Patent Application
20220143777
The present disclosure relates to a barrel polishing apparatus.
A flow-type barrel polishing apparatus that polishes a workpiece by causing the workpiece to flow together with abrasives in a polishing space is used. Generally, the flow-type barrel polishing apparatus includes a cylindrical fixed tank and a rotary disk disposed to close a lower opening of the fixed tank. A lining having wear resistance is formed on the inner wall surface of the fixed tank and the surface of the rotary disk on the polishing space side. A gap is formed between the lining of the fixed tank and the lining of the rotary disk, and the rotary disk rotates with respect to the fixed tank while maintaining the gap.
In the flow-type barrel polishing apparatus, when the temperature in the polishing space is increased by polishing the workpiece for a long time, the linings of the fixed tank and the rotary disk thermally expand, and the width of the gap formed between the fixed tank and the rotary disk may be narrowed. When the lining of the fixed tank and the lining of the rotary disk come into contact with each other as the expansion of the lining progresses, the lining of the fixed tank and the lining of the rotary disk are welded to each other by frictional heat, and the rotary disk becomes non-rotatable.
A barrel polishing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 is known as a technique for controlling the width of a gap formed between the fixed tank and the rotary disk. The barrel polishing apparatus of Patent Document 1 includes a cylindrical fixed tank and a rotary disk that closes a lower opening of the fixed tank. The fixed tank has a cylindrical metal wall and a lining layer formed on an inner circumferential surface of the metal wall. The rotary disk includes a disk-shaped metal member and a lining layer formed on a surface of the metal member. A small gap portion is formed between the lining layer of the fixed tank and the lining layer of the rotary disk. A retreat layer is formed between the metal wall of the fixed tank and the lining layer.
In the barrel polishing apparatus of Patent Document 1, the lining layer of the fixed tank is expanded toward the retreat layer to prevent the expansion from progressing toward the gap, thereby preventing the width of the small gap portion from being narrowed. However, in the barrel polishing apparatus of Patent Document 1, since no measure is taken to suppress the expansion of the lining layer of the rotary disk toward the small gap portion, the width of the small gap portion is narrowed by the expansion of the lining layer of the rotary disk. Therefore, in the barrel polishing apparatus of Patent Document 1, it is necessary to increase the width of the small gap portion to some extent so as to allow the expansion of the lining layer of the rotary disk. Therefore, when the width of the small gap portion is set to be large, it may be difficult to polish the small workpiece or the like in order to avoid the workpiece from being caught in the small gap portion.
Therefore, it is required to provide a barrel polishing apparatus capable of reducing the amount of change in the width of the gap between the fixed tank and the rotary disk due to the expansion of the lining.
A barrel polishing apparatus according to an aspect includes a fixed tank and a rotary disk that define a polishing space. The fixed tank has a predetermined axis as a center axis. The fixed tank includes a cylindrical rigid body and a first lining covering an inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical rigid body. The rotary disk has a disk-shaped rigid body and a second lining covering a surface of the disk-shaped rigid body on the polishing space side, and is rotatably disposed in a state where a gap is formed between the first lining and the second lining. The disk-shaped rigid body has a convex portion protruding toward the polishing space along a predetermined axis direction, and the convex portion is surrounded by the second lining. When viewed from a direction orthogonal to the predetermined axis, the convex portion overlaps the gap, and a length of a part overlapping the gap of the convex portion in the predetermined axis direction is one third or more of a length of the gap in the predetermined axis direction.
In the barrel polishing apparatus according to the above aspect, the disk-shaped rigid body of the rotary disk is provided with the convex portion protruding toward the polishing space along the predetermined axis direction, and the convex portion is disposed so as to overlap the gap. Since the convex portion restricts the expansion of the second lining in the outer circumferential direction (the gap side), the expansion of the second lining proceeds in the predetermined axis direction. Therefore, the amount of change in the width of the gap due to the expansion of the second lining can be reduced.
