Centerless Grinding Regulating Wheel Height Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Centerless grinding machines face challenges in accurately adjusting the height of the rest blade, leading to profile distortions on work piece shoulders due to limited space between the grinding wheel and regulating wheel, making it difficult to maintain optimal circularity and adjust for wear, especially in angular infeed grinding.
Innovation Solution
The centerless cylindrical grinding machine decouples the height adjustment of the regulating wheel from other motions, allowing precise adjustment of the work piece's center height by displacing the infeed carriage of the regulating wheel, which can be motor-driven or manually controlled, and features a CNC-controlled system for automation, enabling quick and accurate adjustments and compensation for wear and profile distortions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the height of the rest blade is adjusted using conventional methods (wedge, cam shaft, or motor-adjustable axle), then the grinding height can be changed, but the adjustment is tedious and difficult to achieve exact precision
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the conventional mechanical adjustment systems (wedge, cam shaft, motor-adjustable axle) with a CNC-controlled motor drive system. This substitution enables automated, precise height adjustment of the regulating wheel through electronic control, eliminating the tedious manual adjustment process while achieving exact positioning precision through computer numerical control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a motor-driven height adjustment system that can dynamically change the height parameter of the regulating wheel. The CNC control system allows for precise modification of the vertical position parameter, enabling accurate height adjustment and easy readjustment as the grinding wheel wears down, thereby maintaining optimal grinding conditions throughout the process.
2Manufacturing precision
If the rest blade height is adjusted to achieve optimal circularity, then grinding quality improves, but multiple height tests need to be performed beforehand which increases setup time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the actual height position of the regulating wheel is monitored and compared with the target position. The CNC control system receives feedback from position sensors and automatically adjusts the motor drive to achieve the precise height setting, eliminating the need for multiple trial adjustments and enabling direct achievement of optimal circularity on first attempt.
Solution Approach 2:
The CNC-controlled height adjustment system performs self-positioning of the regulating wheel based on pre-stored optimal height values. The system automatically retrieves and executes the correct height setting from memory, performing the adjustment function autonomously without requiring operator intervention for multiple tests, thereby significantly reducing setup time while ensuring optimal circularity.
3Reliability
If the grinding wheel diameter decreases due to wear, then the work piece position migrates, but readjusting the blade height is difficult due to limited space between grinding wheel and regulating wheel
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic height adjustment system where the regulating wheel position can be continuously modified through motor drive actuation. This dynamic capability allows the system to adapt to changing grinding conditions as the grinding wheel wears down, maintaining work piece position stability by readjusting the regulating wheel height to compensate for diameter reduction, all within the limited space constraint.
4Adaptability or versatility
If angular infeed grinding is performed with non-parallel rotational axes, then complex work piece profiles can be ground, but profile distortions occur on shoulders due to wheel and work piece wear
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs parameter changes by adjusting the height of the regulating wheel through motor drive actuation. This height parameter adjustment compensates for the profile distortions that occur on work piece shoulders during angular infeed grinding. By dynamically modifying the regulating wheel height, the system maintains shoulder profile accuracy even as the grinding wheel and work piece wear down, preserving manufacturing precision while retaining the ability to grind complex profiles.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention pertains to a centerless cylindrical grinding machine with a grinding wheel and a regulating wheel that can be laterally displaced toward a work piece that can be held between these wheels, and with a rest blade for supporting the work piece that is realized rigid in the vertical direction and arranged and dimensioned such that a rotational axis of the work piece and a rotational axis of the grinding wheel lie in a common plane, wherein a height adjustment of the rotational axis of the regulating wheel beyond the plane is kinematically decoupled from the lateral displacement of the regulating wheel and can be varied in order to position the regulating wheel on the supported work piece.