EP0744245A1 - Apparatus and process for automatic honing of straight and elongated cutter blades - Google Patents

Abstract

The tool includes a support frame (12) with fitted movable blade holder support (22) which has several evenly spaced clamps (24) to hold a sharpened straight-edge cutting blade (26). The movable blade holder support is displaced cyclically by suitable mechanism from a starting position linearly along the longitudinal axis. Several interacting blade honing heads (30,32) engage sequentially into a cutting edge of the sharpened blade in a single longitudinally displaced cycle to provide progressive honing. A mechanism is provided for the cyclic return to move the movable holder support automatically back to the starting point at the end of the individual cycle. An end stop can be positioned at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the apparatus at the honing head station insert end

Description

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for performing automated honing of elongated, straight-edged cutting blades, such as those commonly used in printer machines and paper processing machines for cutting paper, and by book manufacturers for trimming books.

Typically, sharpening and honing cutting knives of the type considered here employs two separate steps, first that of sharpening the knife on a grinder built for this purpose and secondly either manually or mechanically honing the sharpened knife remove the sharpening burr that is created during the grinding process and consequently create a smooth, sharp cutting edge.

There are two basic methods for honing a sharpened knife. The first is the manual process that employs a professional individually using honing stones, which process requires substantial training and great eye-hand coordination feeling that is relatively slow compared to one-piece throughput a grinder that does the sharpening, and the consistency of a sharpness that is achieved is not only variable between different people, but even with the same person.

The second method of honing a sharpened knife is to use some type of mechanical device, and the mechanical device that is most commonly used is that which uses relatively coarse sharpening wheels on a grinder with auxiliary wheels with a much finer abrasive property and returning the sharpened knife back by the grinder equipped with the finer abrasive discs to effect knife honing. This method has several disadvantages in that a grinding machine is involved in the honing process, and like hand honing, mechanical honing with a grinding machine is a slow process. Adaptation of the grinder profile and technology to mechanical honing of the type described above is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,845,900 to Suzuki et al, dated July 11, 1989, using a set of upper and lower grinding wheels to achieve super finish, or honing, of a sharpened knife.

Another way of honing a sharpened knife mechanically is by means of a certain type of sanding device, as described by Edling in US Pat. 4,617,63, dated October 21, 1986, which uses the use of a belt-type sanding machine, or as described by Stoll in his U.S. Patent No. 4,939,869, dated July 10, 1990, using a modified table saw and sanding disc to hone a knife. According to the teaching of Friel, U.S. Patent No. 5,005,319, dated April 9, 1991, the use of an orbitally powered sanding device is used to sharpen or hone knives.

The apparatus and method of the present invention, which use the use of an orbitally articulated abrasive medium to effect the honing of sharpened, elongated, straight-edged cutting knives, differ in both structure and method from the previous teachings, and although some of the elements, as well as the technique of the present invention, have been disclosed in the prior art, there is no description therein of the combination of the elements that result in features of a novel teaching as set forth below.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a basic object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for honing elongated straight-edged cutting knives that will automatically hone and finish a ground knife in a single pass through the apparatus.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for honing elongated, straight-edged cutting knives, the knife being formed by a plurality of longitudinally arranged, simultaneously operated, cooperative, orbitally driven honing heads, sequentially having abrasive surfaces progressively finer honing media are provided, reciprocally or to move back and forth.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for honing elongated straight-edged cutting knives that use an elastically supported surface of a honing medium to increase the honing effectiveness.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for honing elongated straight-edged cutting knives which is adapted to receive knives of different lengths, widths and thicknesses.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for honing elongated, straight-edged cutting knives which allow a plurality of knives to be machined in a single honing pass through the apparatus.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for honing elongated straight-edged cutting knives which enable honing in an automatic, single pass of a sharpened knife without manual handling thereof during the honing process.

In particular, it is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and a method for honing elongated, straight-edged cutting knives which safely and effectively form a smooth and sharp cutting edge on a sharpened knife.

It is also an additional object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for honing elongated straight-edged cutting knives by reciprocating a plurality of orbitally driven honing heads past a stationary, ground knife.

