AU625449B2

AU625449B2 - An apparatus for grinding glass

Info

Publication number: AU625449B2
Application number: AU64900/90A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Dietmar Schaefer
Original assignee: GLASS ENGINEERING Pty Ltd
Current assignee: GLASS ENGINEERING PTY Ltd
Priority date: 1990-10-23
Filing date: 1990-10-23
Publication date: 1992-07-09
Anticipated expiration: 2010-10-23
Also published as: AU6490090A

Description

I,

1 625449 COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA The Patents Act 1952-1969 Name of Applicant: Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for Service: GLASS ENGINEERING PTY. LTD.

21 MICHLIN STREET,

MOOROOKA,

QUEENSLAND 4105,

AUSTRALIA

DIETMAR SCHAEFER CULLEN CO., Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, 240 Queen Street, Brisbane, Qld. 4000, Australia.

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR THE INVENTION ENTITLED: "AN APPARATUS FOR GRINDING GLASS" The following statement is a full description of the invention including the best method of performing it known to us:ri 2 THIS INVENTION relates to an improved apparatus for grinding polishings or bevelling edges of glass sheets.

For all glass applications where the edges of a pane of glass are visible or exposed it is usually necessary or desirable that the edges be ground, polished and or bevelled. This is usually the case for square or rectangular panes. For that purpose the glass sheet is fed through a straight line edge grinding or bevelling machine with the sheet maintained in a vertically extending attitude.

tiff '1,10 Such machines typically have an infeed conveyor, o roller supports for supporting the sheet on the infeed conveyor, a grinding polishing section and an outfeed o ea a conveyor. Roller supports are also present for supporting the sheet on the outfeed conveyor. A through feed conveyor typically consisting of contra rotating conveyor belts conveys the sheet through the grinding or polishing section.

Machines of these types are unsuitable for grinding, polishing or bevelling edges of the sheet which extend across a corner of a sheet at an angle to longitudinal or transverse edges of the sheet. For example such machines could not grind, polish or bevel 45' edges at corners of the sheet.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus for facilitating the grinding, bevelling or polishing of edges of a sheet of glass which at least minimises the disadvantage referred to above. i i !i !i 3 According to the invention there is provided an apparatus for facilitating the grinding, bevelling or polishing of edges of glass sheets, the apparatus including a grinding, bevelling or polishing section and a pair of spaced sheet supports for engaging edges of the sheet for supporting the sheet to maintain an edge thereof in a horizontal attitude, the edge forming an angle other than 900 with an adjacent edge of the sheet and i supports being relatively movable towards and away from one another.

The sheet supports are preferably not only spaced from one another but are also opposed to one another. The supports may each comprise a cradle against which edges of the S sheet may rest to enable corners extending at say 450 to oo.: longitudinal and transverse ed~g of the sheet to be presented 0 100 to the grinding section in the proper attitude. The cradles omo O may preferably comprise a support channel and a strut and at ouo least one of the cradles is mounted for relative movement S towards and away from the other cradle. Preferably both 0 e0 S cradles are movably mounted.

o* -2 The cradles may be movably mounted to a support guide or guides. Preferably two support guides are present.

The support guides may comprise spaced elongate guide members extending along the apparatus. The guide members may comprise support rails. Preferably the rails are tubular support rails along which the cradles may move.

The cradles may simply engage with the support rails but it is preferred that one or more rollers or wheels i i i 4 be present for this purpose.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the drawings in which: Figure 1 is an elevational view of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view of the apparatus of Figure 1; and Figure 3 is an elevational view of an alternative C embodiment to that of Figure 2.

An apparatus 10 for grinding, polishing or bevelling edges of a glass sheet 11 is shown. The apparatus has a grinding, polishing or bevelling section 12 which 44.. conducts the necessary work on the sheet. The sheet 11 is supported on a conveyor 13 upstream of the section 12.

15 Conveyor 13 is typically a belt conveyor which terminates O4VI o S just short of section 12. Adjacent conveyor 12 are two 0O4 o series of upstanding rollers 14, 15. Rollers 14 are spaced oi Cot apart to a greater degree than rollers 15. Rollers 15 are effective where the sheet 11 is small in size while rollers 0 14 are effective for larger sheets.

.The apparatus 10 also has a downstream conveyor (not shown) of similar construction to conveyor 13. Rollers (not shown) like rollers 14, 15 are also present adjacent the downstream conveyor.

