The present invention relates to centerless grinding machines and particularly relates to a centerless grinding machine using electromagnetic linear drives for positioning the grinding wheel and the regulating wheel, and structure to minimize thermal deviation.
Heat is generated during the material removal when grinding a work piece to a desired measure between a grinding wheel and a regulating wheel. In addition to the heat, the centerless grinding machine also produces a lot of grinding chips and/or particles which are removed during the grinding process. In order to control the heat generation as well as the generation of debris produced by the centerless grinding machine normally a coolant is applied to the machine in order to cool the components of the centerless grinding machine and also to carry away the debris generated by the grinding process.
The heat generation results in unwanted thermal expansion of various components and structure of the centerless grinding machine which can affect the final accuracy of the ground dimensions of the work piece. In addition, the debris can be detrimental to moving components of the centerless grinding machine; in particular metallic particles are extremely detrimental to the operation of electro magnetic linear motors. Fluids and coolants naturally flow downwardly due to gravity and therefore coolant is normally applied from above and collected below. Unfortunately most of the complex drive components and drive systems of conventional centerless grinding machines are also mounted below the grinding and regulating wheels. The conventional method of mounting and driving the grinding wheel and the regulating wheel makes it very difficult to utilize electromagnetic linear drive systems since they potentially are most vulnerable to penetration of coolant and the debris and particles entrained within the coolant, thereby negatively impacting the efficiency and accuracy of the electromagnetic linear drive systems mounted in the conventional manner and locations.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,567 filed by Olle Hedberg on Feb. 14, 1995 and which issued on Sep. 24, 1996 under the title Centerless Machines, describes a centerless grinding machine which attempts to minimize the thermal deviation created in the centerless grinding process. In particular the specification describes a grinding carriage and a regulating carriage which is arranged in an overlap relation, such that one supporting point of one of the carriage is situated between two supporting points of the other carriage thereby compensating thermally dependant length variations of the carriages. This specification also describes the possibility of using electromagnetic linear motors.
The Hedberg specification however does not discuss how the flow of coolant and/or the structure can be optimized in order to minimize thermal variations and errors, or how the electromagnetic linear motors can be arranged in such a manner in order to minimize the impregnation of particles and debris into the linear motors.
The present invention will be described by way of example only with reference to the following drawings in which:
Definitions;
The centerless grinding machine is shown generally as 100 in the Figures and includes the following major components namely a frame 101 including a lower base 102, upper base 104, end supports 106, grinding wheel housing 108, a regulating wheel housing 110, driven grinding wheel 112 and driven regulating wheel 114. The mounting of the wheels 112 and 114 is to the frame 101 is now described by way of example only. Grinding wheel housing 108 is mounted onto a grinding wheel saddle plate 120 and regulating wheel housing 110 is mounted onto regulating wheel saddle plate 122. Saddle plates 120 and 122 in turn are mounted onto linear rail saddles 124 which may be for example recirculating roller ball bearings which are slideably or rollably mounted onto a first linear rail 126 and a second linear rail 128. A set of linear rails namely first and second linear rails 126 and 128 are mounted onto upper base 104 as schematically shown in
The frame 101 has mounted thereto regulating wheel 114 and a grinding wheel 112. The frame 101 preferably includes an upper base 104 and at least one of the wheels 112, 114 is mounted to the upper base 104 and hangs downwardly from the upper base 104 as shown in the figures. At least one of the wheels is indexable laterally along an X direction. The wheels 112 and 114 are for supporting and grinding a work piece placed between the grinding wheel 112 and the regulating wheel 114.
Grinding wheel 112 is moved or indexed laterally by a grinding wheel linear motor 140 and regulating wheel 114 is moved or indexed laterally by a regulating wheel linear motor 142. Electro magnetic linear motors 140 and 142 include a motor coil 144 and a magnetic way 146. The linear motors are mounted onto upper base 104 to move the wheels 112 or 114 relative to the upper base 114. In the present example this means that the motor coil 144 is mounted to upper base 104. It is possible to have for example the reverse namely the magnetic way mounted 146 mounted to upper base 104.
A work piece 150 is supported by a work piece support 152 and includes a grinding wheel dressing diamond 154 and a regulating wheel dressing diamond 156.
Referring now to
In order to dress the grinding wheel 112 and the regulating wheel 114, grinding wheel dressing diamond 154 is moved along the grinding face 170 in the Y dressing direction 164. In similar fashion the regulating wheel 110 is dressed by moving regulating wheel dressing diamond 156 along regulating face 172 along Y dressing direction 164. The work piece support is moved in the Y dressing direction 164 using a conventional drive such as a ball screw drive having a rotary position encoder (not shown).