The foregoing, and other objects, will become readily apparent upon studying the following description and the accompanying drawings which form a part thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

1 shows a top plan view of the apparatus incorporating the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a front elevation of the device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a top view of an exemplary ground knife, typically those honed by the device and method thereof.

FIG. 4 shows an enlarged section of an example of a ground knife, as shown in FIG. 3 and seen along the line 4 - 4 thereof.

FIG. 5 shows an enlarged section of the previous exemplary knife, which in this case is however shown after it has been honed by the device and the method thereof.

Fig. 6 shows an enlarged side elevation of the upper, orbitally driven honing head.

FIG. 7 shows a top plan view of the upper orbitally driven honing head as shown in FIG. 6.

Fig. 8 shows an enlarged side elevation of a lower, orbitally driven honing head.

FIG. 9 shows a top plan view of the lower, orbitally driven honing head as shown in FIG. 8.

Fig. 10 shows an enlarged partial top view of the knife holder support as shown in Fig. 2 and can be seen along the line 10-10 thereof.

Fig. 11 shows an enlarged side sectional elevation of the knife holder support as shown in Fig. 10 and seen along the line 11-11 thereof.

Fig. 12 shows an enlarged side sectional elevation of the knife holder carrier similar to that shown in Fig. 11 but seen along line 12-12 of Fig. 10, and further showing the relationship of the upper and lower orbitally driven honing heads to the knife.

FIG. 13 shows an enlarged top plan view of the upper and lower orbitally driven honing head stations as shown in FIG. 2 and seen along line 13-13 thereof.

FIG. 14 shows an enlarged side sectional view of the upper and lower orbitally driven honing head station as shown in FIG. 13 and seen along line 14-14 thereof.

FIG. 15 shows an enlarged side sectional view of the upper orbitally driven honing head as shown in FIG. 13 and seen along line 15-15 thereof.

Figure 16 shows an enlarged side sectional view of the lower orbitally driven honing head as shown in Figure 13 and seen along line 16-16 thereof.

17 through 21 comprise a simplified schematic sequence illustrating a progressive side elevation with corresponding end elevation views of the upper orbitally driven honing head in operation.

22 through 26 comprise a simplified schematic sequence illustrating a progressive side elevation with corresponding end elevation views of the lower orbitally driven honing head in operation.

Figure 27 shows a top plan view of a version of an alternative embodiment of the device according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In Fig. 1 a plan view of the device for automated honing or elongated, straight-edged cutting knife 10 is shown, the main component parts of a support frame 12, which is composed of interconnected horizontal and vertical parts 14 and 16, a control panel 18, which with a Power supply source is connected by a line device 20, through which the various control and operating stations are supplied with energy and steered or positioned, a movable knife holder carrier 22, which is provided with a plurality of knife clamps 24, through which a sharpened, elongated, straight-edged cutting knife 26 for honing in an aligned position for indexed advancement is secured by knife honing station 28, the latter having a plurality of sets of upper and lower orbitally driven knife honing heads 30 and 32, respectively, whereby sharpened knife 26 automatically honed and provided with a sharply finished cutting edge under a single, indicated cycle by the device 10.

Reference is made side by side to FIGS. 1 and 2 to describe in greater detail the major component parts of this invention as well as to explain the structurally interacting features thereof, in addition to the method of automated honing of a sharpened, elongated, straight-edged cutting knife 26 that is delivered by it.

First, the sharpened knife 26 is placed on the movable knife holder support 22 and positioned thereon with respect to the knife honing station 28 by communicative alignment and striking a longitudinal end of the knife 26 on the knife holder 28 Knife alignment end stop 36, which is a stationary alignment device attached to the infeed 38 of the honing head station of the movable knife holder carrier, and thus aligns the longitudinal alignment of the knife 26 to be honed with respect to the knife honing station 28. Cooperating with the knife alignment end stop 36 and used in conjunction to establish the appropriate lateral and angular adjustment along the longitudinal axis of the sharpened knife 26 with respect to the knife honing station 28 is the knife adjustment jig 40 which will be explained in more detail below Briefly, a retractable knife aligner pivotally positioned for lateral and angular knife adjustment by means of the knife adjuster actuator cylinder 42, which is activated via the knife set tensioner up and down control switches 44 and 46 of the control panel 18, respectively. and allows the sharpened cutting edge 34 of the knife 26 to be positioned to progressively progressive away from the work surfaces of the upper and lower honing heads 30 and 32 during a longitudinally displaced passageway therethrough to move and thereby avoid cutting and damaging it by the sharpened cutting edge 34 of the knife 26.