The apparatus has a frame 20 consisting of uprights 21 and a plurality of vertically spaced rails 22 supported by pI Li arms 23 (see Figure The rails 22 have spaced idler rollers 24 which assist the passage of the sheet 11 through the apparatus Guide rails 25, 26 extend along the apparatus nnd cradles 27, 28 are mounted to these rails for movement along them. Each cradle consists of a sheet supporting member 29 and a strut 30. The member 29 ir inclined to receive and support an edge of the sheet to maintain an angled corner 31 in the proper orientation for travel through the section 12 so that grinding or the like of that corner may be achieved. The surface of the member against which the sheet rests may be coated with suitable material such as felt, plastic or the like to protect the edge from damage.

*4.4 Each cradle 27, 28 is mounted to a threaded shaft 44,4 9444 32, 33 by a threaded follower. Shafts 32, 33 are of opposite hand thread and have a turnbuckle 34 connecting them together.

64 4 Crank 35 enables the shafts 32, 33 to be rotated in unison to *0 achieve relative movement of the cradles. A crank (not shown) Slike crank 35 may be mounted to the free end of shaft 33.

Figure 2 shows the manner in which the cradle 27 is mounted to rails 25, 26. Cradle 28 is mounted in a like manner. The member 29 has fixed to it two rollers 40, 41 which locate against rails 26, 25 respectively. Strut 30 (see Figure 1) has a roller like rollers 40, 41 at its free end for engagement with rail If desired the cradles may be adjustable so that they are able to accommodate edges of a sheet at any desired U i 11 6 angle and still maintain the corner in the desired attitude.

In Figure 3 an apparatus with adjustable cradles is shown. Like numerals have been used for like parts shown in Figure 2.

Each cradle in Figure 3 has a member 29 which extends between rails 25, 26. A pivotal sheet support member is pivotally mounted to member 29. Adjusting screw 51 extends between strut 30 and one end of member 50. Threaded boss 52 on strut 30 receives the screw 51. By adjusting 310 screw 51 the orientation of member 50 may be altered.

The operation of apparatus 10 is as follows:- A sheet is positioned between two cradles 27, 28 and one of the cranks is turned to adjust the spacing of the cradles so that the corner to be machined is maintained 15 horizontal. Conveyor 13 transports the sheet to section 12 4440 9 I 14 for machining. Section 12 typically has transporting belts 4, (not shown) which, when machining is carried out and when 4440 44o44 finished, conveys the sheet downstream and away from the 4 0 section 12. The cradles can then be separated and the sheet 6, removed.

It is possible to remove the cradles and shafts 32, 33 from the remainder of the apparatus to enable the apparatus to be used in a conventional fashion to machine longitudinal and transverse edges of the sheet. 1 It should be appreciated that the sheet may be moved through the apparatus in either directions since the i

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7 apparatus may be constructed having similar features upstream and downstream of section 12.

Claims

2. The apparatus of Claim 1 wherein said apparatus includes a conveyor for transporting the sheet along the apparatus and said sheet supports being movable along the 1.11 apparatus with the sheet. .tot
3. The apparatus of Claims 1 or 2 including a pair of 0o09 longitudinally extending spaced support rails along which the sheet supports move. 0
4. The apparatus of Claim 3 wherein said sheet supports comprise cradles having rollers adapted to engage said support 40 S rails.
5. The apparatus of Claim 4 wherein said sheet supports each comprise a flat member or channel shaped member for engagement with said sheet and a strut extending away from said channel member.
6. The apparatus of Claim 5 wherein said sheet support members are pivotally mounted and their inclination relative to an associated said strut is adjustable.
7. The apparatus of Claim 6 including a threaded shaft i i I 9 extending between the strut and said sheet support member for adjusting the angle of inclination.
8. The apparatus of any one of Claims 1 to 7 including a lead screw having portions of opposite hand and a threaded V 5 follower mounted to said sheet support for receiving a respective portion of the lead screw whereby rotation of the lead screw causes relative movement of the sheet supports either towards or away from one another. QO° 9. The apparatus of Claim 8 including a crank at one o °v end of the lead screw. o a a 2 10. The apparatus of Claim 8 including a crank at each oo 00 end of the lead screw. 0 0 So 11. An apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings. DATED this 23 day of October, 1990. GLASS ENGINEERING PTY. LTD. By their Patent Attorneys %oo1" CULLEN CO. PI o o 1r« 0