Patent Application
20150196985
The subject matter disclosed herein relates to a spindle assembly, and more particularly, a spindle assembly for a part processing apparatus. More particularly, the present invention includes a system and apparatus of a stepped shaft for a spindle assembly for use in retaining parts in an automatic apparatus for processing parts. The part processing apparatus is similar to the device as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,272,897, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
A stepped shaft for a spindle assembly may be used in an automatic part processing apparatus for fully automatically processing a part or work piece by methods such as shot peening and the like. A processing apparatus as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,272,897 uses a shaft and spindle assembly to hold up parts or work pieces in the apparatus, the parts positioned on the upwardly extending shaft that is held in place by the spindle assembly coupled to the bottom of the processing apparatus. A part-hold down assembly is configured to apply pressure to the parts to maintain them in a fixed position on the shaft which processing occurs. As a result of repetitive use and pressure, the shaft on which the part resides tends to slip downward in the spindle assembly. Over time, the shaft shifts downward and the part may become misaligned in the processing apparatus. The present invention is an improvement on the prior art with these potential issues.
This background information is provided to provide some information believed by the applicant to be of possible relevance to the present disclosure. No admission is intended, nor should such admission be inferred or construed, that any of the preceding information constitutes prior art against the present disclosure. Other aims, objects, advantages and features of the disclosure will become more apparent upon reading of the following non-restrictive description of specific embodiments thereof, given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The present disclosure provides for a stepped portion along the shaft which abuts against a secure portion of the spindle assembly when the shaft is inserted into the spindle assembly. The stepped portion of the shaft prevents downward movement of the shaft from continuous pressure on the shaft or part being processed. Thus, the present disclose provides for an improvement on an automatic apparatus for processing parts and a shaft and spindle assembly for use with the apparatus.
According to one embodiment, a shaft configured to retain a part includes an annular step that extends outward from the outside surface of the shaft. The shaft is configured to extend into an aperture of the spindle assembly to be retained in the spindle assembly and rotated there within. The annular step of the shaft is configured to have an outer circumference that is greater than the circumference of the aperture of the spindle assembly such that a portion of the annular step abuts against a portion of the spindle assembly when the shaft is inserted therein. The annular step prevents the shaft from unintended downward movement through the spindle assembly when significant and/or repeated pressure is applied to the shaft to hold the part down during processing. In this way, the part is maintained at a specific height that is predetermined for processing the part and does not slide out of alignment with the processing apparatus.
These and other advantages and features will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings.
The present disclosure will be described hereafter with reference to the attached drawings which are given as a non-limiting example only, in which:
The exemplification set out herein illustrates embodiments of the disclosure that are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure in any manner. Additional features of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the disclosure as presently perceived.
While the present disclosure may be susceptible to embodiment in different forms, there is shown in the drawings, and herein will be described in detail, embodiments with the understanding that the present description is to be considered an exemplification of the principles of the disclosure. The disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of structure, function, construction, or the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The disclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of various phrases and terms is meant to encompass the items or functions identified and equivalents thereof as well as additional items or functions. Unless limited otherwise, various phrases, terms, and variations thereof herein are used broadly and encompass all variations of such phrases and terms. Furthermore, and as described in subsequent paragraphs, the specific configurations illustrated in the drawings are intended to exemplify embodiments of the disclosure. However, other alternative structures, functions, and configurations are possible which are considered to be within the teachings of the present disclosure. Furthermore, unless otherwise indicated, the term “or” is to be considered inclusive.
As shown in
While not described herein, reference is made to the incorporated patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,272,897, with regard to the operation of the overall part processing apparatus. The processing assembly 10 receives a part 22 mounted on the support 24, which is then processed in an automated manner. The processing includes automated fixturing of a part hold-down assembly 20 against the part 22, rotation of the part 22 relative to processing nozzles 54 and movement of the part 22 on a turntable 12 through a processing path. For example, one type of process used with such processing assembly 10 may be peening. As shown in
As illustrated in
The part hold-down assembly 20 and its masking portion 46 apply the downward force 16 to the part 22 being processed to retain the part 22 in a fixed position while processing occurs. In addition, the masking portion 46 of the part hold-down assembly 20 may also be used to abut against a corresponding surface 50 of the part 22 in order to block or mask processing of that surface 50 of the part 22. During peening, for example, the surface 50 of the part 22 is shielded by the masking portion 46, and the peening material exiting the nozzles 54 cannot act on the surface 50 during the peening process.
