System and Method for height controlled, air cooled buffing deburring sanding

Abstract

A sanding, grinding, buffing or deburring tool includes an elongated cylindrical housing, wherein a proximal end is open, and a distal end includes an exhaust port that cooperates with a vacuum system to pull air through the housing and into the exhaust port. A motor is mounted in the housing, and includes a shaft coupled to a removable tip configured to perform one or more of: sanding, grinding, deburring or buffing. A removable truncated cone-shaped vent has a distal end attached to the housing, and a proximal end having an opening through which the removable tip protrudes and a ridge configured to support to a workpiece while being sanded, ground, buffed or deburred. The vacuum system draws air into the housing through the vent opening, past the removable tip and motor, and into the exhaust port, thereby removing dust and cutting debris and cooling the removable tip and the motor.

Description

BACKGROUND

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to the field of rotating grinder tools, and more particularly to a system and method for a grinding height controlled, cooled, powered grinding tool.

Description of the Problem Solved

There are numerous powered rotating grinding tools in the prior art. One type of such tool has a motor that drives a rotating cylindrical sanding tip of small diameter (on the order of an inch). Similar tips that contain an abrasive or a buffering material like felt are interchangeable on the tool. Such tools are available at local hardware stores.

These tools have three major problems—heat, scraps/dust, and alignment. 1) Heating—The tips typically rotate at a high RPM that causes the frictional interface between the tip and the workpiece to rapidly heat during working. This heat damages both the tip (causing it to wear out quickly) and the workpiece which itself can overheat. Wood and plastics are particularly susceptible to overheating due to their low thermal conductivity. 2) Scraps and dust—Since the tool is removing material from the workpiece, and the surface of the tip is wearing, a considerable amount of work scrap and dust is produced. This generally is thrown off the tool making a mess as well as entering the workplace atmosphere where it can be breathed by workers. Larger throw-off pieces can injure the worker. 3) Alignment—unless both the tool and the workpiece are rigidly mounted, it is very easy to misalign the workpiece during the process, especially if either the tool or the workpiece is being hand-held.

It would be extremely advantageous to have a tool that solved the three problems described above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention includes a housing that rigidly holds a motor with a protruding shaft. Various sanding, grinding, de-burring or buffering tips interchangeably attached to the shaft. An exhaust tube attaches around an exhaust port on the rear of the housing (or bottom if the housing is mounted vertically). A partially cone-shaped vent I support piece is attached to the housing at the front or top of the housing. The tip of the cone-shaped vent is missing so that the vent has a hole through-which the tip of the tool can protrude. The hole can be circular if the imaginary cut is along a cut plane perpendicular to the cone axis, or it can be elliptical if the cut plane is not perpendicular to the cone axis. Holes with more complex geometry can also be produced by using other than a cut plane. Also, vent shapes other than a cone may be used. In any case, air is sucked into the hole in the vent, past the tip, past the motor, and out the exhaust port. The exhaust tube at the distil end of the housing receives and removes by suction the dust and debris from the cutting space of the tip while cutting. In addition, that airflow simultaneously cools the tip and the motor. The vent funnels the air very near the rotating tip surface providing a vortex rotating airflow around the tip and motor that is then sucked into the exhaust tube. The exhaust tube removes the air into an exhaust system. Suction can be provided in the exhaust tube with a fan or a cyclone suction device.

In addition to allowing entry of air into the housing that cools the entire tool and removes almost all cutting debris and dust, the proximal end of the vent acts to support the workpiece. Different vents with different heights can be used to exactly position the workpiece against the tip. These different heights along the cutting edge of the tool that correspond to different removable vents allow different thicknesses of material to be processed as well as control of exact regions of the tip where wear will occur. In a production setting where a series of parts are being ground, buffed or deburred, tip life can be substantially extended by replacing the vent from time-to-time with a longer (or shorter) vent thus exposing a different unused part of the tip.

The present invention thus keeps the workpiece or part aligned during processing, cools the tip and motor, and removes almost all dust and cutting debris. The cooling and freedom from dust and debris extends the life of both the tip and the motor. Vents of different heights allow workpieces of different thickness and can be also used to extend the tip life.

Various aspects of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, when read in view of the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 shows the embodiment of FIG. 1 from a different angle with the housing cut away.

FIG. 3 shows the embodiment of FIG. 2 from a different angle.

FIG. 4 is a straight-on view of the embodiment of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 shows the motor, shaft, tip and exhaust port.

FIG. 6 shows the embodiment of FIG. 5 including the removable vent.

FIG. 7 shows just the removable vent and the exhaust port.

FIG. 8 shows a side view of a removable vent of a particular height.

FIG. 9 shows a side view of a removable vents of a different height.

FIG. 10 shows a side view of the exhaust port.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention relates to a sanding, grinding, buffing or deburring tool that has an elongated housing that can be generally cylindrical and that contains a motor. The motor can run on line current or batteries, and the tool may also be used for any purpose requiring a rotating tip. The housing has an exhaust port that can be connected to a vacuum system or fan to pull air through the housing and into the exhaust port. This suction of air through the housing removes cutting debris and cools both the tip and motor.