Once the sharpened, elongated, straight-edged cutting knife 26 is aligned longitudinally and laterally with respect to the angular orientation along the longitudinal axis feed to the knife honing station 28, the oriented knife 26 is then pressed together on the movable knife holder carrier 22 by means of the knife clamps 24 and held in position . It should be emphasized that a magnetic bed is often used to secure and hold steel workpieces such as knives and the like on a movable bed or support. In the present application, however, it has been experimentally determined that a mechanical safety device, such as knife clamps 24, provides the greatest flexibility and freedom in speed and ease of movement and adjustment to orient and secure the knives 26 for honing purposes , which is particularly the case when a plurality of relatively short knives 26 for honing end to end lengthways on the movable knife holder carrier 22 and can be aligned in this way for honing, as is shown in a setting with two knives in the top view in FIG. 1.

The movable knife holder carrier runs back and forth on a set of spaced tubular rails 48 by means of rail shoes 50, which are not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, but are shown in certain subsequent figures, and is cyclically lengthwise through the knife honing station 28 of a cable 52 moved back and forth, the respective ends of which are connected to each side of a pneumatically driven piston 54 which in turn is slidable back and forth within a sleeve 56. The cable 52 is connected to the movable knife holder bracket 22 at a cable connection 58 and operates on this connection 58 to change a longitudinal drive displacement direction of the movable knife holder bracket 22 when the cable 52 is operated around pulleys 60 and 62 when the drive piston is in motion 54 moves back and forth in the sleeve 56. Limits of the longitudinal displacement of the movable knife holder carrier 22 are set and controlled at the end of the knife honing station by the longitudinal displacement limit switch 64 of the movable knife holder carrier and at the return end by the limit switch 66 of the movable knife holder carrier.

With the sharpened knife 26, or a plurality of relatively short such knives 26 butting end to end, which are aligned and secured to the movable knife holder support 22 as described above, the device 10 is accordingly set for a honing operation. In this case, however, it would be considered useful to check the settings of the knife 26 or honing station 28, with an operator moving the movable knife holder carrier 22 in and out of the honing station 28 by means of the switches 70 and 72 for left or right orientation respectively Can move longitudinally. Assuming a suitable setting or position, the operator can then initiate the knife honing cycle by activating the automatic cycle switch 74 which shifts the movable knife holder carrier 22 forward and backward in a single honing cycle pass from the knife honing station 28 operated by cams 76 . In the above manner, which will be described in more detail below, the sharpened knife 26 consequently finished in a single forward and backward cycle pass by knife honing station 28. Alternatively, an operator may effect a single or multiple forward and return cycles of the movable knife holder carrier 22 through the knife station 28 using the run and stop switches 78 and 80, whether automatically cycled or otherwise, the cumulative number of the cycles is recorded on the cycle counter 82.