In one embodiment, the disk-shaped rigid body may have a central region and an outer region surrounding the central region, the convex portion may be provided in the outer region, and a thickness of the second lining on the convex portion may be greater than a thickness of the second lining on the central region. The second lining on the outer region is more likely to be worn than the second lining on the central region. By making the thickness of the second lining on the convex portion greater than the thickness of the second lining on the central region, the second lining on the convex portion is worn and the convex portion is hardly exposed to the polishing space. Therefore, the life of the barrel polishing apparatus can be improved.
In one embodiment, the disk-shaped rigid body may have a disk shape, and the convex portion may be provided at a radially outer end portion of the disk-shaped rigid body. In this embodiment, since the convex portion is disposed in the vicinity of the gap, expansion of the second lining toward the gap can be further suppressed.
In one embodiment, a retreat space may be formed between the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical rigid body and the first lining, and the retreat space may be formed at a position overlapping the gap when viewed from a direction orthogonal to the predetermined axis direction. In this embodiment, since the expansion of the first lining toward the retreat space side can be promoted, the expansion of the first lining layer toward the gap side can be suppressed.
In one embodiment, a passage communicating with the gap and the retreat space may be formed on a side opposite to the polishing space of the disk-shaped rigid body, and an elastic member may be provided in the passage so as to cover an end portion of the retreat space on the passage side. In this embodiment, since the end portion of the retreat space on the communication space side is sealed, it is possible to prevent the polishing liquid or the like having passed through the gap from entering the retreat space.
In one embodiment, the elastic member may be a sponge packing. Since the sponge packing is inexpensive and easy to construct, the end portion on the communication space side of the retreat space can be easily sealed.
In one embodiment, the sponge packing may be fixed by a flange. In this embodiment, the sponge packing can be prevented from falling off.
According to one aspect and various embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the amount of change in the width of the gap between the fixed tank and the rotary disk due to expansion of the lining.
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same or corresponding element is denoted by the same reference numeral, and redundant description will not be repeated. Dimensional ratios in the drawings do not necessarily match those in the description. The words “up,” “down,” “left,” and “right” are based on the states shown and are for convenience.
As shown in
The inner circumferential surface 12a of the cylindrical rigid body 12 is covered by the first lining 14. The first lining 14 has a substantially cylindrical shape and is made of a wear-resistant material. The first lining 14 has a function of preventing the cylindrical rigid body 12 from being worn when the workpiece is polished. The material of the first lining 14 is exemplified by urethane resin, but is not limited to urethane resin as long as it is a polymer material having abrasion resistance.
A flange 18 is provided below the cylindrical rigid body 12. The flange 18 has an annular shape and is fixed to the cylindrical rigid body 12.
The flange 18 is supported by a support disk 32. The support disk 32 has a disk shape in which an opening is formed in a central portion thereof, and a radially inner end portion thereof is fixed to the base portion 36. The support disk 32 includes an inner region 32a that is inclined downward toward the radially outer side and an outer region 32b that is inclined upward toward the radially outer side. A retention portion 32c is formed between the inner region 32a and the outer region 32b. A discharge pipe 34 is connected to the support disk 32 so as to communicate with the retention portion 32c.
The rotary disk 20 is provided to close the lower opening of the fixed tank 10. The rotary disk 20 defines a polishing space S for polishing the workpiece together with the fixed tank 10. The rotary disk 20 has a disk-shaped rigid body 22 and a second lining 24.
The disk-shaped rigid body 22 is provided above the support disk 32. The disk-shaped rigid body 22 is made of a rigid material such as metal and has a disk shape with an opening formed at the center thereof. The disk-shaped rigid body 22 has a central region 22a and an outer region 22b provided so as to surround the central region 22a. In the outer region 22b of the disk-shaped rigid body 22, a convex portion 23 protruding toward the polishing space S along the axis Z direction is formed. The convex portion 23 will be described in detail later.
