CA1114615A - Machine and method for surface treatment of large articles - Google Patents
Machine and method for surface treatment of large articlesInfo
- Publication number
- CA1114615A CA1114615A CA362,267A CA362267A CA1114615A CA 1114615 A CA1114615 A CA 1114615A CA 362267 A CA362267 A CA 362267A CA 1114615 A CA1114615 A CA 1114615A
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- Prior art keywords
- cage
- articles
- main
- feed
- entrance
- Prior art date
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Abstract
ABSTRACT
A method and apparatus for surface treatment of articles which in-cludes an elongated cage which has open sides so that particulate material from an air blast cleaner may enter and leave the cage. Articles to be cleaned are aligned with, and placed in the cage, and displaced from one end to the other while the cage is rotated and particulate material impinges on the surfaces of the articles to clean them.
A method and apparatus for surface treatment of articles which in-cludes an elongated cage which has open sides so that particulate material from an air blast cleaner may enter and leave the cage. Articles to be cleaned are aligned with, and placed in the cage, and displaced from one end to the other while the cage is rotated and particulate material impinges on the surfaces of the articles to clean them.
Description
-- ~1461~
This is a division of Canadian Patent Application Serial No.
993,116, filed June 15, 1967.
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for the surface treatment of objects of large dimension and particularly heavy metal objects such as cast metal cylinder heads and the like, and it relates more parti-cularly to a continuous operation for the surface treatment of heavy metal objects by centrifugally blasting the surfaces with particulate material, such as abrasive, grit, shot and the like, for surface cleaning or for surface peening and the like.
In the copending application, Ser. No. 989,192, filed April 28, 1967, and entitled "Method and Means for Continuous Surface Treatment", description is made of a new process and e~uipment for surface treatment of heavy metal objects in a continuous cycle, wherein use is made of a plurality of open cages supported at their ends on ring members to enable the cages continuously to be rotated. The cages are cycled to a loading station wherein heavy metal objects are inserted into the cages and the loaded cages are displaced onto the leading end of a roller conveyor. The roller conveyor is formed of a pair of laterally spaced apart turning rolls which extend continuously through an enclosed blast zone having one or more centrifugal throwing wheels for pro~ecting particulate material at high speed onto the loaded cages as they are advanced along the roller conveyor from the entrance end through the blast cabinet to the exit end of the conveyor.
The rolls of the conveyor are turned continuously to cause the load-ed cages continuously to turn as they are advanced along the conveyor through the blast cabinet whereby maximum surface exposure is made of the castings to the particulate material.
In the aforementioned copending application, the loaded cages are d~
` ~
advanced along the loaded conveyor through the blast cabinet by incremental displacement of each loaded cage as it is deposited on the leading end of the conveyor thereby to align the cages in end to end relation for advancement in a single column ~hrough the blas* cabinet. Beyond the blast cabinet, the loaded cages are displaced from the roller conYeyor to an unloading station where the surface treated castings are displaced endwise from wlthin the cage and the empty cage is returned by another conveyor to the head end of the machine for use in another cycle of operation.
While the apparatus described is capable of continuous operation for the treatment of such heavy metal objects at relatively high speed and with uniform coverage of the surface, thereby to provide increased output per unit time, it is desirable still further to reduce the number of operating steps embodied in a complete cycle thereby to reduce the amount of equipment, space and costs of the entire operation.
Thus it is an object of this invention to produce an apparatus and method suitable for the treatment of objects of large dimension and/or of heavy weight with particulate material thrown at high speed onto the surfaces with maximum coverage of the surfaces of the object, in which such operations can be carried out with a minimum.number of handling steps in processing the objects through the equipment, in which the process can be carried out in a manner to enable automation of the equipment through a full cycle of operation, and it is a related object to produce a method and apparatus of the type described which is relatively simple in construction and easy in operation, which is capable of operation without the need for highly skilled labor or sensitive controls, and in which the objects are fully exposed to the blast media for surface treatment, in which the blast media is released from the objects during rotational movement for more complete delivery of the blast :: ... . :
:: :: . -: . : ., . . - - .
::
media for re-use and for retentlon of less of the blast media in the pockets or other crevices in the treated objects.
Accordingly, in one broad aspect, the invention resides in a process for surface treatment of articles by the engagement of the surfaces with particulate treating material, the ~teps of providing an elongate open cage having a continuous passage extending therethrough from an entrance at one end to an exit at the other, continuously turning said cage for rotational movement about its axis, inserting articles endwise into the passage through the entrance of the turning cage and whereby the articles become aligned in end to end relationship within said passage for displacement of the aligned articles lengthwise through said passage from the entrance end towards the exit end responsive to said insertion of the article and whereby the articles turn with the cage during lengthwise displacement therethrough, and throwing particulate treating material onto an intermediate portion of said cage be-tween the entrance end and the exit end while the cage is being rotated thereby uniformly to expose the surfaces of the articles within the cage to the particulate treating material, each of said articles being brought up to a speed of rotation corresponding to the speed of rotation of the cage, prior to insertion therein, by inserting the article into a separate feed cage, aligning the loaded feed cage with the main cage, and rotating the feed cage for orientation with the rotating main cage and then displacing the article from the rotating feed cage into the aligned rotating main cage.
. In another broad aspect, the invention resides ln a machine for the surface treatment of articles, comprising an elongate open maln cage having a continuous passage extending therethrough from an entrance at one end to an exit at the other end, said main cage being formed of elongate bars circum-ferentially spaced one from the other and being formed with ring members at 13i.3L'~
its ends, said bars tapering outwardly to the ring member at the entrance end to deflne a tapered entrance section for displacement of the articles into the cage, means mounting the maîn cage for rotational movement of the entire cage about its axis, feed means adjacent the entrance end of the main cage for alignment of articles with the passage through the main cage and for bringing the articles up to the rate of rotation of the maln cage for proper orientation therewith, ram means for displacement of the article axially from the feed means into the aligned passage of the rotating maln cage through the entrance end thereby to effect endwise displacement of the articles aligned in the passage of the main cage for a distance correspondlng to the length of the article, an enclosure about a portion of the main cage between the entrance end and the exit end, means ~ithin the enclosure for throwing par-ticulate material onto portions of the rotating main cage within the enclosure for uniform engagement of the surfaces of the articles rotating therewith, and delivery means at the exit end for receiving the artlcles displaced from the maln cage.
In a further aspect, the invention resides ln a machine for the surface treatment of articles comprising an elongate open main cage having a continuous passage extending therethrough from an entrance at one end to an exit at the other end, means mounting the main cage for rotational movement of the entire cage about its axis, feed means adjacent the entrance end of the main cage for alignment of articles with the passage through the main cage and for bringing the articles up to the rate of rotation of the main cage for proper orientation therewith, ram means for displacement of the article axial-ly from the feed means into the aligned passage of the rotating main cage through the entrance end thereby to effect endwise dlsplacement of the articles aligned in the passage of the main cage for a distance correspondlng to the ., , , : . :: :
. . . ~ . ~: '' .': . ` ' ' '' .-, , : ..... .. . : .. . -:
length of the article, an enclosure about a portion of the main cage between the entrance end and the ex~t end, means w~thin the enclosure for throwing particulate material onto portlons of the rotating main cage within the enclosure for uniform engagement of the surfaces o the articles rotating :
therewith, and delivery means at the exit end for receiving the articles dis-placed from the main cage, wherein said feed means comprises a separate feed cage having spaced ring supports and a passage extending therethrough corres-ponding to the passage through the main cage, rollers on which the rings rest for support, means for effecting turning movement of the rollers while the feed cage is ln endwise alignment with the main cage for rotational movement therewlth, means for stopping rotational movement of the cage, ram means for insertion of an article axially into the feed cage while ~n stopped position and ram means for displacement of the article from the loaded feed cage while rotating in alignment with the main cage.
The foregoing, and other objects and advantages of this lnvention will herelnafter appear and for purposes of illustration, but not of limita-tlon, embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanylng drawings, in whlch - t Figure 1 is a schematic sectlonal elevatlonal view of the device embodying features of thls lnvention;
Figure 2 ls a schematic elevational view of the roller drlve for ' the main cage;
~igure 3 ls a sectional elevational view of the idler supports for lntermediate portions of the main cagej ~igure 4 is a schematic sectional elevational Yiew showing a modi-fication for loading ob~ects into the continuously rotating main cage;
Figure 5 is an elevational view of the loading cage and support ,:
: . . : : . : ., : :: . :
::.: -.. - :: -,: . , ~ .:-. ::, , 63L~
shown in Figure 4;
Figure 6 is a schematic elevational view of one modification for driving the main cage;
Figure 7 is a sectional elevational view of a modification for the idler support of the main cage formed of separate cages;
Figure 8 is a schematic sectional view across the blast section;
Figure 9 is a schematic view of a modification in a means for pre-loading objects for loading into the main cage;
Figure 10 is a sectional view taken along the line 10-10 of Figure 9; and Figure 11 is a perspecti~e schematic vie~ of an alternate arrange-ment of a machine o the type to which this in~ention relates.
The invention will be described with reference to the treatment of large metal castings, such as cylinder heads, but it will be understood that the concepts of this invention, and the machine and method described therein, are applicable equally well to other objects of large dimension or of heavy weight in which it is desired to effect an overall surface treatment such as blast cleaning, blast peening and the like.
In accordance with the practice of this invention, use is made of an open cage of the type described in the aforementioned copending application except that, instead of making use of a plurality of separate short cages in which castings are loaded at one station for displacement onto the conveyor and for incremental displacement of the separate cages along the roller con-veyor for passage in end to end alignment through the blast cabinet, use is made of but a single elongate open cage 20 which extends continuously through the blast zone 22. The castings 24 are advanced in end to end relation from the entrance end to the exit end of the elongate cage for passage through the : . ~: . - .: - -1~ 6~
blast housing 26 as the elongate cage 20 is rotated for maxlmum exposure of the surfaces of the castings to the blast media 28. ~eans are provided at the entrance end of the elongate open cage ~or the insertion of castings individually therein for displacement endwise through the cage and other means are provided at the outlet end for recei~ing the castings as they issue from the open cage after having passed through the blast cabinet.