As described above, the grinding wheel 112 and the regulating wheel 114 are moved along the X direction shown as 160 and 162 preferably using electromagnetic linear motors 140 and 142 as will be described in more detail below. It may however also use other indexing drives including ball screw type drives known in the art.
Referring now to
Grinding wheel saddle plate 120 is mounted onto four linear rail saddles 124 which roll along first and second linear rails 126 and 128. Similarly regulating wheel saddle plate 122 is mounted onto four linear rail saddles 124 as shown in
In this manner cooling fluid flows downwardly away from the drive mechanism namely away from grinding wheel linear motor 140 and regulating wheel linear motor 142 of the grinding wheel 112 and the regulating wheel 114.
Debris and particles entrained in the coolant fluid flow away from the drive systems of both the grinding wheel 112 and the regulating wheel 114 and in particular this arrangement minimizes the penetration and entrapment of debris onto linear rails 126, 128 linear rail saddles 124, and grinding wheel linear motor 140 and regulating wheel linear motor 142.
A person skilled in the art will note that the lateral drive system for the regulating wheel 114 is mounted from above. In other words the grinding wheel saddle plate 120 and the regulating wheel saddle plate 122 are hung from above onto with the linear rail saddles 124 which in turn are mounted onto common first linear rail 126 and second linear rail 128 such that wheels 112 and 114 extend downwardly from the upper base as shown in
By providing for common linear rails 126 and 128 one reduces the set up time and construction of the centerless grinding machine and also ensures greater accuracy in determining and ensuring that the path ways of the grinding wheel 112 and the regulating wheel 114 are set up parallel to each other.
In order to provide for a stiffer structure, stiffening ribs 180 as shown in
Referring now to
In addition,
Grinding wheel housing 108 preferably is mounted onto grinding wheel saddle plate 120 thereby securely mounting grinding wheel 112 onto the upper base 104 in rollable fashion with suitable bearings.
Referring now to
Mounted in rollable fashion to upper base 104 is grinding wheel housing 108 which includes grinding wheel 112 which is driven in rotary fashion by grinding wheel drive motor 220. Driven grinding wheel referred to herein is the combination of the grinding wheel drive motor 220 connected to the grinding wheel 112. Grinding wheel housing 108 is moved laterally with grinding wheel linear motor 140.
Also mounted to the underside of upper base 104 is regulating wheel housing 110 which includes regulating wheel 114 being driven in rotary fashion by regulating wheel drive motor 222. Driven regulating wheel referred to herein is the combination of the regulating wheel drive motor 222 connected to the regulating wheel 114.
Referring now to
In prior art devices all of the indexing mechanisms of the grinding wheel 112 and the regulating wheel 114 and also of the grinding wheel dressing diamond 154 and the regulating wheel dressing diamond 156 are generally housed and mounted onto the bottom or the equivalent to lower base 102 of a centerless grinding machine. Generally speaking prior art devices have sliding beds over which grinding wheel housing and the regulating wheel housings move. Most grinding designs have premature wearing problems due to the fact that the rolling or sliding mechanisms are constantly exposed and running in dirty coolant. As a result maintenance to resurface and recalibrate the rolling or sliding surfaces is necessary in order to keep the centerless grinding machine running accurately.
Therefore, a benefit to the current centerless grinding machine 100 depicted and described herein is the fact that the coolant flow 306 is directed downwardly away from the grinding wheel 112 and regulating wheel 114 indexing drives namely grinding wheel linear motor 140 and regulating wheel linear motor 142. In this manner, the indexing mechanisms including the grinding wheel linear motor 140 and regulating wheel linear motor 142, the linear rails 126, 128 and the linear rail saddles 124 remain relatively clean compared to prior art devices in that in the present device they are not constantly operating in dirty coolant fluid.
A person skilled in the art will note that grinding wheel 112 and regulating wheel 114 are supported from above rather than as in the traditional devices from below. A further benefit is derived from this arrangement due to the strong magnetic attraction forces which are created by grinding wheel linear motor 140 and regulating wheel linear motor 142. By way of example only in one of the prototype centerless grinding machines 100 that has been built, the magnetic attraction force created by linear motor 140 amounts to 1200 pounds. The grinding wheel housing 108 combined together with the grinding wheel saddle plate 120 and all of the hardware necessary to attach it to the linear rails 126 amounts to approximately 1000 pounds in weight.