The downward force 16 applied to the part 22 by the part hold-down assembly 20 provides stability and fixed retainment of the part 22 while processing occurs. Specifically and in illustrative embodiments, the peening nozzles 54 may be configured to peen the part 22 in a precise manner that reduces the amount of excess or wasted peening material and for energy used while the peening process occurs. Therefore, placement of the part 22 relative to the peening nozzles 54 may be pre-determined to precise or specific measurements to maximize efficiency. In order to retain the part 22 in a sufficient manner and avoid unintended movement of the part 22 relative to the peening nozzles 54, a significant amount of downward force 16 is applied to the part 22 through the part hold-down assembly 20, as illustrated in
When mounted on the support 24, the part 22 is processed in the processing assembly 10 by movement of the part 22 along the processing path indicated by an arrow 11 in
In addition to the turntable 12 being rotatable to carry the part 22 around the processing assembly 10, the shaft 60 is also rotatable relative to the turntable 12 in order to rotate the part 22 with respect to an individual nozzle 54, as illustrated by arrow 13 in
In this way, the part 22 moves with the turning of the turntable 12 and travels around the processing assembly 10 to be exposed to multiple processing operations along the processing path 11. In addition, the part 22 is also movable in a rotational direction 13 during processing at each of the processing operations, the part being rotatable on the shaft 60 via the spindle assembly 62.
In illustrative embodiments, the spindle assembly 62 includes an upper bearing 70, a lower bearing 72 in spaced apart relationship to the upper bearing 70, and a pulley assembly 74, as illustrated in
In illustrative embodiments, the shaft 60 is configured to extend, in relative order of placement, first through an aperture 71 in the upper bearing 70, second through an aperture 75 in the pulley assembly 74, and third through an aperture 73 in the lower bearing 72, as illustrated in
The shaft 60 is rotatable with respect to the turntable 12 by means of the spindle assembly 62. As illustrated in
The shaft 60 is rotated via the pulley assembly 74. The pulley assembly 74 includes a track 58 through which a belt 66 may be located to move the pulley assembly 74 in a circular rotation, as illustrated in
In illustrative embodiments, the support 24 on which the part 22 is fixed is secured to the shaft 60 such that the support 24 is between the shaft 60 and the part 22. The support 24 may be attached to the shaft 60 via any known methods, including but not limited to set screws 34 that extend through the support 24 to abut against or into the shaft 60. The set screws 34 are configured to retain the support 24 in a fixed position relative to the shaft 60 and turntable 12 in order to maintain the part 22 in a precise location with respect to the processing nozzles 54 of the processing assembly 10. In this way, multiple parts 22 may be placed on the support 24 to be processed at substantially the same location and without continuous readjustment of the processing nozzles 54.
By operation, the part hold -down assembly 20 applies downward force 16 on the part 22 and support 24. In addition, part 22 also applies a downward force 16 on the support 24 due to the weight of the part 22. These forces, in combination, create a resulting downward force 18 that is applied to the shaft 60 through the set screws 34, as illustrated in
While the present disclosure is directed to any types of parts 22 being processed, it can be understood that a part 22 with more weight may cause more downward force 18 on the shaft, and can result in more slippage or sliding of the shaft 60, than a part 22 with less weight. Therefore, processing of a larger or heavier part 22 may create more frequent or substantial alignment issues as well.