Thus the effect ~ecured is similar to that described in the copend-ing application but, instead of making use of a plurality of separate cages which require recycling between the unloading and loading zone and delivery from the loading zone and to the unloading zone from the roller conveyor, only a single cage is employed which is adapted to be rotated in a set posi-tion and through which the castings are advanced for movement endwise through the cage.
Having briefly described the concepts of this invention, detailed description will now be made of the construction and operation of the machine. `
; The elongate open cage 20 comprises a plurality of circumferential-; ly spaced apart elongate bars 30 fixed at their ends onto ring members 32 with the circumferentially spaced apart bars definlng an open space therebetween dimensioned to correspond to the cross-sectional dimenslon of the casting to enable the casting to be received in supported relationship between the bars but in a manner to enable sliding movement of the castings lengthwise through the open space from one end to the other of the open cage.
The rlng members 32 at the ends are of larger diameter than that of the circumferentially arranged bars and the leading end portions 34 of the bars are tapered gradually outwardly to the ring members to deflne a tapered entrance portion 36 for easier insertion of the castlngs lnto the cage.
~or maximum exposure of the surface to the partlculate blast media, :: ., - .. :. ,. .. . :. :,.
it is preferred to form the cage bars 30 of bar stock of tubular or rec-tangular shape for minimum contact with the supported casting. It is also preferred to space the bars loosely to receive the casting therebetween so that, during portions of the rotation movement, the bars will ~ecome spaced from the casting by an amount sufficient to enable the particulate blast material to gain entrance therebetween for surface engagement. Use can be made of a variable number of supporting bars 30, depending somewhat upon the construction and shape of the castings but, it is undesirable to make use of less than three essential for a three-point support of the casting and it is also undesirable to make use of so many bars as ~ill excessively ~ock ex-posure of the surfaces of the casting. For best practice, it is desirable to make use of from three to six bars in circumferential arrangement.
While the open cage can be formed into a single length stretching continuously from the entrance end to the exit end, it is preferred to sub-divide the open cage into sections of shorter lengths aligned in end to end relationship and interconnected one to the other for turning movement as a uni-tary structure.
When formed of a single length, means are provided in longitudinal-ly spaced apart relation to support the load carried by the cage. As illus-trated in Figure 2, the single length of cage is provided with ring members 32 at the opposite ends mounted on rollers 40 and 41, both of which are turning rollers interconnected by gears 42 to a driving motor 44 for rotational move-ment of the driving rolls to impart corresponding rotational movement to the rings and the single length cage member. For support of the cage intermediate the ends, laterally spaced apart ring members 46 and 48 are fixed to the bars and the ring members 46 and 48 are adapted to ride on idler rollers 50 mounted for free rotational movement in suitable bearing members 52 mounted : . . :,. ., -, ..- , - ..
.. ,:, - ~ .. : . :
:. . . . , . . ,.,. ~ .
within a frame 54 whereby the rings turn easily on the supporting rollers for intermediate support through the length of the cage. In this construction, it is desirable to locate the intermediate supports outwardly of the blast cabinet to avoid excessive wear on the rollers by the blast material.
W~en~ as in the preferred practice of this invention, the length of cage is subdivided into separately aligned but interconnected sections A, B
and CJ it is preferred to form each section with its own rings 52 and 54 at each end for interconnection of the sections one to another in the aligned relationship. Each section is thus formed with a tapered entrance portion 34 ~t the forward end by tapering the bars outwardly to the ring members 52 thereby to enhance the smooth passage of the castings from one section to the next.
The subdivision of the cage into separate sections is preferred not only for load distribution, ~ut also to enable replacement of the center section exposed to greatest wear while located in the blasting zone, without the need for replacement of the other sections of the cage.
The ring members 52 and 54 at each end of each section are adapted to ride on supporting rollers 56 and 58 with the end rollers constituting the driving rolls while the intermediate sets of rollers can be idler rolls which turn with the cage for support of the cage intermediate its length.
~eans may be provided for driving the cage for turning movement independent of the supporting rollers. For such purpose, a ring gear 60 can be employed instead of, or in addition to, the end rings 32 with the teeth of the gear meshing with teeth of a motor driven gear 62 to effect rotational movement of the cage. Such positive driving means can be provided at both ends of the cage or only at one end. In the event that such driving means are employed, the supporting rolls at the ends of the cage may constitute free . . - . ~ -~5 :1 46~S
turning idler rollers on which the end rings rest.
An intermediate portion of the cage is enclosed by a blast cabinet 26 dimensioned to have a length corresponding to a multiple of the castings~
such as a length corresponding to five to eight castings, in the modification illustrated in the drawings. The cabinet, in the form of a sheet metal housing, is provided with an entrance opening 64 and an exit opening 66 through which the cage extends.
Mounted on top of the blast cabinet are a plurality of wheeels 70 which are fed particulate treating material from a supply bin 72 which communi-cates with the wheels through the feed tubes 74 whereby the partîculate material is thrown outwardly from the periphery of the wheels in the direction downwardly onto the loaded cage while the latter is being rotated. Centri-fugal blasting wheels of the type described are of conventional construction, as represented by the wheels marketed by The Wheelabrator Corporation under the name "W~eelabrator" and more fully described in United States patent No.
This is a division of Canadian Patent Application Serial No.
993,116, filed June 15, 1967.
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for the surface treatment of objects of large dimension and particularly heavy metal objects such as cast metal cylinder heads and the like, and it relates more parti-cularly to a continuous operation for the surface treatment of heavy metal objects by centrifugally blasting the surfaces with particulate material, such as abrasive, grit, shot and the like, for surface cleaning or for surface peening and the like.
In the copending application, Ser. No. 989,192, filed April 28, 1967, and entitled "Method and Means for Continuous Surface Treatment", description is made of a new process and e~uipment for surface treatment of heavy metal objects in a continuous cycle, wherein use is made of a plurality of open cages supported at their ends on ring members to enable the cages continuously to be rotated. The cages are cycled to a loading station wherein heavy metal objects are inserted into the cages and the loaded cages are displaced onto the leading end of a roller conveyor. The roller conveyor is formed of a pair of laterally spaced apart turning rolls which extend continuously through an enclosed blast zone having one or more centrifugal throwing wheels for pro~ecting particulate material at high speed onto the loaded cages as they are advanced along the roller conveyor from the entrance end through the blast cabinet to the exit end of the conveyor.
The rolls of the conveyor are turned continuously to cause the load-ed cages continuously to turn as they are advanced along the conveyor through the blast cabinet whereby maximum surface exposure is made of the castings to the particulate material.
In the aforementioned copending application, the loaded cages are d~
` ~
advanced along the loaded conveyor through the blast cabinet by incremental displacement of each loaded cage as it is deposited on the leading end of the conveyor thereby to align the cages in end to end relation for advancement in a single column ~hrough the blas* cabinet. Beyond the blast cabinet, the loaded cages are displaced from the roller conYeyor to an unloading station where the surface treated castings are displaced endwise from wlthin the cage and the empty cage is returned by another conveyor to the head end of the machine for use in another cycle of operation.
While the apparatus described is capable of continuous operation for the treatment of such heavy metal objects at relatively high speed and with uniform coverage of the surface, thereby to provide increased output per unit time, it is desirable still further to reduce the number of operating steps embodied in a complete cycle thereby to reduce the amount of equipment, space and costs of the entire operation.
Thus it is an object of this invention to produce an apparatus and method suitable for the treatment of objects of large dimension and/or of heavy weight with particulate material thrown at high speed onto the surfaces with maximum coverage of the surfaces of the object, in which such operations can be carried out with a minimum.number of handling steps in processing the objects through the equipment, in which the process can be carried out in a manner to enable automation of the equipment through a full cycle of operation, and it is a related object to produce a method and apparatus of the type described which is relatively simple in construction and easy in operation, which is capable of operation without the need for highly skilled labor or sensitive controls, and in which the objects are fully exposed to the blast media for surface treatment, in which the blast media is released from the objects during rotational movement for more complete delivery of the blast :: ... . :
:: :: . -: . : ., . . - - .
::
media for re-use and for retentlon of less of the blast media in the pockets or other crevices in the treated objects.
Accordingly, in one broad aspect, the invention resides in a process for surface treatment of articles by the engagement of the surfaces with particulate treating material, the ~teps of providing an elongate open cage having a continuous passage extending therethrough from an entrance at one end to an exit at the other, continuously turning said cage for rotational movement about its axis, inserting articles endwise into the passage through the entrance of the turning cage and whereby the articles become aligned in end to end relationship within said passage for displacement of the aligned articles lengthwise through said passage from the entrance end towards the exit end responsive to said insertion of the article and whereby the articles turn with the cage during lengthwise displacement therethrough, and throwing particulate treating material onto an intermediate portion of said cage be-tween the entrance end and the exit end while the cage is being rotated thereby uniformly to expose the surfaces of the articles within the cage to the particulate treating material, each of said articles being brought up to a speed of rotation corresponding to the speed of rotation of the cage, prior to insertion therein, by inserting the article into a separate feed cage, aligning the loaded feed cage with the main cage, and rotating the feed cage for orientation with the rotating main cage and then displacing the article from the rotating feed cage into the aligned rotating main cage.
. In another broad aspect, the invention resides ln a machine for the surface treatment of articles, comprising an elongate open maln cage having a continuous passage extending therethrough from an entrance at one end to an exit at the other end, said main cage being formed of elongate bars circum-ferentially spaced one from the other and being formed with ring members at 13i.3L'~
its ends, said bars tapering outwardly to the ring member at the entrance end to deflne a tapered entrance section for displacement of the articles into the cage, means mounting the maîn cage for rotational movement of the entire cage about its axis, feed means adjacent the entrance end of the main cage for alignment of articles with the passage through the main cage and for bringing the articles up to the rate of rotation of the maln cage for proper orientation therewith, ram means for displacement of the article axially from the feed means into the aligned passage of the rotating maln cage through the entrance end thereby to effect endwise displacement of the articles aligned in the passage of the main cage for a distance correspondlng to the length of the article, an enclosure about a portion of the main cage between the entrance end and the exit end, means ~ithin the enclosure for throwing par-ticulate material onto portions of the rotating main cage within the enclosure for uniform engagement of the surfaces of the articles rotating therewith, and delivery means at the exit end for receiving the artlcles displaced from the maln cage.