The upper surface (surface on the polishing space S side) of the disk-shaped rigid body 22 is covered with the second lining 24. The second lining 24 has a disk shape in which an opening is formed at the center thereof, and is made of a wear-resistant material. The second lining 24 has a function of preventing the disk-shaped rigid body 22 from being worn when the workpiece is polished. The material of the second lining 24 is exemplified by urethane resin, but is not limited to urethane resin as long as it is a polymer material having abrasion resistance.
A gap 40 for allowing rotation of the rotary disk 20 is formed between the inner circumferential surface 14a of the first lining 14 and the end surface 24a of the second lining 24. In order to prevent the workpiece in the polishing space S from falling from the gap 40, a distance between an inner circumferential surface 14a of the first lining 14 and an end surface 24a of the second lining 24 (Width d of the gap 40 described later) is designed to be smaller than width of the workpiece.
In addition, a radially inner end portion of the disk-shaped rigid body 22 is fixed to the coupling member 26, and the coupling member 26 is fixed to the rotating shaft 28. The rotating shaft 28 extends along the axis Z and is rotatable about the axis Z. A motor 30 is connected to the rotating shaft 28. The motor 30 generates a driving force for rotating the rotating shaft 28 about the axis Z, and transmits the driving force to the rotating shaft 28 via a transmission mechanism. When the driving force of the motor 30 is transmitted to the rotating shaft 28, the disk-shaped rigid body 22 rotates about the axis Z while the gap 40 is formed between the first lining 14 and second lining 24.
When the disk-shaped rigid body 22 is rotated about the axis Z, the workpiece and the polishing media are spirally moved in the polishing space S by centrifugal force. In the process of this flow, the workpiece and the polishing media collide with each other to polish the workpiece. When wet barrel polishing is performed, workpiece and polishing media, as well as water and compound, are introduced into the polishing space S and flowed therein.
A passage 31 is formed between the disk-shaped rigid body 22 and the support disk 32. That is, the passage 31 is formed on the side opposite to the polishing space S of the disk-shaped rigid body 22. Passage 31 is a passage used for discharging polishing debris of the workpiece generated by the barrel polishing, fragments of the polishing media (hereinafter, the polishing debris of the workpiece and the fragments of the polishing media are collectively referred to as “chips”), or a polishing liquid containing chips. The passage 31 communicates with the gap 40 and a retreat space 42 described later. The chips and the polishing liquid generated by the barrel polishing in the polishing space S pass through the gap 40 formed between the first lining 14 and the second lining 24 and are collected in the passage 31. The chips and the polishing liquid collected in the passage 31 are collected in the retention portion 32c and discharged from the discharge pipe 34 to the outside of the barrel polishing apparatus 1.
Next, the fixed tank 10 will be described in detail with reference to
As shown in
When the workpiece introduced into the polishing space S is subjected to barrel polishing, the temperature in the polishing space S rises due to frictional heat between the workpiece and the polishing media as the polishing time elapses. When the temperature of the first lining 14 rises with a rise in the temperature of the polishing space S, the first lining 14 thermally expands and its volume increases. At this time, since the first lining 14 has a cylindrical shape, the first lining 14 expands in the radial direction and enters the retreat space 42. On the other hand, the expansion of the first lining 14 toward the radially inner side is suppressed by an amount corresponding to the expansion of the first lining 14 toward the radially outer side. As a result, narrowing of the width d of the gap 40 (see
As shown in
Next, the rotary disk 20 and the gap 40 will be described in detail with reference to
A convex portion 23 is formed in the outer region 22b of the disk-shaped rigid body 22, more specifically, in a radially outer end portion of the disk-shaped rigid body 22. The convex portion 23 protrudes from the disk-shaped rigid body 22 in a direction parallel to the extending direction of the gap 40, that is, in the axis Z direction. The periphery of the convex portion 23 is covered with the second lining 24 so that the convex portion 23 is not exposed to the gap 40. Since the periphery of the convex portion 23 is covered with the second lining 24 in this manner, the convex portion 23 is prevented from being worn by the chips or the polishing liquid passing through the gap 40.
