Magnetic polishing machine

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6231426
  • Patent Number
    6,231,426
  • Date Filed
    Friday, June 16, 2000
    24 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, May 15, 2001
    23 years ago
  • Inventors
  • Examiners
    • Banks; Derris H.
    Agents
    • Browdy and Neimark
Abstract
A magnetic polishing machine comprises a polishing tub and an alternating magnetic field generator for producing a magnetic field effect to induce a number of magnetic media to travel at a high speed to polish by rubbing a workpiece contained in the polishing tub. The magnetic polishing machine further comprises a built-in separation tub and a homomagnetic field generator for generating a unidirectional magnetic field effect to separate the cohered magnetic media from the workpiece which is transferred from the polishing tub to the separation tub upon completion of the polishing process.
Description




FIELD OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates generally to a polishing machine, and more particularly to a magnetic polishing machine.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




The U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,662,516 and 5,044,128 disclose a polishing machine comprising a polishing tub in which a plurality of magnetic media are activated by a magnetic field effect to bring about the rubbing of work pieces so as to make them bright and lustrous.




Such prior art polishing machines as described above are defective in design in that the magnetic media are apt to be attracted to the surface of a workpiece. The removal of the magnetic media from the surface of a polished work piece is a costly operation, which is often done by an expensive peripheral equipment. It is conceivable that an extra floor space must be allocated for disposition of the peripheral equipment.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a magnetic polishing machine which is free from the drawbacks of the prior art polishing machines described above.




In keeping with the principle of the present invention, the foregoing objective of the present invention is achieved by the magnetic polishing machine comprising a housing in which a polishing tub, a separation tub, an alternating magnetic field generator, and a homomagnetic field generator are disposed such that the polishing tub is corresponding in location to the alternating magnetic field generator, and that the separation tub is corresponding in location to the homomagnetic field generator. The polishing tub contains a plurality of magnetic polishing media, which are induced by the homomagnetic field effect to move in one direction to polish the surface of a workpiece by rubbing. The process of removing the cohered magnetic media from the surface of the workpiece is carried out in the separation tub.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

shows a perspective view of a magnetic polishing machine of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 2

shows a sectional view of a portion taken along the direction indicated by a line


2





2


as shown in FIG.


1


.





FIG. 3

shows a sectional view of a portion taken along the direction indicated by a line


3





3


as shown in FIG.


2


.





FIG. 4

shows a sectional schematic view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention at work.





FIG. 5

shows a sectional schematic view of another preferred embodiment of the present invention.





FIG. 6

shows a sectional view of a portion taken along the direction indicated by a line


6





6


as shown in FIG.


5


.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION




As shown in

FIGS. 1-3

, a magnetic polishing machine


100


embodied in the present invention comprises a housing


10


, an alternating magnetic field generator


20


, and a homomagnetic field generator


30


.




The housing


10


contains a polishing tub


11


and a separation tub


12


. The housing


10


is provided with a hinged soundproof lid


13


for covering the polishing tub


11


and the separation tub


12


. The housing


10


is further provided with a control panel


14


having a power switch


141


, a timer switch


142


, a speed adjustment switch


143


, and a forward-reverse switch


144


, which are all electrically connected with the alternating magnetic field generator


20


and the homomagnetic field generator


30


.




The polishing tub


11


is provided with a container


15


having an open top. The container


15


contains a polishing fluid


151


and a plurality of needle-shaped metal magnetic polishing media


152


.




The separation tub


12


is provided with a cylindrical container


16


in which a screen container


17


is disposed such that there is a gap


18


between the cylindrical container


16


and the screen container


17


. The screen container


17


is provided in the side wall and the bottom thereof with a number of meshes


171


which are dimensioned to allow the passage of the magnetic polishing media


152


.




The alternating magnetic field generator


20


is disposed in the interior of the housing


10


and is formed of a motor


21


, a fixation seat


22


, and a rotary disk


23


. The motor


21


is mounted under the polishing tub


11


by the fixation seat


22


. The motor


21


has an output shaft


211


which is fastened with the rotary disk


23


located under the polishing tub


11


. The rotary disk


23


is provided in the top thereof with a plurality of permanent heteropolar magnets


24


and


25


, with each having the magnetic N and S poles. The permanent magnets


24


and


25


are circularly arranged at an interval of 90 degrees.




The homomagnetic field generator


30


is disposed in the interior of the housing


10


and is formed of a motor


31


, a fixation seat


32


, and a rotary disk


33


. The motor


31


is mounted under the separation tub


12


by the fixation seat


32


. The motor


31


has an output shaft


311


which is fastened with the rotary disk


33


located under the separation tub


12


. The rotary disk


33


is provided in the top thereof with a plurality of permanent homopolar magnets


34


.




