Reversible Abrasive Grinding Tool for Extended Service Life
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Grinding machines face inefficiencies due to wear of disc brushes, leading to inconsistent grinding results and reduced service life, necessitating frequent replacements and downtime, which affects economic efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The grinding tool features abrasive elements with first and second surfaces, designed to engage the workpiece in opposite directions, allowing for reversible movement and extended tool life, along with a control device to switch between these directions, enabling efficient grinding in multiple axes and variable surface processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If a disc brush is used for grinding, then the service life is extended by allowing abrasive elements to shorten continuously, but the grinding result becomes inconsistent due to wear affecting optical properties and surface quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies inversion by reversing the direction of rotation of the disc brush. When the disc brush rotates in the opposite direction, the abrasive elements engage the workpiece surface from the other side, effectively renewing the grinding action without replacing the entire tool. This allows the system to alternate between using the front and back surfaces of the abrasive elements, maintaining consistent surface quality throughout the service life.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements periodic action by systematically alternating the rotation direction of the disc brush at regular intervals. This periodic reversal ensures that different portions of the abrasive elements are used in a controlled sequence, preventing localized wear patterns and maintaining uniform grinding performance throughout the operational life of the tool.
2Manufacturing precision
If the disc brush is replaced frequently to maintain grinding quality, then surface quality consistency is improved, but productivity decreases due to downtime and replacement costs
Solution Approach 1:
The systematic periodic reversal of disc brush rotation extends the usable life of each abrasive element by utilizing both sides of the elements. This reduces the frequency of tool replacements while maintaining consistent surface quality, thereby improving productivity by minimizing downtime associated with tool changes.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of discarding the entire disc brush when one side of the abrasive elements wears, the system recovers value by reversing rotation to use the opposite side of the elements. This effectively doubles the utilization of each abrasive element, reducing replacement frequency and associated productivity losses.
3Manufacturing precision
If abrasive elements are made flexible to allow continuous contact, then manufacturing precision is improved, but the elements bend backwards against movement direction reducing effective grinding contact
Solution Approach 1:
By reversing the rotation direction, the flexible abrasive elements bend in the opposite direction, bringing fresh, unbent portions into contact with the workpiece surface. This inversion compensates for the bending effect and maintains effective grinding contact throughout the service life of the abrasive elements.
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
This solution extends the service life of grinding tools, allows for more economical processing, and achieves desired optical and qualitative surface results by reversing the direction of movement, thereby enhancing processing efficiency and reducing downtime.
Implementation Method 1
The abrasive elements are bonded to or embedded within the surface of the abrasive carrier. Because these abrasive elements have a certain length, wear caused by abrasion or grain break-off can be compensated for over a longer machining period.
Implementation Method 2
They do not protrude from the abrasive carrier in a perfectly axial alignment, but are bent backwards against the direction of movement by a circumferential force caused by the rotational motion
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3a~3b
Figure 3c~3d
AI summary
The invention relates to a grinding machine for grinding a surface of an object, comprising at least one grinding tool with a movable abrasive carrier, and a plurality of abrasive elements attached to the abrasive carrier, and an abrasive drive device for driving the grinding tool into a first relative movement to the object, and a conveying device for conveying the object through the grinding machine with a second relative movement to the grinding tool.The invention is characterized in that the plurality of abrasive elements has a plurality of first surfaces provided with first abrasive bodies for contact with the surface of the object during a first direction of movement of the abrasive carrier and a plurality of second surfaces provided with second abrasive bodies for contact with the surface of the object during a second direction of movement of the abrasive carrier opposite to the first, and that the abrasive drive device is designed to be operated in the first direction of movement, in which the first surfaces of the abrasive elements are in grinding engagement with the surface of the object and in the second direction of movement, in which the second surfaces of the abrasive elements are in grinding engagement with the surface of the object.