3 to 5 for viewing a typical, sharpened, elongated, straight-edged cutting knife 26 and the various aspects of honing as related thereto. As shown in the top plan view in FIG. 3, a knife 26, which is usually made of hardened or tempered steel, has an elongated, rectangular body 84 which is provided with a plurality of screw hole openings 86 through which connecting screws are inserted, when the knife 26 is mounted in a cutting or trimming machine. The knife is also provided with an inclined surface 88 which ends in a sharpened cutting edge 34. When a knife 26 is sharpened, such as with grinding wheels in a separate machine operation, to give the knife 26 a renewed edge, a mechanical result of such a sharpening process is the formation of a burr 90 that must be removed by honing when the knife 26 is thereafter should be used without having scratching or damage problems during cutting or trimming processes. Not only is the count 90 removed during the honing process to form a sharp cutting edge, but additional cutting edge material from the knife 26 is also removed to continue to produce a cross cutting edge 92, as shown in FIG. 5, which, in combination , a sharp, reinforced cutting edge profile 94, as can be seen from the new cutting edge angles "a" and "b" on the top and bottom sides, alternately provides an approximately thirty-five and two degree relative angular relationship, as is the case on the underside of the knife surface 96 is shown. As previously emphasized, the preferred honing result, as shown in FIG. 5, is achieved with a single, cyclical pass of a sharpened knife 26, as shown in FIG. 4, through the honing station 28 of the device 10.

Turning now to FIGS. 6 through 9, the structural features of the upper and lower orbital or orbital knife honing arrangements 30 and 32, by means of which honing is carried out. The view shown in FIG. 6 is an enlarged side elevation of the upper, orbitally powered knife honing head 30, with the corresponding top plan view thereof as shown in FIG. 7. The views shown in Figs. 8 and 9 are similar to the foregoing, but are for the lower, orbitally powered knife honing head 32, with the respective heads 30 and 32 used in cooperative sets, and although they are profiled at different angles to effect honing, they are of similar construction and function. In both cases, each knife honing head has a motor 98 which is enclosed and carried within a knife honing head housing 100 and which is connected by means of energy supply channels or lines 102 to suitable activation switch devices, which are described and explained more fully below. Each motor 98 is provided with an eccentric drive transmission 104, via which an orbital drive movement is applied directly to the honing medium fastening head 106 by means of a shaft 108, wherein each honing medium fastening head 106 is made from a suitable, elastic material on which an abrasive honing medium - Sheet 110 can be suitably attached and secured, for example by a contact adhesive or some other suitable mechanical device. It will be noted that the head housings 100 are assembled using screws 112, the removal of these screws 112 in turn allowing the side plate 114 to be removed, thereby allowing access to the engine 98 or transmission 104 as well as those Line or duct connections 116 for maintenance and repair purposes. Upper knife honing support arm 118 secures and positions upper orbitally driven knife honing head 30, and lower knife honing supporting arm 120 secures and positions lower orbitally driven knife honing head 32, and in both cases arms 118 and 120 are of sufficient structural strength to accommodate both the weight of the respective heads 30 and 32 as well as the orbital vibratory movements thereof. A cooperative, mechanical process of the upper and lower orbitally driven knife honing heads 30 and 32 will be described in more detail below with detailed consideration of FIGS. 17 to 26 inclusive.

10 to 12 in a more detailed explanation of the use and operation of the knife adjuster 40 as well as certain of the other mechanically cooperative and structural features of the device 10 thereof. As stated earlier, the purpose of the knife adjuster 40 is to align the sharpened cutting edge 34 of the knife 26 in an angular relationship to the longitudinal axis of the direction of linear displacement "X" of the movable knife holder carrier 22. The foregoing is necessary so that during a honing cycle shift of the movable knife holder support 22 through the knife honing station 28, it is possible, and also to cause movement of the sharpened cutting edge 34 progressively from the abrasive blades 110 of the honing medium during a linearly displaced contact therewith avoid cutting and damaging the blades 110 by the sharpened cutting edge 34 of the knife 26 during honing operations. It will be noted that the angular adjustment of the sharpened cutting edge 34 of the knife 26 to the longitudinal axis of the direction of linear displacement "X" is 2 degrees. However, the 2 degree angle adjustment of the cutting edge 34 to the longitudinal axis "X" is not to be construed to be limiting per se, but has been found experimentally to be an angle that is operational for the purpose specified is suitable.