As shown in

FIG. 4

, a workpiece A is placed in the container


15


of the polishing tub


11


before the motor


21


is started to actuate the rotary disk


23


to turn. In light of the N poles and the S poles of the magnets


24


and


25


being different in location, an alternating magnetic field is brought about as the rotary disk


23


is rotated, thereby resulting in the induction of the magnetic polishing media


152


by the magnetic force B. The magnetic polishing media


152


are thus caused to travel at a high speed to smooth and brighten the surface of the workpiece A by rubbing. The polishing fluid


151


serves to bring about the cooling effect and the cleansing effect.




Upon completion of the polishing process, the workpiece A, the magnetic polishing media


152


, and the polishing fluid


151


are poured together into the screen container


17


of the separation tub


12


. The workpiece A and the magnetic polishing media


152


are kept in the screen container


17


, whereas the polishing fluid


151


is kept in the cylindrical container


16


. As the motor


31


is started, the rotary disk


33


is driven by the motor


31


to rotate. As a result, the homopolar magnets


34


bring about a unidirectional magnetic field effect to separate the cohered magnetic media


152


from the polished workpiece A. The separated magnetic media


152


are collected in the cylindrical container


16


via the meshes


171


.




As shown in

FIGS. 5 and 6

, an alternating magnetic field generator


40


of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a rotating member


41


and three magnetic field generating units


42


.




The rotating member


41


has an action motor


411


mounted in the bottom of the housing, a rotary seat


412


, and an index head


413


connecting the motor


411


and the rotary seat


412


. The action motor


411


drives via the index head


413


the rotary seat


412


to turn back and forth in a predetermined range, such as a range of 90 degrees.




Each of the magnetic field generating units


42


is formed of a motor


421


, a fixation seat


422


, and a rotary disk


423


. The units


42


are equidistantly arranged on the rotary seat


412


such that the motor


412


is mounted on the top of the rotary seat


412


by the fixation seat


422


for driving the rotary disk


423


corresponding to the polishing tub


11


. The rotary disk


423


is provided with a plurality of magnets


424


and


425


, with the magnets


424


having the N pole, and with the magnets


425


having the S pole.




As the rotary seat


412


turns, the rotary disks


423


of the units


42


turn at the same time such that each unit brings about an induction magnetic field. As a result, any space in the container


15


is provided with a time-lapse polar alternating magnetic field capable of inducing the magnetic polishing media


152


to travel in all directions and at all angles to polish the surface of the workpiece A with a greater efficiency.



Claims
  • 1. A magnetic polishing machine comprising:a housing; a polishing tub disposed in said housing and provided with a plurality of magnetic polishing media; an alternating magnetic field generator disposed in said housing such that said alternating magnetic field generator is corresponding in location to said polishing tub whereby said alternating magnetic field generator brings about a magnetic field effect to induce said magnetic polishing media to travel in a direction to polish by rubbing a workpiece contained in said polishing tub; a separation tub disposed in said housing; and a homomagnetic field generator disposed in said housing such that said homomagnetic field generator is corresponding in location to said separation tub whereby said homomagnetic field generator brings about a unidirectional magnetic field effect to separate the cohered magnetic polishing media from the workpiece which is transferred from said polishing tub to said separation tub.
  • 2. The magnetic polishing machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said alternating magnetic field generator is formed of a motor, and a rotary disk fastened with an output shaft of said motor such that said rotary disk is corresponding in location to said polishing tub whereby said rotary disk is provided with a plurality of heteropolar magnets.
  • 3. The magnetic polishing machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said homomagnetic field generator comprises a motor, and a rotary disk fastened with an output shaft of said motor such that said homomagnetic field generator is corresponding in location to said separation tub whereby said rotary disk is provided with a plurality of homopolar magnets.
  • 4. The magnetic polishing machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said alternating magnetic field generator comprises:a rotating member disposed in said housing and formed of an action motor and a rotary seat driven by said action motor; and at least two magnetic field generating units, with each comprising a motor mounted on said rotary seat such that an output shaft of said motor is fastened with a rotary disk corresponding in location to said polishing tub whereby said rotary disk is provided with a plurality of heteropolar magnets.
  • 5. The magnetic polishing machine as defined in claim 4, wherein said rotating member is further formed of an index head whereby said index head is connected with said rotary seat to enable said rotary seat to turn in a reciprocating manner within a predetermined range.
  • 6. The magnetic polishing machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said polishing tub is provided with a container fitted thereinto; wherein said magnetic polishing media are disposed in said container.
  • 7. The magnetic polishing machine as defined in claim 6, wherein said container contains a polishing fluid.
  • 8. The magnetic polishing machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said separation tub is provided with a cylindrical container fitted thereinto whereby said cylindrical container is provided with a screen container fitted thereinto such that said screen container is not in contact with said cylindrical container.
  • 9. The magnetic polishing machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said housing is provided with a control panel having a power switch, a timer switch, a speed adjustment switch, and a rotational direction switch, which are electrically connected with said alternating magnetic field generator and said homomagnetic field generator.
US Referenced Citations (3)
Number Name Date Kind
5044128 Nakanko Sep 1991
5662516 You Sep 1997
6146243 Imahashi Nov 2000