing real-time adaptation to workpiece profile variations and misalignments during the grinding process
Solution Approach 2:
The rotational adjustment mechanism is divided into independent rotational axes. The first rotational axis handles transverse alignment adjustments, while the second rotational axis handles axial alignment adjustments, allowing separate optimization of each alignment dimension
2Manufacturing precision
If the shoe holder has multiple rotational degrees of freedom, then misalignment is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shoe holder incorporates two independent rotational degrees of freedom: rotation about a first axis transverse to the mount's rotational axis, and rotation about a second axis parallel to the mount's rotational axis. This dynamic adjustment capability enables precise alignment compensation for workpiece variations while maintaining a relatively compact mechanical structure
Solution Approach 2:
The alignment adjustment is extended from a single rotational dimension to two rotational dimensions. The first rotational axis provides adjustment in the transverse plane, while the second rotational axis provides adjustment in the axial plane, creating a two-dimensional adjustment space that comprehensively addresses misalignment issues
3Ease of operation
If shoes engage only at the edge of the workpiece, then the contact area is reduced, but this leads to surface scoring and deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The shoe holder's rotational degrees of freedom enable dynamic alignment adjustment during operation. By rotating about the first and second axes, the shoe can be positioned to engage the workpiece with its full face rather than just the edge, distributing the grinding forces evenly and preventing surface scoring and deformation
Solution Approach 2:
The multi-axis rotational mechanism provides preliminary alignment correction before the grinding process begins. The shoe holder can be pre-adjusted to account for anticipated workpiece profile variations and misalignments, preventing edge-only engagement and the associated harmful effects before they occur
Data Source
AI summary
A workrest (50) for a centreless grinding machine, with the workrest comprising a mount (52, 56) for mounting on a grinding machine, and a shoe holder (62) for carrying a shoe (70, 72) to be engaged with an outer circumferential surface of a workpiece (96) during grinding. The shoe holder is able to rotate relative to the mount about at least two non-parallel rotational axes, thereby enabling the workrest to accommodate different variations in the profile of a workpiece and/or any misalignment of the shoe holder or shoe.