The convex portion 23 is disposed so as to at least partially overlap the gap 40 when viewed from a direction orthogonal to the axis Z direction (the left-right direction in
The convex portion 23 has a function of restricting expansion of the second lining 24 toward the gap 40 (toward the outer periphery). That is, when the workpiece is polished in the polishing space S and the temperature in the polishing space S rises, the second lining 24 thermally expands and the second lining 24 increases in volume. Here, when the convex portion 23 extending in the axis Z direction is provided, the expansion of the second lining 24 toward the gap 40 side (outer circumferential side) is restricted, and the expansion of the second lining 24 proceeds toward the polishing space S side (the axis Z direction). Therefore, narrowing of the width d of the gap 40 due to expansion of the second lining 24 is suppressed. In particular, since the length L2 of the overlapping part 23a of the convex portion 23 is set to one-third or more of the length L1 of the gap 40, it is possible to more reliably suppress the width d of the gap 40 from being narrowed.
As shown in
Hereinafter, the operation and effect of the barrel polishing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment will be described. In barrel polishing using this barrel polishing apparatus, workpiece, polishing media, water and compound are introduced into the polishing space S. Next, the rotary disk 20 rotates around the axis Z in a state where the gap 40 is formed between the first lining 14 and the second lining 24. By the rotation of the rotary disk 20, workpiece and the like flow in the polishing space S. In this process, a part of the chips and the polishing liquid generated by the barrel polishing pass through the gap 40 and are collected in the passage 31. The chips and the polishing liquid collected in the passage 31 are collected in the retention portion 32c and discharged from the discharge pipe 34 to the outside of the barrel polishing apparatus 1.
In the process of barrel polishing, the temperature in the polishing space S rises due to frictional heat between the workpiece and the polishing media. As the temperature of the polishing space S rises, the first lining 14 and the second lining 24 are heated and thermally expanded. At this time, since the first lining 14 expands radially outward due to the presence of the retreat space 42, expansion toward the gap 40 side is suppressed. On the other hand, the second lining 24 is restricted from expanding toward the gap 40 (radially outward) by the presence of the convex portion 23, and therefore expands mainly toward the polishing space S. Therefore, the width d of the gap 40 is prevented from narrowing due to thermal expansion of the first lining 14 and the second lining 24. That is, the width d of the gap 40 is prevented from decreasing. As a result, even when the width d of the gap 40 at a reference temperature is designed to be small, the first lining 14 and the second lining 24 are less likely to come into contact with each other, so that a small workpiece can be polished.
Next, the operation and effect of the barrel polishing apparatus 1 will be described based on examples with reference to
In the examples, the amount of change in the radius of the outer peripheral surface of the second lining 24 when the length L2 of the overlapping part 23a was changed was obtained by simulation and evaluated. In the following Examples 1 to 3, the length L1 of the gap 40 in the axis Z direction was 27 mm. The radius of the outer peripheral surface of the second lining 24 at a reference temperature was 804 mm, and the linear expansion coefficient of the second lining 24 was 0.0002.
In Example 1, as shown in
While the barrel polishing apparatus according to various embodiments has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the retreat space 42 is formed between the inner circumferential surface 12a of the cylindrical rigid body 12 and the first lining 14, but the retreat space 42 is not necessarily formed. Even when the retreat space 42 is not formed, the presence of the convex portion 23 restricts the expansion toward the gap 40 side (radially outward), so that the amount of change in the width d of the gap 40 can be reduced.
1: barrel polishing apparatus, 10: fixed tank, 12: cylindrical rigid body, 12a: inner circumferential surface, 14: first lining, 14a: inner circumferential surface, 18: flange, 20: rotary disk, 22: disk-shaped rigid body, 22a: central region, 22b: outer region, 23: convex portion, 23a: overlap part, 24: second lining, 24a: end surface, 26: coupling member, 28: rotating shaft, 31: passage, 32: support disk, 40: gap, 42: retreat space, 42a: end portion, 44: elastic member, 46: flange, S: polishing space, Z: axis.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-066610 | Mar 2019 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2020/010646 | 3/11/2020 | WO | 00 |