In a further aspect, the invention resides ln a machine for the surface treatment of articles comprising an elongate open main cage having a continuous passage extending therethrough from an entrance at one end to an exit at the other end, means mounting the main cage for rotational movement of the entire cage about its axis, feed means adjacent the entrance end of the main cage for alignment of articles with the passage through the main cage and for bringing the articles up to the rate of rotation of the main cage for proper orientation therewith, ram means for displacement of the article axial-ly from the feed means into the aligned passage of the rotating main cage through the entrance end thereby to effect endwise dlsplacement of the articles aligned in the passage of the main cage for a distance correspondlng to the ., , , : . :: :
. . . ~ . ~: '' .': . ` ' ' '' .-, , : ..... .. . : .. . -:
length of the article, an enclosure about a portion of the main cage between the entrance end and the ex~t end, means w~thin the enclosure for throwing particulate material onto portlons of the rotating main cage within the enclosure for uniform engagement of the surfaces o the articles rotating :
therewith, and delivery means at the exit end for receiving the articles dis-placed from the main cage, wherein said feed means comprises a separate feed cage having spaced ring supports and a passage extending therethrough corres-ponding to the passage through the main cage, rollers on which the rings rest for support, means for effecting turning movement of the rollers while the feed cage is ln endwise alignment with the main cage for rotational movement therewlth, means for stopping rotational movement of the cage, ram means for insertion of an article axially into the feed cage while ~n stopped position and ram means for displacement of the article from the loaded feed cage while rotating in alignment with the main cage.
The foregoing, and other objects and advantages of this lnvention will herelnafter appear and for purposes of illustration, but not of limita-tlon, embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanylng drawings, in whlch - t Figure 1 is a schematic sectlonal elevatlonal view of the device embodying features of thls lnvention;
Figure 2 ls a schematic elevational view of the roller drlve for ' the main cage;
~igure 3 ls a sectional elevational view of the idler supports for lntermediate portions of the main cagej ~igure 4 is a schematic sectional elevational Yiew showing a modi-fication for loading ob~ects into the continuously rotating main cage;
Figure 5 is an elevational view of the loading cage and support ,:
: . . : : . : ., : :: . :
::.: -.. - :: -,: . , ~ .:-. ::, , 63L~
shown in Figure 4;
Figure 6 is a schematic elevational view of one modification for driving the main cage;
Figure 7 is a sectional elevational view of a modification for the idler support of the main cage formed of separate cages;
Figure 8 is a schematic sectional view across the blast section;
Figure 9 is a schematic view of a modification in a means for pre-loading objects for loading into the main cage;
Figure 10 is a sectional view taken along the line 10-10 of Figure 9; and Figure 11 is a perspecti~e schematic vie~ of an alternate arrange-ment of a machine o the type to which this in~ention relates.
The invention will be described with reference to the treatment of large metal castings, such as cylinder heads, but it will be understood that the concepts of this invention, and the machine and method described therein, are applicable equally well to other objects of large dimension or of heavy weight in which it is desired to effect an overall surface treatment such as blast cleaning, blast peening and the like.
In accordance with the practice of this invention, use is made of an open cage of the type described in the aforementioned copending application except that, instead of making use of a plurality of separate short cages in which castings are loaded at one station for displacement onto the conveyor and for incremental displacement of the separate cages along the roller con-veyor for passage in end to end alignment through the blast cabinet, use is made of but a single elongate open cage 20 which extends continuously through the blast zone 22. The castings 24 are advanced in end to end relation from the entrance end to the exit end of the elongate cage for passage through the : . ~: . - .: - -1~ 6~
blast housing 26 as the elongate cage 20 is rotated for maxlmum exposure of the surfaces of the castings to the blast media 28. ~eans are provided at the entrance end of the elongate open cage ~or the insertion of castings individually therein for displacement endwise through the cage and other means are provided at the outlet end for recei~ing the castings as they issue from the open cage after having passed through the blast cabinet.
Thus the effect ~ecured is similar to that described in the copend-ing application but, instead of making use of a plurality of separate cages which require recycling between the unloading and loading zone and delivery from the loading zone and to the unloading zone from the roller conveyor, only a single cage is employed which is adapted to be rotated in a set posi-tion and through which the castings are advanced for movement endwise through the cage.
Having briefly described the concepts of this invention, detailed description will now be made of the construction and operation of the machine. `
; The elongate open cage 20 comprises a plurality of circumferential-; ly spaced apart elongate bars 30 fixed at their ends onto ring members 32 with the circumferentially spaced apart bars definlng an open space therebetween dimensioned to correspond to the cross-sectional dimenslon of the casting to enable the casting to be received in supported relationship between the bars but in a manner to enable sliding movement of the castings lengthwise through the open space from one end to the other of the open cage.
The rlng members 32 at the ends are of larger diameter than that of the circumferentially arranged bars and the leading end portions 34 of the bars are tapered gradually outwardly to the ring members to deflne a tapered entrance portion 36 for easier insertion of the castlngs lnto the cage.
~or maximum exposure of the surface to the partlculate blast media, :: ., - .. :. ,. .. . :. :,.
it is preferred to form the cage bars 30 of bar stock of tubular or rec-tangular shape for minimum contact with the supported casting. It is also preferred to space the bars loosely to receive the casting therebetween so that, during portions of the rotation movement, the bars will ~ecome spaced from the casting by an amount sufficient to enable the particulate blast material to gain entrance therebetween for surface engagement. Use can be made of a variable number of supporting bars 30, depending somewhat upon the construction and shape of the castings but, it is undesirable to make use of less than three essential for a three-point support of the casting and it is also undesirable to make use of so many bars as ~ill excessively ~ock ex-posure of the surfaces of the casting. For best practice, it is desirable to make use of from three to six bars in circumferential arrangement.
While the open cage can be formed into a single length stretching continuously from the entrance end to the exit end, it is preferred to sub-divide the open cage into sections of shorter lengths aligned in end to end relationship and interconnected one to the other for turning movement as a uni-tary structure.
When formed of a single length, means are provided in longitudinal-ly spaced apart relation to support the load carried by the cage. As illus-trated in Figure 2, the single length of cage is provided with ring members 32 at the opposite ends mounted on rollers 40 and 41, both of which are turning rollers interconnected by gears 42 to a driving motor 44 for rotational move-ment of the driving rolls to impart corresponding rotational movement to the rings and the single length cage member. For support of the cage intermediate the ends, laterally spaced apart ring members 46 and 48 are fixed to the bars and the ring members 46 and 48 are adapted to ride on idler rollers 50 mounted for free rotational movement in suitable bearing members 52 mounted : . . :,. ., -, ..- , - ..
.. ,:, - ~ .. : . :
:. . . . , . . ,.,. ~ .
within a frame 54 whereby the rings turn easily on the supporting rollers for intermediate support through the length of the cage. In this construction, it is desirable to locate the intermediate supports outwardly of the blast cabinet to avoid excessive wear on the rollers by the blast material.
W~en~ as in the preferred practice of this invention, the length of cage is subdivided into separately aligned but interconnected sections A, B
and CJ it is preferred to form each section with its own rings 52 and 54 at each end for interconnection of the sections one to another in the aligned relationship. Each section is thus formed with a tapered entrance portion 34 ~t the forward end by tapering the bars outwardly to the ring members 52 thereby to enhance the smooth passage of the castings from one section to the next.
The subdivision of the cage into separate sections is preferred not only for load distribution, ~ut also to enable replacement of the center section exposed to greatest wear while located in the blasting zone, without the need for replacement of the other sections of the cage.
The ring members 52 and 54 at each end of each section are adapted to ride on supporting rollers 56 and 58 with the end rollers constituting the driving rolls while the intermediate sets of rollers can be idler rolls which turn with the cage for support of the cage intermediate its length.
~eans may be provided for driving the cage for turning movement independent of the supporting rollers. For such purpose, a ring gear 60 can be employed instead of, or in addition to, the end rings 32 with the teeth of the gear meshing with teeth of a motor driven gear 62 to effect rotational movement of the cage. Such positive driving means can be provided at both ends of the cage or only at one end. In the event that such driving means are employed, the supporting rolls at the ends of the cage may constitute free . . - . ~ -~5 :1 46~S
turning idler rollers on which the end rings rest.
An intermediate portion of the cage is enclosed by a blast cabinet 26 dimensioned to have a length corresponding to a multiple of the castings~
such as a length corresponding to five to eight castings, in the modification illustrated in the drawings. The cabinet, in the form of a sheet metal housing, is provided with an entrance opening 64 and an exit opening 66 through which the cage extends.
Mounted on top of the blast cabinet are a plurality of wheeels 70 which are fed particulate treating material from a supply bin 72 which communi-cates with the wheels through the feed tubes 74 whereby the partîculate material is thrown outwardly from the periphery of the wheels in the direction downwardly onto the loaded cage while the latter is being rotated. Centri-fugal blasting wheels of the type described are of conventional construction, as represented by the wheels marketed by The Wheelabrator Corporation under the name "W~eelabrator" and more fully described in United States patent No.
2,819,562.
By proper location of the wheels 70 within the blast cabinet and by proper angular arrangement of the wheels, substantially the entire length of the section of the cage within the blast cabinet can be exposed to the blast of particulate material for processing the surfaces of the castings displaced endwise through the cage.
By reason of the ricochet of particulate material, thrown at high velocity onto the surfaces of the castings, surfaces which might otherwise be concealed are exposed to the blast whereby substantially uniform coverage is secured in treatment of the surfaces of the csstings with particulate materials.
The spent particulate material falls gravitationally into the trough - lQ -: . .: . ~ .;
74 at the bottom for displacement along the bottom by a conventional screw 76 to a lateral screw whereby the particulate material is deposited in an elevator 78 and raised to a separator 80 where the dirt or other refuse is re-moved from the particulate material whereby the latter can be returned to the hopper 82 for re-use.
T~e castings are exposed to the blast of particulate material for the period of time corresponding to the time that the castings are within the portion of the cage enclosed by the cabinet. Rotation of the castings with 3 the cage operates not only to provide maximum exposure of the surfaces of the castings to the treating material but rotational movement of the castings operates also to du~p particulate material which might otherwise collect in the pockets of the castings thereby to keep said pockets free of particulate material so that further blast will continue to hit the surface of the casting in the pockets and not be masked from the blast by accumulated particulate material and thereby to deliver a casting which is clean and relatively free of particulate material and thereby also to reduce the amount of loss or waste of particulate material.