In illustrative embodiments, the shaft 60 may include an annular step 90 that extends outward from the outer surface 64 of the shaft 60, as illustrated in
The abutment of the step 90 against the top surface 88 of the annular race 80 blocks downward movement of the shaft 60 when the downward force 18 is applied to the shaft 60. When continuous downward force 16 is applied to the part 22 and the support 24 holding the part 22, the downward force 16 is converted into the downward force 18 on the shaft 60 coupled to the support 24. The downward force 18 on the shaft 60 may, in turn, be converted into a downward force on the annular step 90 as it abuts against the top surface 88 of the annular race 80 of the upper bearing 70. The top surface 88 of the annular race 80 is a solid point of contact for the annular step 90 and provides upward resistance against downward movement of the shaft 60 from the force 18. This, in turn, blocks additional downward force on the interface of the shaft 60 and the set screws 76, 78 that can cause the shaft 60 to slip or slide down when the annular step 90 is not present. In this way, the annular step 90 ensures the shaft 60, the support 24 and the part 22 on the support 24 are maintained at a precise location relative to the processing nozzles 54 in the processing assembly 10, as illustrated in
By way of review, a part 22 is attached or fixed on the support 24 of the processing assembly 10, as disclosed herein and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,272,897. The part 22 is then captured between the support 24 and the part hold-down assembly 20, with the part 22 being held in a fixed position by a downward force 16 applied to the part 22 by the part hold-down assembly 20. The part hold-down assembly 20 carried on the shaft 32 is raised and lowered during the automated processing steps making axial alignment of the part hold-down assembly 20 relative to the part 22 carried on the support 24 and the application of force therethrough an important processing step. The downward force 16 applied to the part 22 creates a significant downward force 18 on a shaft 60 supporting the support 24, the shaft 60 being coupled to a turntable 12 at the bottom of the processing assembly 10.
The shaft 60 is attached to the processing assembly 10 via a spindle assembly 62 coupled to the turntable 12 of the processing assembly 10. Specifically, set screws 76, 77, 78 extend through apertures 71, 73, 75 in the spindle assembly 62 and abut against an outer surface 64 of the shaft 60, but do not extend through the shaft 60. When the downward force 18 is applied to the shaft 60 repeatedly over the course of processing many parts 22, the shaft 60 can slip down with respect to the set screws 76, 77, 78 and the spindle assembly 62.
An annular step 90 is positioned around the circumference of the shaft 60 to abut against a top portion of the spindle assembly 62. In illustrative embodiments, the annular step 90 is configured to abut against a top surface 88 of an annular steel race 80 that is part of the spindle assembly 62. The annular steel race 80 can rotate with respect to the rest of the spindle assembly 62. The outer circumference C1 of the annular step 90 is larger than the inner circumference C2 of the top surface 88 of the annular steel race 80, thus preventing the annular step 90 from moving through the aperture 84 of the annular steel race 80. The annular step 90 prevents downward movement of the shaft 60 with respect to the spindle assembly 62 when continuous or repeated downward force 18 is applied to shaft 60 during processing.
The processing operations of the processing assembly 10 may include, but is not limited to, peening operations. For example, the part 22 can be rotated on the lower support 24 connected to the shaft 60 during the processing step, during which a group of peening nozzles 54 spray peening material at the part 22 to provide processing characteristics on the surface of the part 22, in part to improve wear and durability as well as other characteristics. In order to provide the most efficient process, the part 22 should be positioned precisely with respect to the peening nozzles 54, and the location of the part 22 with respect to the peening nozzles 54 should not vary from part-to-part. The engagement of the annular step 90 of the shaft 60 with the top surface 88 of the annular race 80 prevents downward movement of the support 24 and part 22 to ensure consistent location of the part 22 during processing.
The foregoing terms as well as other terms should be broadly interpreted throughout this application to include all known as well as all hereafter discovered versions, equivalents, variations and other forms of the abovementioned terms as well as other terms. The present disclosure is intended to be broadly interpreted and not limited.
While the present disclosure describes various exemplary embodiments, the disclosure is not so limited. To the contrary, the disclosure is intended to cover various modifications, uses, adaptations, and equivalent arrangements based on the principles disclosed. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within at least the known or customary practice within the art to which it pertains. It is envisioned that those skilled in the art may devise various modifications and equivalent structures and functions without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/927,071, filed Jan. 14, 2014, which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61927071 | Jan 2014 | US |
