Orientable Cup Grinding Wheel for Plate Edge Machining
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing machines for machining the peripheral edge of plates, such as glass or stone, struggle to achieve high-quality surface finishing due to deformation of tangential grinding tools, and previous solutions like cup grinding wheels increase machine complexity and reduce productivity.
Innovation Solution
A machine with a machining head equipped with a cup grinding wheel having an axis parallel to the plate's plane, allowing orientation perpendicular to the plate, enabling efficient machining of all edges with minimal dead time and preventing profile deformation from wear by repositioning the wheel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a tangential-type grinding tool with a metal cylindrical body is used to machine the peripheral edge of the plate, then the machining operation can be performed, but the active lateral surface deforms due to wear, creating micro-grooves on the machined surface and reducing surface quality
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a tangential grinding tool where the grinding surface is cylindrical and prone to deformation, the invention inverts the approach by using a cup grinding wheel where the grinding surface is the annular front surface. This inverted geometry prevents profile deformation during wear, maintaining surface quality throughout the tool's service life.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the geometric parameters of the grinding tool from a cylindrical tangential shape to a cup shape with an annular front grinding surface. This parameter change fundamentally alters the wear pattern, preventing the profile deformation that occurs with tangential tools and thereby maintaining high surface finishing quality.
2Manufacturing precision
If cup grinding wheels are used to machine all sides of the plate, then high surface finishing quality can be achieved, but the machine complexity increases and productivity decreases due to the need to rotate the plate between machining operations
Solution Approach 1:
The invention makes the cup grinding wheel orientable around an axis perpendicular to the plate plane, allowing dynamic adjustment of the wheel's orientation. This enables the single grinding wheel to machine all four sides of the plate sequentially without requiring plate rotation, thereby maintaining high surface quality while improving productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The single cup grinding wheel is designed to perform multiple functions by changing its orientation. It can machine the lower edge, upper edge, front edge, and rear edge of the plate sequentially, replacing the need for multiple fixed grinding positions or plate rotation mechanisms.
3Productivity
If the cup grinding wheel is made orientable around an axis perpendicular to the plate plane, then all edges can be machined with minimal dead time, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The orienting mechanism is segmented into discrete angular positions corresponding to the four edges of the plate. The cup grinding wheel can be oriented to four specific positions (0°, 90°, 180°, 270°), allowing each edge to be machined in sequence without requiring continuous or complex orientation control.
4Device complexity
If a tangential grinding tool is used, then the machine structure can be simpler, but it is impossible to obtain high quality surface finishing on the plate edge
Solution Approach 1:
The invention inverts the traditional tangential grinding tool geometry by using a cup grinding wheel with an annular front grinding surface. This inverted geometry inherently prevents profile deformation during wear, achieving high surface finishing quality without requiring complex machine structures or additional correction mechanisms.
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 solution achieves high-quality surface finishing and high productivity by using a cup grinding wheel with a planar annular active surface, which maintains its profile and allows for efficient edge machining with minimal machine complexity and dead time.
Implementation Method 1
a machining head for machining the plate, said machining head being movable along a second substantially vertical direction Y and said machining head including a motorized spindle coupled with a grinding tool
Data Source
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AI summary
A machine for machining the peripheral edge of plates of glass (L) or plates of natural or synthetic stone material, or plates of plastic material, comprises means for causing a plate (L) to be machined to advance in a substantially vertical position along a first horizontal X direction parallel to the plane of the plate (L), through a processing station (W). The processing station (W) comprises at least one machining head (H1) for machining the plate (L). The machining head is movable along a second substantially vertical Y direction, and includes a spindle coupled with a grinding tool (M) consisting of a cup grinding wheel (M) having an axis of rotation (15) parallel to the plane of the plate (L). The cup grinding wheel (M) is orientable around an axis (9) orthogonal to the plane of the plate (L), so that said cup machining wheel (M) is adapted to be arranged selectively at least in a first position in which its axis of rotation (15) is parallel to said second direction Y and in a second position in which its axis of rotation (15) is parallel to said first direction X.