Since the portion of the cage located within the cabinet is exposed to the blast of particulate material, it is preferred to fabricate at least that portion of the cage of a metal which is characterized by high erosion resistance. In a typical operation for cleaning cylinder heads, the blast cabinet 22 is dimensioned to correspond to six lengths of castings and it is provided wlth four blasting wheels arranged in longitudinally spaced apart relationship within the housing. The cage is adapted to be rotated at a rate of about 15 revolutions per minute and the castings are displaced through the cage at a rate of about 200-1000 castings per hour, depending somewhat upon the means for introducing the castings into the cage.
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The portions of the cage in advance of and beyond the blast housing 26 are preferably enclosed by vestibules 26' to minimize ricohet of blast media into the surrounding atmosphere.
Having described the construction of the open cage and the blasting zone operative over an intermediate length of the cage, description will now be made of the features for the insertion of ca.stings into the leadîng end of the cage and for the deliver~ of the castings after they have passed through the cage.
A number of Yery important ~rohlems arise in the feeding of the castings into-the cage for passage through the cage from the entrance end to the exit end. In the feeding of the castings, it is desirable to achieve proper orientation between the cage and the castings so that the castings will be in proper position for insertion into the cage. This might be accomplished quite easily by stopping rotational moYement of the cage in a predetermined position and for a time sufficient to insert the casting. It is preferred, however, to be able continuously to rotate the loaded cage for uniform ex-posure of the surfaces to the particulate material while making use of other means for proper orientation of the castings and for uniform periodic in-sertion into the entrance end of the cage.
~ne wa~ in which this can be accomplished, in accordance wlth the practice of this invention, ~s to make use of a separate feed cage 90 dimen-sioned to receive a single casting and in which the cage is mounted on rollers 92 and 94 in endwise alignment with the main cage 20 whereby rotational move-ment of the separate feed cage 90 can be stopped or a time sufficient to enable a casting to be inserted therein while the main cage continues to be rotated. The loaded feed cage 90 can then be brought up to a speed of rotation by the rollers 92 and 94 until the rotational movement of the loaded feed 6~L~
~ cage 90 becomes synchronized with the rotational movement of the main cage : whereafter the casting can be displaced endwise from the rotating feed cage 90 into the continuously rotating main cage 20.
F~ this purpose, use can be made of a single cage of the type des-cribed in the aforementioned copending application wherein the cage is formed of a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart bars 96 joined at their ends to supporting ring members 98 of larger dimension with the bars 96 at the entrance portion tapering outwardly, as at 100, to the ring members to provide a funnel-shaped feed opening 102 which facilitates entrance of the casting therein. One of the cross connecting bars 96 is provided with an abutment 104 extending outwardly therefrom for a distance less than the periphery of the supporting rings 98. T~e abutment is employed for engagement with stops to position the cage member on the supporting rolls, as wlll hereinafter be described.
Por this purpose, use can be made of a loading station of the type described in the aforementioned copending application but without the need of means for displacement of the loaded cages onto and off of the rollers 92 and 94. The loading station, aligned in endwise relationship with the main cage, comprises a pair of laterally spaced apart spinning rollers 92 and 94.
The rollers are longitudinally spaced apart on shafts 106 and 108 by an amount corresponding to the spaced relationship between the ring members 98. The ends of the shafts 106 and 108 are rotatably supported in bearings 110 fixed to a structurally strong and rigid frame section 112. The shafts are provided at thelr ends with gear members 114 operatively interconnected to gears 116 on the shaft of a driYing motor 118 to effect rotational movement of the spin-ning rollers.
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Thus the cage 20, at rest on the spinning rollers 92 and 94, can be rotated by the rollers until stopped in proper orientation for receiving the castings. A cage stop 120 and limit switch 122 are provided with the upper end of the cage stop adapted to be rocked into and out of the path of the abutment 104 to stop rotational movement of the cage on the spinning rollers 92 and 94, when t~e cage is in proper alignment for receiving the casting. T~us the spinner rollers operate to rotate the cage until the cage is stopped by the arm 120 thereby to block further rotational movement of the cage from its proper oriented position until the casting has been inserted therein.
T~e casting mounted on a slat conYeyor in endwise alignment with the feed cage is adapted to be inserted into the feed cage ~y a pusher means.
The pusher means comprises an elongate ram 124 suspended from the frame 126 on the underside of a carriage 128 supported on rollers 130 for endwise dis-placement between operated and retracted positions of adjustment with the piston of a fluid cylinder 132 to which it is interconnected. The frame 148 supports the ram at one end with the ram ln endwise alignment with about the center of the cage and at a level slightly above the top run of the conveyor 134 and with the end of the ram spaced a short distance rearwardly of the conveyor when in retracted position. The rollers 130, which support the carriage, operate in tracks rigid with the frame 112. Limit switches are provided including a switch 136 positioned to be engaged by a trip 138 on the carriage to signal displacement of the carriage to its first operated posi-tion of adjustment. Another switch 140 is located beyond the first to be engaged by the trip 138 to signal displacement of the carriage to its second operated position and a third switch 142 is spaced rearwardly of the second switch 140 by an amount corresponding to the full stroke of the piston to - 14 _ , . . . , . . .. ~ -. .... . . . .
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signal return of the carriage to its retracted position. The first portion ; of the stroke is dimensioned to have a length calculated to effect displacement of the ram 124 by an amount corresponding to the distance between the end portion 125 of the ram and the cage whereby a casting on the conveyor, in end-wise alignment with the cage and in the path of the ram, will be displaced by the ram forwardly off of the con~eyor and into the cage in response to movement of the piston from retracted position to the first operated position.
The second portion of the forward stroke is dimensioned to have a length cal-culated to displace the casting from the feed cage into the main cage whereby the casting in the feed cage will be displaced from the feed cage into the main cage after the loaded feed cage has heen brought up to turning speed and synchronized with the main cage.
It is preferred to proYide for a stroke which is slightly greater than the distance between the cage and the ram, when the latter is in retract-ed position, so that the casting will be ~ntroduced into the cage beyond the rIng member 98 by an amount to balance the casting for centering the casting substantially equidistantly between the ring members. It will be understood that other reciprocal means fo~ llnear displacement of the ram can be employed insteat of a fluid cylinder such as a screw actuator and the like. Return of the carrlage to retracted positîon ls signalled by the limit switch 142 adapt-ed to be engaged by the trip 138.
Orientation at the delivery end of the cage is not necessary. Thus it will suffice merely to provide a chute or conveyor 144 which will recei~e the casting as it is displaced from the end of the rotating cage for convey-ance of the casting from the processing machine.
In operation, the feed cage 90 is allowed freely to be rotated by the supporting rolls92 and ~4 until stopped in oriented position in response /~' :
to displacement of the stop arm 120 into the path of the offset 104 whereby the cage is held in oriented positîon on the rollers which continue to rotate.
In sequence, operation of the limit switch 122 in response to stop-page of the cage 90 will initiate operation of the fluld cylinder for displace-ment of the carriage from retracted position to the first posltlon of adjustment whereby the casting on the slat conveyor in endwise alignment with the cage will be engaged ~y the ram for displacement forwardly from the con-Yeyor into the cage. When the switch 136 is made to lndicate completion of the first stroke, the stop pin 120 is withdrawn from the path of the offset 104 thereby to free the loaded cage to rotate with the rollers 92 and 94 to speeds calculated to correspond with the rotational movements of the main cage for proper orientation therewith. To achieYe orientation, it is desirable to proYide for rotational moYement of the cage on the rollers 92 and 94 at a speed of rotation which dlffers slightly from the speed of rotation of the main cage and preferably at a slightly higher speed so that, during rotation, an arm which may be extended lengthwise from one cage for engagement with the abutment of another will operate to lnter-engage the cages for rotational movement together. Said ar~ can be retracted responsiYe to the displacement of the casting rom the feed cage to the main cage to free the feed cage for its next cycle of operation.
When the time lapse is sufficient to achieYe proper orientation, the fluid cylinder passes through its second stage of operation whereby the carri-age is ad~anced to its second moYement to effect displacement of the casting from the rotating feed cage into the main cage. This then frees the feed cage ;
for another cycle while the displacement of the casting into the main cage will operate to effect displacement of all of the castings aligned in end to end relationship in the rotating main cage for one increment corresponding to ~ i the length of the casting. The endmost casting aligned in the main cage will be displaced from the cage and onto the conveyor or chute 144 for transporta-tion from the machine.
Thus the castings are adapted to be displaced forwardly through the rotating main cage and through the blast cabinet. During passage through the blast cabinet, the castings will be rotated with the cage to effect maximum exposure of all of the surfaces of the castings to the particulate material thrown from the wheels. In addition, the constant turning movement of the castings will operate effecti~ely to dump the particulate material for more complete remoYal from the castin~s and for more complete recovery of parti-culate material for re-use and thereby also to keep pockets free of particulate material which might otherwise mask the surface from the blast.
In the preferred practice of this invention, it is desirable to re-tract the ram a short distance after displacement of the casting from the conveyor into the feed cage so as not to interfere with the rotational mo~e-ment of the casting with the feed cage. This can be accomplished by a short reverse stroke after the first stroke, in response to the making of the first switch 136.
When the forward stroke has been completed and switch 140 has been made, the carriage and ram are returned automatically to retracted position in response to p~eparation of the next cycle of operation. T~is is signalled by the making of switch 142 whereby the signal is transmitted to the stop arm 120 for rocking movement into position to block the continued rotational movement of the feed cage on the feed rollers in oriented position.
As previously pointed out, the feed operation of the castings into the main cage can be effected by stopping rotational movement of the main cage for a time sufficient to displace the casting into the entrance end portion of ' . . -: . . .
