Claims
- 1. An apparatus for finishing the surfaces of materials, comprising:
a frame having a front end and a back end; a conveyor system extending generally from said front end to said back end; a drive motor supported within said frame, said drive motor connected to a main drive shaft to provide a first axis of rotation; a plurality of small drive shafts coupled to said main drive shaft, each of said small drive shafts providing a second axis of rotation; a plurality of discs, each of said discs having a center providing a third axis of rotation, said discs having a material engaging surface; each of said small drive shafts coupled to a disc in an offset position from said center such that the disc is capable of rotating about said third axis while said third axis rotates about said second axis; and said engaging surface is capable of being detachably covered by a finishing abrasive whereby when said material is conveyed and contacts said discs, said finishing abrasive finishes the surface of said material.
- 2. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein said main drive shaft is coupled to a main gear, a plurality of small gears are coupled to said main gear wherein each of said small gears is coupled to a small drive shaft, said small gears are thereby rotated around said main gear when said drive motor rotates said main drive shaft.
- 3. The apparatus defined in claim 2 wherein three small gears are positioned 60° apart around said main gear.
- 4. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein said drive motor is slidably mounted within said frame and capable of oscillating movement laterally with respect to said sides of said frame.
- 5. The apparatus defined in claim 1 further including a transport drive means for driving said conveyor system.
- 6. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein said conveyor system comprises an endless belt wrapped around a front-end roller and a rear-end roller, said conveyor system further including immediate support rollers.
- 7. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein said conveyor system comprises a top portion and a bottom portion.
- 8. The apparatus defined in claim 7 wherein said top portion being adjustable both horizontally and vertically with respect to said frame.
- 9. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein said drive motor is slidably supported by said frame to enable said disc to vertically adjust its height relative to said conveyor.
- 10. The apparatus defined in claim 9 further including a sensor for sensing said material, said sensor in communication with a height adjusting means whereby when said material triggers said sensor said adjusting means positions said disc whereby said finishing abrasive finishes the surface of said material.
- 11. A surface finishing apparatus, comprising:
a frame having a front end, a back end and two sides; a means for conveying material generally from said front end to said back end; a main drive means for providing a first axis of rotation; a plurality of secondary drive means coupled to said main drive, each of said secondary drive means providing a second axis of rotation; a plurality of discs, each of said discs having a center providing a third axis of rotation, said discs having a material engaging surface; each of said secondary drive means coupled to a disc in an offset position from said center such that the disc is capable of rotating about said third axis while said third axis rotates about said second axis; and said engaging surface is capable of being detachably covered by a finishing abrasive whereby when said material is conveyed and contacts said discs, said finishing abrasive finishes the surface of said material.
- 12. The apparatus defined in claim 11 wherein said main drive means is capable of oscillating movement laterally with respect to said sides of said frame.
- 13. The apparatus defined in claim 11 wherein said means for conveying includes a top portion and a bottom portion.
- 14. The apparatus defined in claim 13 wherein one of said portions being adjustable both horizontally and vertically with respect to said frame.
- 15. The apparatus defined in claim 11 wherein said main drive means is slidably supported by said frame to enable said disc to vertically adjust its height relative to said conveyor.
- 16. The apparatus defined in claim 15 further including a sensor for sensing said material, said sensor in communication with a height adjusting means whereby when said material triggers said sensor said adjusting means positions said disc whereby said finishing abrasive finishes the surface of said material.
- 17. A surface finishing apparatus, comprising:
a frame having a front end, a back end and two sides; a conveying system extending generally from said front end to said back end; a drive motor supported within said frame, said drive motor connected to a main drive shaft to provide a first axis of rotation, said main drive shaft is coupled to a main gear; three small gears positioned 60° apart around said main gear are each coupled to a small drive shaft, said small drive shafts are thereby rotated around said main drive shaft when said drive motor provides said first axis of rotation; three discs, each having a center providing a third axis of rotation, said discs having a material engaging surface; each of said small drive shafts coupled to a disc in an offset position from said center such that the disc is capable of rotating about said third axis while said third axis rotates about said second axis; and said engaging surface is capable of being detachably covered by a finishing abrasive whereby when said material is conveyed and contacts said discs, said finishing abrasive finishes the surface of said material.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 09/349,037, filed Jul. 7, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. ______.
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09349037 |
Jul 1999 |
US |
Child |
09877490 |
Jun 2001 |
US |