Coaxial Grinding Machine with Conical Wheel

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing grinding machines for knife blades are bulky and costly due to the offset arrangement of the grinding wheel axis from the motor shaft, requiring additional bearings and gearing, which increases space and manufacturing expenses.

Innovation Solution

A compact grinding machine design where the grinding wheel is coaxially arranged with the motor shaft, eliminating the need for additional bearings and gearing, and featuring a conical grinding surface that allows the blade to be positioned across the grinding wheel and motor housing, enabling efficient blade sharpening without increasing the wheel's diameter beyond safe rotational speeds.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the grinding wheel axis is offset from the motor shaft, then the blade can be displaced parallel to the motor axis during grinding, but the space requirement and manufacturing costs increase due to additional bearings and gearing

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveblade displacement capabilityVSAvoidnumber of bearings and gears
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The grinding wheel is merged with the motor shaft by arranging them coaxially and connecting them in a rotationally fixed manner. This eliminates the need for separate bearings and gearing mechanisms, reducing device complexity while maintaining the blade displacement capability through the conical grinding surface geometry

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Productivity

If additional bearings and gearing are used to support the offset grinding wheel, then the blade can be ground, but manufacturing costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveblade grinding capabilityVSAvoidmanufacturing cost
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The grinding wheel is integrated with the motor shaft through coaxial arrangement and rotationally fixed connection, eliminating the need for additional bearings and gearing. This merging of components reduces manufacturing complexity and cost while maintaining full blade grinding functionality

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Area of stationary object

If the grinding wheel diameter is increased to accommodate blade sharpening, then more blades can be ground, but the wheel must be rotated at lower speeds which reduces productivity

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvegrinding wheel diameterVSAvoidgrinding wheel rotational speed
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

The invention changes the geometric parameter of the grinding wheel from a standard cylindrical shape to a conical shape with an inclination angle between 10-45 degrees. This parameter change allows the wheel to maintain a smaller diameter while still accommodating various blade sizes and orientations, enabling high-speed rotation without compromising grinding capability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The design results in a cost-effective, compact grinding machine that can operate safely at high speeds without additional bearings or gearing, allowing for efficient sharpening of knife blades and other cutting tools while minimizing space requirements.

Implementation Method 1

The grinding machine has an electric motor (31) which has a grinding wheel (41) arranged coaxially to a motor shaft (35) and connected to the motor shaft in a rotationally fixed manner... The grinding surface (41a), which is inclined with respect to the axis of rotation of the grinding wheel and widens towards the motor housing, preferably approximately or precisely conical

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAbrasion: Abrasion

Data Source

PatentEP2324953B1Grinding machine
Publication Date: 2018.03.21 NEWROX
  • EP2324953B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2324953B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP2324953B1 patent drawingFigure 5~7

AI summary

The grinding machine (1) has a motor (31) and a grinding wheel (41) rotatable by the motor. The motor has a motor housing (33) and a motor shaft (35) and the grinding wheel has a grinding surface (41a). The grinding wheel is coaxially and rotatably connected to the motor shaft. The grinding surface is inclined relatively to a rotational axis (39) of the grinding wheel.