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the main cage. For this purpose, the casting 24 would be brought into position in endwise alignment with the main cage 20 on the slat conveyor 134 for dis-placement endwise in~o the main cage when the latter has been stopped in pro-perly oriented position. T~e construction and operation of elements for carrying out the described steps would be the same as that pre~iously described for feeding the castings into the feed cage except that the feed cage would be replaced by the main cage for a single step displacement by the ram for move-ment of the casting from the conveyor into the main cage. Thus the fluid cylinder would operate to its first stop and back to bring the end of the ram 124 into engagement with the rear portion of the casting 24 on the con~eyor 134 for displacement of the casting from the conveyor directly into the aligned main cage as the fluid cylinder operates to advance the carriage 126 through its first stroke to engage the stop switch 136. This signals the completion of the feed cycle whereby the stop 120 is withdrawn from engagement with the cage to permit renewal of its rotational movements on the rollers 32.
This technique of stopping the cage in its rotational movement will operate to slow the output of the machine by ~eason of the time lost in stop-ping and starting the rotational movement of the loaded cage and it will operate to expose the surfaces of the castings unevenly to the blast material since the portion facing the blast during the feeding operation will be ex-posed to more blasts than the remainder. However, the foregoing does provide a workable system for advancing the castings into and through the cage for surface treatment.
T~USJ instead of ad~ancing the castings rom the stopped feed cage for subsequent transmission from the rotating feed cage to the rotating main cage, the castings are rammed directly into the stopped main cage, using about one-half o the feed cycle previously described but in which the opera-- . .. .
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tion is otherwise substantially the same, with substantially the same means, but substituting the main cage for the feed cage.
Another technique which is effective further to increase the feed rate for higher production and output of the machine is illustrated in Figures 9 and 10. Instead of making use of a single feed cage which passes through the cycle of stopping rotation, insertion of a casting into the stopped cage, bringing the loaded cage up to the desired rotational speed, and then dis-placing the casting from the rotating feed cage into the aligned rotating main cage, the present concept makes use of a plurality of feed cages 96 mounted for rotational movement in a turret or ferris wheel 150 which in turn is mounted for rotational movement about its central axis 152. In the illus-trated modification, use is made of four feed cages 96 mounted 90 apart in the turret but more than four and as few as two such cages may be employed.
The turret is aligned with the end of the main cage to provide two stations about 180 apart with one station (called the ~eed station) aligned endwise with the rotating main cage, while the other station (called the loading station) is aligned endwise with a conveyor 134 on which the castings 24 are brought to the machine.
~eans are provided for stopping rotational movements of the cages while in the loading station so that the ram 124 can be operated by the hy-draulic cylinder 132 to effect displacement of the ram from the retracted position to the first operated position whereby the casting on the slat conveyor is rammed into the stopped feed cage 96. For this purpose, use can be made of a stop arm of the type illustrated by the arm 120 and switch 122 to effect orientation of the cage with the casting in the loading position, and use can be made of a hydraulic cylinder and ram arrangement, as represent-ed by the numerals 124 to 136, for actuation of the ram between operated and .' - 19 --, .
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retracted positions through a distance corresponding to the first stage of movement in the loading cycle for the feed cage, as previously described.
When the loading cycle has been completed, as indicated by the mak-ing of the switch 142, and the stop arm 120 has been retracted, as indicated by the making of switch 122, the turret wheel is turned through 9oD to bring another empty cage into the loading position while the loaded cage comes into engagement with an endless belt or chain 154 operating about driven rollers 156 and bearing against the periphery of the cage rings 98 to bring ab~ut rotational movement of the loaded cage. For this purpose, the cages are mount-ed for free rotational movement within the turret as by means of rollers ex-tending crosswise between the opposite side ~alls 158 and 160 of the turret with the axis of the rollers 162 being mounted in suitable bearings fixed in the side walls of the turret.
By the time that the turret is turned through its next cycle of operation to bring the loaded cage to the feed station iD endwise alignment with the rotating main cage, the loaded cage is up to speed and oriented with the main cage. A second hydraulic cylinder and piston arrangement, similar to that employed at the feed station, is provided with the ram in endwise alignment with the casting in the rotating feed cage. Thus responsive to move- r ment of the carriage from retracted to operated positions, the ram comes into engagement with the casting in the rotating feed cage to effect displacement of the casting endwise from the feed cage into the end of the aligned loaded main cage. When limit swith 136 is madeJ the piston and its supporting carri-age returns to retracted position thereby to free the turret for turning move-ment to bring the next loaded cage into alignment.
This arrangement is faster than the concepts previously described since loading of the feed cages at one station and unloading of the feed cages ... .
- ..
at another station can be carried out simultaneously~ as distinguished from sequentially, as ln the system previously described.
The fluid displacement means can be the same as ln the loading station, including an elongate ram suspended from a carriage by rollers operat-ing in tracks with a switch operating member on the carriage to engage a limit switch when the piston is displaced to operated position and another limit switch when the piston is returned to retracted posltion.
While it is possible merely to let the casting issue from the exit end of the cage, it is often desirable to receive the casting in a cage syn-chronized with the rotational movement of the main cage to overcome the centri-fugal orce of the casting.
For this purpose, use can be made of a turret similar to that des-cribed for the feed section with two stations located 180 apart including a receiving station in endwise alignment with the end of the main cageJ and an unloading station which is, in effect, the reverse of the operation and ele-ments employed in the loading station. While in the receiving station, with a cage in endwise alignment with the main cage, the cage is rotated in syn-chronous movement with the main cage by the chain or belt 154 for receipt of the endmost casting displaced from the main cage.
At the unloading station, the chain no longer engages the cage so that its rotational movement can be stopped by means of a suitable block, such as the stop 120 of the type previously described. A hydraulic operating ram is employed at the unloading station with the ram in endwise alignment with the center of the stopped cage. The ram construction and operation is similar to that previously described in that the horizontally disposed elongate ram is supported from a carriage by rollers operating in a track to support the carri-age which is movable with the piston reciprocably mounted within a fluid .- ., . .-.. , : , , operated cylinder. A switch pin is provided on the carriage for engagement with a limit switch 136, when in operated position, and for engagement with a limit switch 142, when returned to retracted position. The stroke of the ram is sufficient to effect displacement of the casting from the stopped cage.
To position the turret for free rotational movement free of the main cage, it is often desirable to effect endwise displacement of the turret for a short distance longitudlnally away from the end of the cage. This can be accomplished by mounting the turret for lengthwise sliding movement along the shaft on which the turret is rotatably supported. l~e turret is displaced outwardly away from the cage by means of an air cylinder and it is returned to a position adjacent the cage by the return movement of the cylinder. In-stead, the entire turret and its supporting structure is mounted on tracks for movement in the direction toward and away from the cage responsive to operation of a fluid cylinder as previously described. Switch means are ~.
provided in the path of the casting to signal receipt of a casting within the rotating turret. Responsive to the signal, the turret is displaced by the cylinder in one direction. Other switch means responsive to movement of the turret is provided to signal the completion of rotational movement of the turret from one station to the next for operation of the cylinder in its return stroke. Such switch may be made by pawls extending outwardly from the turret corresponding in nunlber to the number of unloading cages rotatably mounted in the turret.
In an alternative arrangement shown in Figure 11, illustration is made of a conveyor 200, in the form of a pair of longitudinally traveling, laterally spaced apart endless belts 202 and 204 operating about rollers 206 and 208 supported on shafts 210 and 212, one of which is a driven shaft opera-tively connected through gears 214 to a driving motor 216.
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-The belts are provided with cleats 218 which are longitudinally spaced apart by a distance proportional to the rotational movement of the cage 20 whereby the belt will be longitudinallr displaced by an amount corres-ponding to the spaced relationship between the cleats during each rotation of the cage, or a predetermined multiple thereof.
It will be understood that the castings 24 will be placed across the upper run of the belt whereby the load on the ~elts will be great such that additional roller supports or table (not shown) will underlie the upper run of the belt for support thereof.
Rotatable with the cage and attached to the end thereof and in crosswise alignment therewith is a loading cage 220 having an opening 224 ex-tending lengthwise therethrough in lengthwise alignment with the openings through the main cage 20. A clearance or passage 226 through one side of the loading cage 220 is dimensioned to enable a casting 24 to be disposed radially therethrough into the loading cage. In the illustrated modification, the loading cage 220 is in the fo~m of a U-shaped or rectilinearly shaped trough which is open at the ends and along one wall to define a three-sided recept-acle formed of the walls 228, 230 and 232. The loading cage 220 is dimension-ed to have a length greater than the laterally spaced apart relation between the belts 202 and 204 of the conveyor in crosswise alignment therewith.
The loading cage 220 is formed with a pair of arms 234 which extend ; outwardly from the cage with the upper surface of each of the arms substantial-ly flush wlth the inner face of the wall 232 defining the trailing edge of the open side 226. The arms are laterally spaced one from the other by an amount slightly greater than the spaced relationship between the pair of conveyor ' belts 202 and 204 so as to pass alongside the belts during rotational movement of the cage. The arms are dimensioned to extend outwardly beyond the cage by - . - , - ,. .. . .
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an amount greater than the width of the castings so that, when the belts displace a casting onto the end portion thereof, the casting will be in position to be engaged by the arms to lift the casting from the belt in res-ponse to rotational movement of the cage, as in the clockwise direction shown in the drawings.
As the loading cage continues to rotate, the arms 234 lift the casting until the slope of the arms i5 such as will cause the casting gravita-tionally to slide over the arms and through the slot 226 into the basket or opening of the rotating loading cage in endwise alignment with the continuous-ly rotating main cage 20 and in proper orientation therewith.
rn endwise alignment with the open end of the loading cage, in thedirection away from the main cage, a ram 236 is mounted adapted to be operated mechanically or by 1uid in a piston-crlinder assembly. When the casting 24 has become settled within the loading cage, the ram 236 is operated for dis-placement forwardly by an amount to engage the casting and to displace the casting from the loading cage 220 into the main cage 20. The operation of the ram is signaled in response to the seating of the casting in the loading cage but it is preferred to signal operation of the ram in timed sequence with ', the rotational movement of the loading cage and main cage to initiate the il 20 forward stroke when the loading cage has been rotated through an angle of about 90 from the loading position and to complete the stroke for reverse movement of the ram or withdrawal from the cage by the time that the cage turns through a further angle of 90. As a result, the casting will be dis-placed from the loading cage before the side opening 226 faces in a downward direction whereby the casting might otherwise fall from the cage or from the desired oriented position.
