Gear Grinding Machine Dressing via Pivot Table

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional gear grinding machines face challenges in dressing the grinding wheel without contacting large gears, which requires extensive gear removal and reattachment processes, especially when dealing with large gears.

Innovation Solution

A gear grinding machine design featuring a ring-shaped turn table coaxially disposed with the rotary table, allowing the dressing means to move between a dressing position and a retreat position, preventing contact with the gear and enabling dressing with the gear attached, regardless of size, along with a table turning mechanism for positioning the dressing device and grinding wheel receiving stage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Volume of moving object

If the rotary table is provided between the column and counter column to hold large gears, then the gear grinding machine can process larger gears, but the grinding wheel or dressing device may come into contact with the gear during dressing operation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvegear sizeVSAvoiddressing operation safety
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of moving objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a ring-shaped turn table that rotates about the workpiece rotation axis, adding a radial dimension to the dressing device's positioning. This allows the dressing device to move radially inward and outward relative to the gear, enabling it to reach the grinding wheel for dressing without contacting the gear, thus resolving the spatial conflict between large gear processing and safe dressing operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Solution Approach 2:

The dressing device is made dynamically positionable through the ring-shaped turn table mechanism. The turn table can rotate to bring the dressing device to different angular positions around the workpiece rotation axis, allowing the dressing operation to be performed from positions that avoid contact with the gear, making the system adaptable to different gear sizes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Reliability

If the gear is removed from the rotary table before dressing the grinding wheel, then contact between the dressing device and gear is avoided, but extensive gear removing and attaching work is required

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedressing operation safetyVSAvoidgear removal and attachment time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The ring-shaped turn table is pre-configured to enable the dressing device to reach the grinding wheel from positions that avoid gear contact. This preliminary design of the positioning mechanism eliminates the need for gear removal, as the dressing operation can be performed in advance from safe positions without interrupting the gear's presence on the rotary table.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The ring-shaped turn table serves multiple functions: it supports the dressing device, enables angular positioning to avoid gear contact, and allows the grinding wheel to be accessed for dressing while the gear remains mounted. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate gear removal and attachment operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Device complexity

If a conventional dressing device is used with a turn ring on the counter column, then the structure is simple, but the dressing device cannot access the grinding wheel without contacting large gears

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedressing device structureVSAvoiddressing accessibility
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of moving the dressing device only in the axial direction along the counter column, the patent adds radial movement capability through the ring-shaped turn table. This allows the dressing device to access the grinding wheel from radial positions outside the gear's rotational path, improving accessibility without significantly complicating the overall structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentEP2614923B1Gear grinding machine
Publication Date: 2019.04.24 MITSUBISHI HEAVY IND MACHINE TOOL CO LTD
  • EP2614923B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2614923B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2614923B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Provided is a gear grinding machine which can dress a grinding stone while a gear is held attached to the machine regardless of the size of the gear. To this end, the gear grinding machine (1) engages and mutually rotates a work (W) and the grinding stone (17) to thereby grind the work (W), wherein the gear grinding machine is equipped with a turning table (22) which holds the work (W) and rotates around a work rotating shaft (C), and a pivot table (31) which is pivotably supported around the work rotating shaft (C); and a dresser (40) which is capable of dressing the grinding stone (17) is provided on the pivot table (31), the pivot table (31) being pivoted to move the dresser (40) between a dressing position (D1) and a retreat position (D2).