The motor is mounted in the housing with its shaft extending through the front end of the housing. The shaft holds a rotating removable tip that can be a sander, grinder, deburring tool, buffer or other tool. Attached to the front end of the housing is a removable truncated cone-shaped vent. The bottom of the vent fits around the open the top of the housing. The top of the vent has a top opening that allows the removable tip to protrude through it. This opening can have a ridge designed to provide support to a workpiece while it is being sanded, ground, buffed or deburred. The ridge may simply be the thickness of the material making up the vent or it may be specially designed or machined. The ridge holds the workpiece against the tip at exactly a chosen position. The ridge can allow the workpiece to be moved around the tip, or allow the workpiece to itself be rotated with respect to the tip. This latter method allows clean, fixed deburring.

The vacuum system draws air into the housing through the top opening in the vent, past the removable tip, past the motor and into the exhaust port, thereby removing dust and cutting debris from the work zone and simultaneously cooling both the removable tip and the motor.

The removable vent can be supplied in different heights that allow more or less of the removable tip to be exposed outside the vent (or above the vent for vertical mounting). The different heights may be chosen for workpieces of different thicknesses, or different heights may be chosen to control tip wear. Alternatively, in a different embodiment, the motor may be adjustable with respect to the vent (adjustable up and down if mounted vertically). Typically the opening in the vent is a circular opening, but elliptical and other-shaped vent openings including complex openings may be used depending upon the job.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention. A housing 1 encloses a motor (shown in FIG. 2) that drives a removable tip 5. Typically, the tip 5 has a flat surface 4; however, this is not necessary. The housing 1, at a rear or distal end has an exhaust port 2 that may interface with a fan or with an exhaust hose. A removable funnel vent 3 is attached to the front or proximal end of the housing 1. This vent 3 can have a flat surface 9 used to support a workpiece. An optional motor control switch 6 may be attached to the housing 1. The vacuum created through the exhaust port 2 draws ambient air past the tip 5 and the motor, cooling both the tip and the motor as well as removing dust and cutting debris.

FIG. 2 shows a rear perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 with part of the housing 1 removed. FIG. 2 clearly shows the motor 7 mounted in the unit. FIG. 3 shows a front perspective view of the same embodiment. FIG. 4 shows a straight-on view of the embodiment of FIGS. 2-3.

FIG. 5 shows the motor 7, the exhaust port 2 and the tip 5 with the housing removed. An optional chuck 8 may be used to hold the tip 5. FIG. 6 shows the embodiment of FIG. 5 with the removable vent 3 in place around the tip 5. FIG. 7 shows just the exhaust port and the removable vent.

FIG. 8 shows a side view of an embodiment of a removable vent 3 with a working surface 9. FIG. 9 shows two removable vents 3 of different sizes. Each of the vents in FIG. 9 allow the workpiece to contact either or different region of the tip, or may be used for workpieces of different thicknesses. FIG. 10 shows a side view of an embodiment of an exhaust port 2.

Several descriptions and illustrations have been presented to aid in understanding the present invention. One with skill in the art will realize that numerous changes and variations may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Each of these changes and variations is within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A sanding, grinding, buffing or deburring tool comprising: an elongated generally cylindrical housing having proximal and distal ends, the proximal end being open; the distal end being attached to or having an exhaust port configured to cooperate with a vacuum system to pull air through the housing and into the exhaust port;a motor mounted in the housing, the motor having a shaft extending through the open proximal end of the housing, the shaft coupled to a removable tip, the removable tip configured to perform one or more of: sanding, grinding, deburring or buffing;a removable truncated cone-shaped vent having proximal and distal ends, the distal end of the vent being attached to the proximal end of the housing, the proximal end of the vent having an opening configured to allow the removable tip to protrude through the opening; the opening in the proximal end of the vent having a ridge configured to provide support to a workpiece while the workpiece is being sanded, ground, buffed or deburred; andwherein, the vacuum system is configured to draw air into the housing through the opening in the vent, past the removable tip, past the motor and into the exhaust port, thereby removing dust and cutting debris and cooling both the removable tip and the motor.

2. The tool of claim 1, wherein the removable truncated cone-shaped vent is supplied in different heights allowing more or less of the removable tip to be exposed outside the vent.

3. The tool of claim 2, wherein vents of different heights may be chosen for workpieces of different thicknesses.

4. The tool of claim 2, wherein vents of different heights may be chosen to control tip wear.

5. The tool of claim 1, wherein the opening in the removable truncated cone shaped vent is a circular opening.

6. The tool of claim 1, wherein the ridge is flat.

7. The invention has herein described and illustrated.

8. A system for height controlled, air cooled buffing, deburring or sanding comprising: a housing containing a motor;the housing having an open proximal end and a closed distal end, the distal end containing an exhaust port.