An unloading cage 240, similar to the loading cage, is positioned , . . , , . . , ,. . ............................. . ~ ~
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in end~ise ali.gn~ent with th.e main cage 2Q adjacent the apposite end of the main cage ~hereby t~e treated castings w~ll be displaced from the main cage into the unloading cage 240, w~ile in an oriented position~ Rotat~onal movement of the unloading cage w~t~ the main cage will cause the casting gravitationally to slide through.the opening onto a receiving conveyor of similarly spaced belts.
In a system of the type described, with the cages rotating at a rate of 15 revolutions per minute, the assembly can be employed for the displacment and treatment of 900 castings per hour.
It will be apparent from the foregoing that a new and efficient means for the continuous s.urface treatment of castings of large dimension and weight has been provided whereby such treatments can be effected with a minimum amount of equipment, time, materials and labor, while achieving substantially complete coverage of the surfaces.
It will be understood that changes may be made in the details of construction, arrangement and operation without departing from the spirit of tho invontlon, espccially as defined in the followlng clai=s.
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By proper location of the wheels 70 within the blast cabinet and by proper angular arrangement of the wheels, substantially the entire length of the section of the cage within the blast cabinet can be exposed to the blast of particulate material for processing the surfaces of the castings displaced endwise through the cage.
By reason of the ricochet of particulate material, thrown at high velocity onto the surfaces of the castings, surfaces which might otherwise be concealed are exposed to the blast whereby substantially uniform coverage is secured in treatment of the surfaces of the csstings with particulate materials.
The spent particulate material falls gravitationally into the trough - lQ -: . .: . ~ .;
74 at the bottom for displacement along the bottom by a conventional screw 76 to a lateral screw whereby the particulate material is deposited in an elevator 78 and raised to a separator 80 where the dirt or other refuse is re-moved from the particulate material whereby the latter can be returned to the hopper 82 for re-use.
T~e castings are exposed to the blast of particulate material for the period of time corresponding to the time that the castings are within the portion of the cage enclosed by the cabinet. Rotation of the castings with 3 the cage operates not only to provide maximum exposure of the surfaces of the castings to the treating material but rotational movement of the castings operates also to du~p particulate material which might otherwise collect in the pockets of the castings thereby to keep said pockets free of particulate material so that further blast will continue to hit the surface of the casting in the pockets and not be masked from the blast by accumulated particulate material and thereby to deliver a casting which is clean and relatively free of particulate material and thereby also to reduce the amount of loss or waste of particulate material.
Since the portion of the cage located within the cabinet is exposed to the blast of particulate material, it is preferred to fabricate at least that portion of the cage of a metal which is characterized by high erosion resistance. In a typical operation for cleaning cylinder heads, the blast cabinet 22 is dimensioned to correspond to six lengths of castings and it is provided wlth four blasting wheels arranged in longitudinally spaced apart relationship within the housing. The cage is adapted to be rotated at a rate of about 15 revolutions per minute and the castings are displaced through the cage at a rate of about 200-1000 castings per hour, depending somewhat upon the means for introducing the castings into the cage.
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The portions of the cage in advance of and beyond the blast housing 26 are preferably enclosed by vestibules 26' to minimize ricohet of blast media into the surrounding atmosphere.
Having described the construction of the open cage and the blasting zone operative over an intermediate length of the cage, description will now be made of the features for the insertion of ca.stings into the leadîng end of the cage and for the deliver~ of the castings after they have passed through the cage.
A number of Yery important ~rohlems arise in the feeding of the castings into-the cage for passage through the cage from the entrance end to the exit end. In the feeding of the castings, it is desirable to achieve proper orientation between the cage and the castings so that the castings will be in proper position for insertion into the cage. This might be accomplished quite easily by stopping rotational moYement of the cage in a predetermined position and for a time sufficient to insert the casting. It is preferred, however, to be able continuously to rotate the loaded cage for uniform ex-posure of the surfaces to the particulate material while making use of other means for proper orientation of the castings and for uniform periodic in-sertion into the entrance end of the cage.
~ne wa~ in which this can be accomplished, in accordance wlth the practice of this invention, ~s to make use of a separate feed cage 90 dimen-sioned to receive a single casting and in which the cage is mounted on rollers 92 and 94 in endwise alignment with the main cage 20 whereby rotational move-ment of the separate feed cage 90 can be stopped or a time sufficient to enable a casting to be inserted therein while the main cage continues to be rotated. The loaded feed cage 90 can then be brought up to a speed of rotation by the rollers 92 and 94 until the rotational movement of the loaded feed 6~L~
~ cage 90 becomes synchronized with the rotational movement of the main cage : whereafter the casting can be displaced endwise from the rotating feed cage 90 into the continuously rotating main cage 20.
F~ this purpose, use can be made of a single cage of the type des-cribed in the aforementioned copending application wherein the cage is formed of a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart bars 96 joined at their ends to supporting ring members 98 of larger dimension with the bars 96 at the entrance portion tapering outwardly, as at 100, to the ring members to provide a funnel-shaped feed opening 102 which facilitates entrance of the casting therein. One of the cross connecting bars 96 is provided with an abutment 104 extending outwardly therefrom for a distance less than the periphery of the supporting rings 98. T~e abutment is employed for engagement with stops to position the cage member on the supporting rolls, as wlll hereinafter be described.
Por this purpose, use can be made of a loading station of the type described in the aforementioned copending application but without the need of means for displacement of the loaded cages onto and off of the rollers 92 and 94. The loading station, aligned in endwise relationship with the main cage, comprises a pair of laterally spaced apart spinning rollers 92 and 94.
The rollers are longitudinally spaced apart on shafts 106 and 108 by an amount corresponding to the spaced relationship between the ring members 98. The ends of the shafts 106 and 108 are rotatably supported in bearings 110 fixed to a structurally strong and rigid frame section 112. The shafts are provided at thelr ends with gear members 114 operatively interconnected to gears 116 on the shaft of a driYing motor 118 to effect rotational movement of the spin-ning rollers.
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Thus the cage 20, at rest on the spinning rollers 92 and 94, can be rotated by the rollers until stopped in proper orientation for receiving the castings. A cage stop 120 and limit switch 122 are provided with the upper end of the cage stop adapted to be rocked into and out of the path of the abutment 104 to stop rotational movement of the cage on the spinning rollers 92 and 94, when t~e cage is in proper alignment for receiving the casting. T~us the spinner rollers operate to rotate the cage until the cage is stopped by the arm 120 thereby to block further rotational movement of the cage from its proper oriented position until the casting has been inserted therein.
T~e casting mounted on a slat conYeyor in endwise alignment with the feed cage is adapted to be inserted into the feed cage ~y a pusher means.
The pusher means comprises an elongate ram 124 suspended from the frame 126 on the underside of a carriage 128 supported on rollers 130 for endwise dis-placement between operated and retracted positions of adjustment with the piston of a fluid cylinder 132 to which it is interconnected. The frame 148 supports the ram at one end with the ram ln endwise alignment with about the center of the cage and at a level slightly above the top run of the conveyor 134 and with the end of the ram spaced a short distance rearwardly of the conveyor when in retracted position. The rollers 130, which support the carriage, operate in tracks rigid with the frame 112. Limit switches are provided including a switch 136 positioned to be engaged by a trip 138 on the carriage to signal displacement of the carriage to its first operated posi-tion of adjustment. Another switch 140 is located beyond the first to be engaged by the trip 138 to signal displacement of the carriage to its second operated position and a third switch 142 is spaced rearwardly of the second switch 140 by an amount corresponding to the full stroke of the piston to - 14 _ , . . . , . . .. ~ -. .... . . . .
: . . , : ... ~.. .
~$~
signal return of the carriage to its retracted position. The first portion ; of the stroke is dimensioned to have a length calculated to effect displacement of the ram 124 by an amount corresponding to the distance between the end portion 125 of the ram and the cage whereby a casting on the conveyor, in end-wise alignment with the cage and in the path of the ram, will be displaced by the ram forwardly off of the con~eyor and into the cage in response to movement of the piston from retracted position to the first operated position.
The second portion of the forward stroke is dimensioned to have a length cal-culated to displace the casting from the feed cage into the main cage whereby the casting in the feed cage will be displaced from the feed cage into the main cage after the loaded feed cage has heen brought up to turning speed and synchronized with the main cage.
It is preferred to proYide for a stroke which is slightly greater than the distance between the cage and the ram, when the latter is in retract-ed position, so that the casting will be ~ntroduced into the cage beyond the rIng member 98 by an amount to balance the casting for centering the casting substantially equidistantly between the ring members. It will be understood that other reciprocal means fo~ llnear displacement of the ram can be employed insteat of a fluid cylinder such as a screw actuator and the like. Return of the carrlage to retracted positîon ls signalled by the limit switch 142 adapt-ed to be engaged by the trip 138.
Orientation at the delivery end of the cage is not necessary. Thus it will suffice merely to provide a chute or conveyor 144 which will recei~e the casting as it is displaced from the end of the rotating cage for convey-ance of the casting from the processing machine.
In operation, the feed cage 90 is allowed freely to be rotated by the supporting rolls92 and ~4 until stopped in oriented position in response /~' :
to displacement of the stop arm 120 into the path of the offset 104 whereby the cage is held in oriented positîon on the rollers which continue to rotate.
In sequence, operation of the limit switch 122 in response to stop-page of the cage 90 will initiate operation of the fluld cylinder for displace-ment of the carriage from retracted position to the first posltlon of adjustment whereby the casting on the slat conveyor in endwise alignment with the cage will be engaged ~y the ram for displacement forwardly from the con-Yeyor into the cage. When the switch 136 is made to lndicate completion of the first stroke, the stop pin 120 is withdrawn from the path of the offset 104 thereby to free the loaded cage to rotate with the rollers 92 and 94 to speeds calculated to correspond with the rotational movements of the main cage for proper orientation therewith. To achieYe orientation, it is desirable to proYide for rotational moYement of the cage on the rollers 92 and 94 at a speed of rotation which dlffers slightly from the speed of rotation of the main cage and preferably at a slightly higher speed so that, during rotation, an arm which may be extended lengthwise from one cage for engagement with the abutment of another will operate to lnter-engage the cages for rotational movement together. Said ar~ can be retracted responsiYe to the displacement of the casting rom the feed cage to the main cage to free the feed cage for its next cycle of operation.