Due to the fact that grinding wheel housing 108 is mounted upside down, the 1200 pound attraction force is almost cancelled out by the 1000 pounds gravitation downward force pulling on the grinding wheel housing 108. This results in a lower net load on linear rails 126 which in turn will result in less wear and longer life of the linear rails 126 and the linear rail saddles 124 which are moving in the lateral grinding direction 160 and the lateral regulating direction 162.
Centerless grinding machine 100 can be operated in a through feed type setup or in a in feed type set up depending upon the part geometry. Centerless grinding machine 100 is set up and operated as follows:
Firstly grinding wheel dressing diamond 154 and regulating wheel dressing diamond 156 is moved along the Y dressing direction 164 in order to cut a profile onto the grinding wheel 112 and the regulating wheel 114.
Work piece 150 is supported by work piece support 152 and the support is dimensioned such that the part rests against the regulating wheel. The feed of the part into Centerless grinding machine 100 will depend upon the part geometry and may include in feed or through feed type arrangements.
The regulating wheel 114 is driven or rotated by regulating wheel drive motor 222 and indexed or moved in the lateral X regulating direction 162 by regulating wheel linear motor 142 for inward indexing of the regulating wheel. The grinding wheel 112 is driven or rotated by grinding wheel drive motor 220 and indexed or moved in the lateral X grinding direction 160 by grinding wheel linear motor 140 for inward indexing of the grinding wheel. The reader will note that it may not be necessary in all applications for the grinding wheel 112 have the ability to be indexed. In other words in some applications the grinding wheel 112 is stationary.
Indexing or feed rates are selected to produce a course to very fine finish. Regulating wheel 114 is moved laterally along X regulating direction 162 by regulating wheel linear motor 142. Grinding wheel 112 may or may not be indexed along X grinding wheel 160 direction depending upon the application. In some applications grinding wheel 112 is stationary.
Grinding wheel 112 grinds the profile into the work piece 150 and once it is completed the regulating wheel 114 may be indexed along the X regulating direction 162 and in some applications the grinding wheel 112 may be indexed along the X grinding direction 160. The work piece which has now become a finished part is removed from work piece support 152 usually by robotic means and a new work piece 150 is placed upon work piece support 152 and the process starts all over again. This operation may vary depending upon whether the set up is for through feed or in feed of parts.
A person skilled in the art will note that there are a number of advantages to the present centerless grinding machine 100 including the use of linear motors 140 and 142 which result in much higher accuracy in the movement of the grinding wheel 112 in the X grinding direction 160 and the regulating wheel 114 in the X regulating direction 162. It may also be possible to build a similar grinding machine using conventional drives such as ball screw drives and derive some of the benefits listed herein.
Secondly due to the fact that the grinding wheel housing 108 and the regulating wheel housing 110 are mounted upside down being hung from the upper base 104 instead of onto the bottom or lower base 102, penetration and entrapment of debris carried in the cooling water into the indexing drives namely grinding wheel linear motor 140 and regulating wheel linear motor 142 is minimized.
Thirdly coolant flow 306 is downwardly along the grinding face 170 of grinding wheel 112 resulting in the fewer thermal variations particularly of upper base 104. This is beneficial in minimizing thermal deviations in centerless grinding machine 100 since grinding wheel linear motors 140 and regulating wheel linear motors 142 are suspended and supported from upper base 104 rather than from lower base 102. The lower thermal variations result in greater dimensional accuracy and stability of the grinding operation.
Fourthly due to the fact that grinding wheel housing 108 is mounted upside down, the attraction force of the linear motors 140, 142 almost cancels out the gravitation downward force pulling on the grinding wheel housing 108 and regulating wheel housing 110. This results in a lower net load on linear rails 126 which in turn will result in less wear and longer life of the linear rails 126 and the linear rail saddles 124 which are moving in the lateral X grinding direction 160 and the lateral X regulating direction 162.
It should be apparent to persons skilled in the arts that various modifications and adaptation of this structure described above are possible without departure from the spirit of the invention the scope of which is defined in the appended claim.
The applicant claims priority from regularly filed U.S. Provisional patent application 61/219,093 filed Jun. 22, 2009 under the title CENTERLESS GRINDING MACHINE by the inventors Harry Schellenberg and Dan Schellenberg.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61219093 | Jun 2009 | US |