The present invention relates to a liquid collecting apparatus for a plurality of machine tools (i.e., metal cutting and/or milling machines) and more particularly to a recovery arrangement including a magnetic trap for recovering metallic materials such as metallic tools which might have inadvertently dropped into one or more of the liquid treating structures for one or more of the machine tools.
It has long been known in the metal arts to remove magnetizable particles such as ferrous metals from liquid streams with a magnetized structure, either of a permanent magnetic nature or electromagnetic in nature. For the most part, such past arrangements have included rotatable particle collector drums, each carrying the magnetized member so as to pass through a liquid from which the magnetizable particles are to be collected. Examples of such prior art rotatable drum type arrangements include the devices described in Scrivener, U.S. Pat. No. 2,459,343; Caldwell, U.S. Pat. No. 2,541,202; Vogel, U.S. Pat. No. 2,564,615; Blind, U.S. Pat. No. 2,597,561; Anderson, U.S. Pat. No. 2,717,080; Pierson, U.S. Pat. No. 3,087,616; Fritz, U.S. Pat. No. 3,552,565; Hengeli, U.S. Pat. No. 3,838,044; Schloemann, U.S. Pat. No. 4,046,679; and Fogle et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,051,023. These prior art patents disclose relatively complex magnetizable drum structure arrangements which are comparatively difficult and costly to construct, operate and maintain and which are not readily installable in machine tool operations. Further, these prior art devices do not recognize, suggest or contemplate, let alone resolve the problems which might occur in multiple milling station operations due to improper tool usage, breakage or slippage or inadvertent loss of metal hand tools such as screwdrivers, wrenches and the like, nor do such prior art structures provide for efficient and ready removal of the consequences of such problems, allowing a prompt return to normal machine operations.
The present invention recognizing that magnetic objects such as tools are not infrequently inadvertently introduced into a recirculated coolant liquid which usually accompanies one or more metal cutting station operations, provides a unique and novel structure and a unique and novel method which includes comparatively few parts and comparatively few operating steps, respectively. The present invention provides an arrangement which inherently helps resolve a reccurring problem in the machine tool or metal cutting machine art and which helps to minimize the subsequently concomitant damaging consequences of such problem. Specifically, the present invention provides a comparatively economic and straightforward structure and method which requires a minimum of parts and a minimum of steps to help capture magnetic objects such as magnetically responsive tools which have been inadvertently dropped into a system before such tools enter into downstream pumping systems so as to damage the same.
Various other features of the present invention will become apparent to persons skilled in the art from the following further description.
More particularly, the present invention provides a unique and novel recovery arrangement for recovering metallic materials, such as broken cutters or bits, or inadvertently dropped tools, such as screwdrivers or wrenches, from the liquid coolant collecting and recycling system before such metal materials or tools can become caught in the coolant collecting sump and possibly damage the recirculation pump. The inventive arrangement comprises a liquid discharge defining a first plenum, communicably adjacent a fluid source, to receive fluid therefrom, and a collecting trough defining a second plenum, at least a portion of which is of magnetically insulative material, the collecting trough is moveable upwardly and downwardly toward and away from the liquid discharge of a machine tool, i.e., toward and away from one or more support rails for a plurality of machine tools served by the collecting duct; sealing means between the collecting trough and the support rail to seal the trough to the support rail; adjusting means to raise and lower the trough to such sealed position; and magnetic means associated with the magnetically insulative portion of the collecting trough to arrest magnetically responsive materials entrained in liquid moving through the trough to facilitate recovery of such materials before they can reach the collection sump and possibly damage the pump.
In addition, the present invention provides a unique and novel method of recovering metallic materials including inadvertently dropped metallic tools which fall into a liquid collecting system comprising the steps of passing a coolant liquid from a machine tool to a collecting trough, conveying the liquid through the collecting trough past a non-magnetic section having a magnetic means adjacent the bottom of the trough which exert a magnetic flux through the trough sufficient to arrest and hold any magnetic objects entrained in the liquid, to a collecting sump provided with a pump for recirculating the liquid, thereby providing a restraining area to capture inadvertently dropped magnetizable materials including tools entrained in the collected liquid for recovery. In a preferred embodiment the collecting trough is moveable upwardly to seal the edges of the trough against support rails of the machine tools.