When the time lapse is sufficient to achieYe proper orientation, the fluid cylinder passes through its second stage of operation whereby the carri-age is ad~anced to its second moYement to effect displacement of the casting from the rotating feed cage into the main cage. This then frees the feed cage ;
for another cycle while the displacement of the casting into the main cage will operate to effect displacement of all of the castings aligned in end to end relationship in the rotating main cage for one increment corresponding to ~ i the length of the casting. The endmost casting aligned in the main cage will be displaced from the cage and onto the conveyor or chute 144 for transporta-tion from the machine.
Thus the castings are adapted to be displaced forwardly through the rotating main cage and through the blast cabinet. During passage through the blast cabinet, the castings will be rotated with the cage to effect maximum exposure of all of the surfaces of the castings to the particulate material thrown from the wheels. In addition, the constant turning movement of the castings will operate effecti~ely to dump the particulate material for more complete remoYal from the castin~s and for more complete recovery of parti-culate material for re-use and thereby also to keep pockets free of particulate material which might otherwise mask the surface from the blast.
In the preferred practice of this invention, it is desirable to re-tract the ram a short distance after displacement of the casting from the conveyor into the feed cage so as not to interfere with the rotational mo~e-ment of the casting with the feed cage. This can be accomplished by a short reverse stroke after the first stroke, in response to the making of the first switch 136.
When the forward stroke has been completed and switch 140 has been made, the carriage and ram are returned automatically to retracted position in response to p~eparation of the next cycle of operation. T~is is signalled by the making of switch 142 whereby the signal is transmitted to the stop arm 120 for rocking movement into position to block the continued rotational movement of the feed cage on the feed rollers in oriented position.
As previously pointed out, the feed operation of the castings into the main cage can be effected by stopping rotational movement of the main cage for a time sufficient to displace the casting into the entrance end portion of ' . . -: . . .
.. :. . . :... - .: ::, :. ,. - .
the main cage. For this purpose, the casting 24 would be brought into position in endwise alignment with the main cage 20 on the slat conveyor 134 for dis-placement endwise in~o the main cage when the latter has been stopped in pro-perly oriented position. T~e construction and operation of elements for carrying out the described steps would be the same as that pre~iously described for feeding the castings into the feed cage except that the feed cage would be replaced by the main cage for a single step displacement by the ram for move-ment of the casting from the conveyor into the main cage. Thus the fluid cylinder would operate to its first stop and back to bring the end of the ram 124 into engagement with the rear portion of the casting 24 on the con~eyor 134 for displacement of the casting from the conveyor directly into the aligned main cage as the fluid cylinder operates to advance the carriage 126 through its first stroke to engage the stop switch 136. This signals the completion of the feed cycle whereby the stop 120 is withdrawn from engagement with the cage to permit renewal of its rotational movements on the rollers 32.
This technique of stopping the cage in its rotational movement will operate to slow the output of the machine by ~eason of the time lost in stop-ping and starting the rotational movement of the loaded cage and it will operate to expose the surfaces of the castings unevenly to the blast material since the portion facing the blast during the feeding operation will be ex-posed to more blasts than the remainder. However, the foregoing does provide a workable system for advancing the castings into and through the cage for surface treatment.
T~USJ instead of ad~ancing the castings rom the stopped feed cage for subsequent transmission from the rotating feed cage to the rotating main cage, the castings are rammed directly into the stopped main cage, using about one-half o the feed cycle previously described but in which the opera-- . .. .
. ' `. ; - ' '' : ;~, ' ' : ' . ~ : : . - . . : .
~ ~i4~
tion is otherwise substantially the same, with substantially the same means, but substituting the main cage for the feed cage.
Another technique which is effective further to increase the feed rate for higher production and output of the machine is illustrated in Figures 9 and 10. Instead of making use of a single feed cage which passes through the cycle of stopping rotation, insertion of a casting into the stopped cage, bringing the loaded cage up to the desired rotational speed, and then dis-placing the casting from the rotating feed cage into the aligned rotating main cage, the present concept makes use of a plurality of feed cages 96 mounted for rotational movement in a turret or ferris wheel 150 which in turn is mounted for rotational movement about its central axis 152. In the illus-trated modification, use is made of four feed cages 96 mounted 90 apart in the turret but more than four and as few as two such cages may be employed.
The turret is aligned with the end of the main cage to provide two stations about 180 apart with one station (called the ~eed station) aligned endwise with the rotating main cage, while the other station (called the loading station) is aligned endwise with a conveyor 134 on which the castings 24 are brought to the machine.
~eans are provided for stopping rotational movements of the cages while in the loading station so that the ram 124 can be operated by the hy-draulic cylinder 132 to effect displacement of the ram from the retracted position to the first operated position whereby the casting on the slat conveyor is rammed into the stopped feed cage 96. For this purpose, use can be made of a stop arm of the type illustrated by the arm 120 and switch 122 to effect orientation of the cage with the casting in the loading position, and use can be made of a hydraulic cylinder and ram arrangement, as represent-ed by the numerals 124 to 136, for actuation of the ram between operated and .' - 19 --, .
.. . .. . . .
.,, . ~ : ~: -, -.: -: , , , ~
-i~P~6:~
retracted positions through a distance corresponding to the first stage of movement in the loading cycle for the feed cage, as previously described.
When the loading cycle has been completed, as indicated by the mak-ing of the switch 142, and the stop arm 120 has been retracted, as indicated by the making of switch 122, the turret wheel is turned through 9oD to bring another empty cage into the loading position while the loaded cage comes into engagement with an endless belt or chain 154 operating about driven rollers 156 and bearing against the periphery of the cage rings 98 to bring ab~ut rotational movement of the loaded cage. For this purpose, the cages are mount-ed for free rotational movement within the turret as by means of rollers ex-tending crosswise between the opposite side ~alls 158 and 160 of the turret with the axis of the rollers 162 being mounted in suitable bearings fixed in the side walls of the turret.
By the time that the turret is turned through its next cycle of operation to bring the loaded cage to the feed station iD endwise alignment with the rotating main cage, the loaded cage is up to speed and oriented with the main cage. A second hydraulic cylinder and piston arrangement, similar to that employed at the feed station, is provided with the ram in endwise alignment with the casting in the rotating feed cage. Thus responsive to move- r ment of the carriage from retracted to operated positions, the ram comes into engagement with the casting in the rotating feed cage to effect displacement of the casting endwise from the feed cage into the end of the aligned loaded main cage. When limit swith 136 is madeJ the piston and its supporting carri-age returns to retracted position thereby to free the turret for turning move-ment to bring the next loaded cage into alignment.
This arrangement is faster than the concepts previously described since loading of the feed cages at one station and unloading of the feed cages ... .
- ..
at another station can be carried out simultaneously~ as distinguished from sequentially, as ln the system previously described.
The fluid displacement means can be the same as ln the loading station, including an elongate ram suspended from a carriage by rollers operat-ing in tracks with a switch operating member on the carriage to engage a limit switch when the piston is displaced to operated position and another limit switch when the piston is returned to retracted posltion.
While it is possible merely to let the casting issue from the exit end of the cage, it is often desirable to receive the casting in a cage syn-chronized with the rotational movement of the main cage to overcome the centri-fugal orce of the casting.
For this purpose, use can be made of a turret similar to that des-cribed for the feed section with two stations located 180 apart including a receiving station in endwise alignment with the end of the main cageJ and an unloading station which is, in effect, the reverse of the operation and ele-ments employed in the loading station. While in the receiving station, with a cage in endwise alignment with the main cage, the cage is rotated in syn-chronous movement with the main cage by the chain or belt 154 for receipt of the endmost casting displaced from the main cage.
At the unloading station, the chain no longer engages the cage so that its rotational movement can be stopped by means of a suitable block, such as the stop 120 of the type previously described. A hydraulic operating ram is employed at the unloading station with the ram in endwise alignment with the center of the stopped cage. The ram construction and operation is similar to that previously described in that the horizontally disposed elongate ram is supported from a carriage by rollers operating in a track to support the carri-age which is movable with the piston reciprocably mounted within a fluid .- ., . .-.. , : , , operated cylinder. A switch pin is provided on the carriage for engagement with a limit switch 136, when in operated position, and for engagement with a limit switch 142, when returned to retracted position. The stroke of the ram is sufficient to effect displacement of the casting from the stopped cage.
To position the turret for free rotational movement free of the main cage, it is often desirable to effect endwise displacement of the turret for a short distance longitudlnally away from the end of the cage. This can be accomplished by mounting the turret for lengthwise sliding movement along the shaft on which the turret is rotatably supported. l~e turret is displaced outwardly away from the cage by means of an air cylinder and it is returned to a position adjacent the cage by the return movement of the cylinder. In-stead, the entire turret and its supporting structure is mounted on tracks for movement in the direction toward and away from the cage responsive to operation of a fluid cylinder as previously described. Switch means are ~.
provided in the path of the casting to signal receipt of a casting within the rotating turret. Responsive to the signal, the turret is displaced by the cylinder in one direction. Other switch means responsive to movement of the turret is provided to signal the completion of rotational movement of the turret from one station to the next for operation of the cylinder in its return stroke. Such switch may be made by pawls extending outwardly from the turret corresponding in nunlber to the number of unloading cages rotatably mounted in the turret.
In an alternative arrangement shown in Figure 11, illustration is made of a conveyor 200, in the form of a pair of longitudinally traveling, laterally spaced apart endless belts 202 and 204 operating about rollers 206 and 208 supported on shafts 210 and 212, one of which is a driven shaft opera-tively connected through gears 214 to a driving motor 216.
.. . .
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., :: ....... . : . . - -, - ,. .. ~ , . -.. . . . . . . .
-The belts are provided with cleats 218 which are longitudinally spaced apart by a distance proportional to the rotational movement of the cage 20 whereby the belt will be longitudinallr displaced by an amount corres-ponding to the spaced relationship between the cleats during each rotation of the cage, or a predetermined multiple thereof.
It will be understood that the castings 24 will be placed across the upper run of the belt whereby the load on the ~elts will be great such that additional roller supports or table (not shown) will underlie the upper run of the belt for support thereof.
Rotatable with the cage and attached to the end thereof and in crosswise alignment therewith is a loading cage 220 having an opening 224 ex-tending lengthwise therethrough in lengthwise alignment with the openings through the main cage 20. A clearance or passage 226 through one side of the loading cage 220 is dimensioned to enable a casting 24 to be disposed radially therethrough into the loading cage. In the illustrated modification, the loading cage 220 is in the fo~m of a U-shaped or rectilinearly shaped trough which is open at the ends and along one wall to define a three-sided recept-acle formed of the walls 228, 230 and 232. The loading cage 220 is dimension-ed to have a length greater than the laterally spaced apart relation between the belts 202 and 204 of the conveyor in crosswise alignment therewith.
The loading cage 220 is formed with a pair of arms 234 which extend ; outwardly from the cage with the upper surface of each of the arms substantial-ly flush wlth the inner face of the wall 232 defining the trailing edge of the open side 226. The arms are laterally spaced one from the other by an amount slightly greater than the spaced relationship between the pair of conveyor ' belts 202 and 204 so as to pass alongside the belts during rotational movement of the cage. The arms are dimensioned to extend outwardly beyond the cage by - . - , - ,. .. . .
. 1 .:. ::, ~ . . ... ....
, .~ ,- . ::: -:- , :.. .
,:~: . : : ,: ,.: , :: ' " : : - : .:
:~ . . .. : . ., -~146~
.
an amount greater than the width of the castings so that, when the belts displace a casting onto the end portion thereof, the casting will be in position to be engaged by the arms to lift the casting from the belt in res-ponse to rotational movement of the cage, as in the clockwise direction shown in the drawings.
As the loading cage continues to rotate, the arms 234 lift the casting until the slope of the arms i5 such as will cause the casting gravita-tionally to slide over the arms and through the slot 226 into the basket or opening of the rotating loading cage in endwise alignment with the continuous-ly rotating main cage 20 and in proper orientation therewith.
rn endwise alignment with the open end of the loading cage, in thedirection away from the main cage, a ram 236 is mounted adapted to be operated mechanically or by 1uid in a piston-crlinder assembly. When the casting 24 has become settled within the loading cage, the ram 236 is operated for dis-placement forwardly by an amount to engage the casting and to displace the casting from the loading cage 220 into the main cage 20. The operation of the ram is signaled in response to the seating of the casting in the loading cage but it is preferred to signal operation of the ram in timed sequence with ', the rotational movement of the loading cage and main cage to initiate the il 20 forward stroke when the loading cage has been rotated through an angle of about 90 from the loading position and to complete the stroke for reverse movement of the ram or withdrawal from the cage by the time that the cage turns through a further angle of 90. As a result, the casting will be dis-placed from the loading cage before the side opening 226 faces in a downward direction whereby the casting might otherwise fall from the cage or from the desired oriented position.
An unloading cage 240, similar to the loading cage, is positioned , . . , , . . , ,. . ............................. . ~ ~
.
~4~
in end~ise ali.gn~ent with th.e main cage 2Q adjacent the apposite end of the main cage ~hereby t~e treated castings w~ll be displaced from the main cage into the unloading cage 240, w~ile in an oriented position~ Rotat~onal movement of the unloading cage w~t~ the main cage will cause the casting gravitationally to slide through.the opening onto a receiving conveyor of similarly spaced belts.
In a system of the type described, with the cages rotating at a rate of 15 revolutions per minute, the assembly can be employed for the displacment and treatment of 900 castings per hour.
It will be apparent from the foregoing that a new and efficient means for the continuous s.urface treatment of castings of large dimension and weight has been provided whereby such treatments can be effected with a minimum amount of equipment, time, materials and labor, while achieving substantially complete coverage of the surfaces.
It will be understood that changes may be made in the details of construction, arrangement and operation without departing from the spirit of tho invontlon, espccially as defined in the followlng clai=s.
;
.
_ 25 -
Claims (6)
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. In a process for surface treatment of articles by the engagement of the surfaces with particulate treating material, the steps of providing an elongate open cage having a continuous passage extending therethrough from an entrance at one end to an exit at the other, continuously turning said cage for rotational movement about its axis, inserting articles endwise into the passage through the entrance of the turning cage and whereby the articles become aligned in end to end relationship within said passage for displacement of the aligned articles lengthwise through said passage from the entrance end towards the exit end responsive to said insertion of the article and whereby the articles turn with the cage during lengthwise displacement therethrough, and throwing particulate treating material onto an intermediate portion of said cage between the entrance end and the exit end while the cage is being rotated thereby uniformly to expose the surfaces of the articles within the cage to the particulate treating material, each of said articles being brought up to a speed of rotation corresponding to the speed of rotation of the cage, prior to insertion therein, by inserting the article into a separate feed cage, aligning the loaded feed cage with the main cage, and rotating the feed cage for orientation with the rotating main cage and then displacing the article from the rotating feed cage into the aligned rotating main cage.
2. In a machine for the surface treatment of articles by a process which includes the steps of: providing an elongate open cage having a continuous passage extending therethrough from an entrance at one end to an exit at the other, continuously turning said cage for rotational movement about its axis, inserting articles endwise into the passage through the entrance of the turning cage and whereby the articles become aligned in end to end relationship within said passage for displacement of the aligned articles lengthwise through said passage from the entrance end towards the exit end responsive to said insertion of the article and whereby the articles turn with the cage during lengthwise displacement therethrough, throwing particulate treating material onto an intermediate portion of said cage between the entrance end and the exit end while the cage is being rotated thereby uniformly to expose the surfaces of the articles within the cage to the particulate treating material; an elongate open main cage having a continuous passage extending therethrough from an entrance at one end to an exit at the other end, said main cage being formed of elongate bars circumferentially spaced one from the other and being formed with ring members at its ends, said bars tapering outwardly to the ring member at the entrance end to define a tapered entrance section for displacement of the articles into the cage, means mounting the main cage for rotational movement of the entire cage about its axis, feed means adjacent the entrance end of the main cage for alignment of articles with the passage through the main cage and for bringing the articles up to the rate of rotation of the main cage for proper orientation therewith, ram means for displacement of the article axially from the feed means into the aligned passage of the rotating main cage through the entrance end thereby to effect endwise displacement of the articles aligned in the passage of the main cage for a distance corresponding to the length of the article, an enclosure about a portion of the main cage between the entrance end and the exit end, means within the enclosure for throwing particulate material onto portions of the rotating main cage within the enclosure for uniform engagement of the surfaces of the articles rotating therewith, and delivery means at the exit end for receiving the articles displaced from the main cage.
3. In a machine for the surface treatment of articles by a process which includes the steps of: providing an elongate open cage having a continuous passage extending therethrough from an entrance at one end to an exit at the other, continuously turning said cage for rotational movement about its axis, inserting articles endwise into the passage through the entrance of the turning cage and whereby the articles become aligned in end to end relationship within said passage for displacement of the aligned articles lengthwise through said passage from the entrance end towards the exit end responsive to said insertion of the article and whereby the articles turn with the cage during lengthwise displacement therethrough, throwing particulate treating material onto an intermediate portion of said cage between the entrance end and the exit end while the cage is being rotated thereby uniformly to expose the surfaces of the articles within the cage to the particulate treating material; an elongate open main cage having a continuous passage extending therethrough from an entrance at one end to an exit at the other end, means mounting the main cage for rotational movement of the entire cage about its axis, feed means adjacent the entrance end of the main cage for alignment of articles with the passage through the main cage and for bringing the articles up to the rate of rotation of the main cage for proper orientation therewith, ram means for displacement of the article axially from the feed means into the aligned passage of the rotating main cage through the entrance end thereby to effect endwise displacement of the articles aligned in the passage of the main cage for a distance correspond-ing to the length of the article, an enclosure about a portion of the main cage between the entrance end and the exit end, means within the enclosure for throwing particulate material onto portions of the rotating main cage within the enclosure for uniform engagement of the surfaces of the articles rotating therewith, and delivery means at the exit end for receiving the articles displaced from the main cage, wherein said feed means comprises a separate feed cage having spaced ring supports and a passage extending therethrough corresponding to the passage through the main cage, rollers on which the rings rest for support, means for effecting turning movement of the rollers while the feed cage is in endwise alignment with the main cage for rotational movement therewith, means for stopping rotational movement of the cage, ram means for insertion of an article axially into the feed cage while in stopped position and ram means for displacement of the article from the loaded feed cage while rotating in alignment with the main cage.
4. In a machine according to claim 3 in which the means for loading the article onto the feed cage comprises a pair of spaced rollers mounted for rotational movement in one direction, means for displacement of the feed cage onto the rollers with the ring members riding on the rollers for rotational movement of the supported feed cage and abutment means for stopping rotational movement of the cage when the latter becomes properly oriented for insertion of an article into the cage, means for alignment of an article endwise with the cage, and ram means located adjacent one end of the article to en-gage the article for displacement endwise into the aligned cage.
5. In a machine according to claim 3 in which the ram is supported from a travelling carriage mounted for reciprocal movement and in which a hydraulic cylinder is operatively connected to the carriage for effecting reciprocal movement of the carriage and ram between extended and retracted positions.
6. In a machine according to claim 3 in which the ram means for displacement of the article axially from the feed means into the aligned passage of the main cage comprises a ram in endwise alignment with the main cage and mounted for reciprocal movement between extended and retracted positions with the end of the ram spaced a short distance beyond the end of the article, and power operated means for displacement of the ram between extended and retracted positions to engage the article for displacement thereof one article length into the main cage.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA362,267A CA1114615A (en) | 1966-07-27 | 1980-10-09 | Machine and method for surface treatment of large articles |
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US56829966A | 1966-07-27 | 1966-07-27 | |
| US568,299 | 1966-07-27 | ||
| CA993,116A CA1098709A (en) | 1966-07-27 | 1967-06-15 | Machine and method for surface treatment of large articles |
| CA362,267A CA1114615A (en) | 1966-07-27 | 1980-10-09 | Machine and method for surface treatment of large articles |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1114615A true CA1114615A (en) | 1981-12-22 |
Family
ID=27166847
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA362,267A Expired CA1114615A (en) | 1966-07-27 | 1980-10-09 | Machine and method for surface treatment of large articles |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1114615A (en) |
-
1980
- 1980-10-09 CA CA362,267A patent/CA1114615A/en not_active Expired
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