It is to be understood that various changes can be made by one skilled in the art in one or more of the several parts and several steps of the novel arrangement of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. For example, it would be possible to employ either permanent or electromagnetic restraining members or to even utilize other physical barriers to restrain inadvertently dropped tools or other magnetizable materials for recovery of the same before such materials can cause subsequent damage.
The invention will be described in further detail hereinafter with reference to illustrative preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings in which:
The liquid discharges 7 and the lower communicably aligned trough 8, described hereinafter and shown in
As can be seen in
As can be seen in the embodiment depicted in
In accordance with another feature of the present invention, collecting trough 8 is arranged to incline downwardly toward a collecting sump 6, so that coolant liquid received from discharges 7 can flow by gravity to the sump 6. The trough is vertically movable by means of adjustable jacks 9 to press seals 11, 11′ at the upper edges of the trough against support rails 12 for the milling machines 4 to prevent leakage therebetween. It is to be understood that once spaced standards 9 have moved trough 8 into sealed position, appropriate locking nuts can be attached to secure jacks 9 or the standards can be appropriately welded in fixed position.
As can be seen in
In order to remove metallic materials such as metallic tool members inadvertently dropped into the liquid collecting system, a plurality of spaced longitudinally extending bar magnets 13, which may be permanent magnets or electromagnets and which may be of reversible polarity, are appropriately sized to extend along and adjacent to the bottom face of the non-magnetic section 10 of trough 8 interposed between fluid discharges 7 and collecting sump 6. Magnets 13 provide a magnetic flux density adjacent the opposing face of the bottom portion of trough 8 in the range of approximately sixteen hundred (1600) to twenty four hundred (2400) gauss. Particularly advantageous results may be obtained with a flux of about two thousand (2000) gauss. A flux of this density sufficient to arrest and hold any magnetic objects such as broken bits from the milling machine or inadvertently dropped tools which reach trough 8 with the coolant liquid.
Magnetically insulative, magnetically permeable, spaced support straps 16 are provided to support magnets 13 adjacent the bottom of trough 8. As seen most clearly in
Once an inadvertently dropped tool or other magnetic object is captured, the magnetic object can be recovered and removed from the trough. If desired, the magnets 13 may be removed to assist in releasing the magnetic object from trough 8.
Although the above specification, is addressed to metal cutting stations, it is to be understood that the present invention can be employed in other working environments where magnetic objects need to be recovered from a liquid. It further is to be understood that the spaced magnetic bars 13, which are shown as being parallel to the line of fluid flow, can also be arranged perpendicular to the line of fluid flow.
If desired, the permanent magnet bars 13, as described above, could be replaced with electromagnets. An example of a possible electromagnet arrangement is shown in
In accordance with still another feature of the invention, a novel method is provided of readily recovering magnetic objects, including inadvertently dropped metallic tools, from a liquid. The method of the invention includes the steps of passing used coolant liquid from a machine tool discharge to a collecting trough leading to a collecting sump, the trough having at least a non-magnetic section, and providing a restraining area in the non-magnetic section to capture magnetic objects, such as inadvertently dropped magnetic tools and parts, entrained in the liquid. The restraining area preferably exerts a metallic tool restraining magnetic flux density in the range of sixteen hundred (1600) to twenty-four hundred (2400) gauss, which is sufficient to arrest and hold any magnetic object entrained in the liquid in the trough. Preferably, the magnetic flux is about two thousand (2000) gauss. The magnets may be permanent magnets or they may be electromagnets.
The foregoing description has been set forth merely to illustrate the invention and is not intended to be limiting. Since modifications of the described embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed broadly to include all variations falling within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60232854 | Sep 2000 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 11354172 | Feb 2006 | US |
Child | 11580074 | Oct 2006 | US |
Parent | 11155763 | Jun 2005 | US |
Child | 11354172 | Feb 2006 | US |
Parent | 10961392 | Oct 2004 | US |
Child | 11155763 | Jun 2005 | US |
Parent | 10717933 | Nov 2003 | US |
Child | 10961392 | Oct 2004 | US |
Parent | 10380275 | US | |
Child | 10717933 | Nov 2003 | US |