As previously described, the knife adjuster 40 is pivotally retractable about jig joints 122 when the actuator cylinder 42 of the knife adjuster is activated by the up or down switches 44 or 46 on the control panel. Furthermore, the knife adjustment clamping device 40 is provided with an elastic knife edge contact rod 124 against which the sharpened cutting edge 34 of the knife 26 can be moved in an aligned position without damage. And, as additionally and previously stated, the knife adjustment jig 40 is used in conjunction with the knife alignment end stop 36 to establish a suitable longitudinal positioning of the knife 26. Also with the knife alignment end stop 36 and the limit switch 64 for the longitudinal displacement of the movable knife holder carrier, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIGS. 11 and 12 below, the longitudinally adjustable displacement limit switch roller 126, whereby a forward displacement of the movable knife holder carrier 22 by the knife honing station 28 in relation adjustable to the length of the sharpened cutting edge 34 of the knife 26 to be honed so as to reverse and cycle back to the start.

The knife clamps 24 are also shown in larger, structural and operational detail in FIG. 10, each such knife clamp 24 being provided with a mounting bracket 128 which in turn is mounted on the movable knife holder bracket 22 by means of carrier screws 130. Mounted pivotably on each carrier 128 is an upwardly projecting clamping arm 132 with a pressure or compression roller 134, which can be operated cooperatively via a clamping lever arm 136 in order to compress an elastic compression tip 138 on an aligned positioned knife 26 for honing on the movable knife holder carrier 22 lock, it will be found that the resilient compression tip 138 is vertically adjustable by means of a threaded shaft 140 which is screwed in over the end of the clamp lever arm 136 so as to receive knives 26 which have rectangular knife bodies 84 of different thicknesses.

The enlarged side sectional elevation shown in FIG. 11 further explains the operation of the knife adjuster 40, the solid line thereof extending the knife alignment position with the actuating cylinder 42 of the knife adjuster extended, and the length of the sharpened cutting edge 34 of the Knife 26 positioned in fixed contact with the elastic knife edge contact rod 124, as shown. If the knife 26 is so angularly aligned with the longitudinal axis and the insertion of the knife 26 is in tight abutting contact with the knife alignment end stop 36, as shown earlier and more clearly in FIG. 10, then the Knife clamps 24 are closed to bring the elastic compression tips 138 each of them along the length of the knife 26 into compressive contact with the right-angled knife body 84, and accordingly the knife 26 is appropriately compressed or pressed in an aligned position on the movable knife holder carrier 22. The actuator cylinder 42 of the knife adjuster chuck is then retracted, as indicated, and the knife adjuster 40, connected thereto via lever arm 142, pivots about chuck joints 122 and is retracted in a manner similar to that indicated is. It should also be noted that the actuating cylinder 42 of the knife adjustment jig is not fixedly attached, but is floating in a pivotable connection between the frame pivot pin 144 and the lever arm pivot pin 146.

An additional operational feature of the device 10, which is shown in greater detail in FIG. 10, is the honing head power supply switch 148, which serves to switch off the power supply to the knife honing heads 30 and 32 upon completion of a knife honing cycle. Also, upper and lower knife honing opening cams 150 and 152 are provided with a camshaft 154 and a camshaft actuating cylinder 156 plus the cylinder camshaft linkage 158, whereby the upper and lower knife honing heads 30 and 32 complete one at the completion of the forward phase Honing cycle are spread apart from each other, thereby allowing an unobstructed return when cycling the movable knife carrier holder 22 to the starting position shown.

Attention is now drawn to the enlarged side sectional elevation view shown in FIG. 12, which is similar to that previously shown with reference to FIG. 11, but includes a more detailed illustration of the knife honing station 28 in this view the camshaft actuating cylinder 156 is activated, thereby spreading the knife honing opening cams 150 and 152 through the connection 158 in the knife honing heads 30 and 32 to better configure their relative relationships to the aligned and secured knife 26 and the sharpened cutting edge 34 for honing. As shown, when the knife honing heads 30 and 32 are configured in the spreading profile as described above, the respective honing medium abrasive blades thereof are arranged to provide clearance for the knife 26 to pass freely create, as would be the case during a return cycle of the movable knife holder carrier 22 to the starting position with completion of a knife honing. However, during knife honing, the camshaft actuating cylinder would be in a retracted position so that the respective knife honing heads 30 and 32 would be in a non-spread profile and the relative operational positions thereof would each be a function of the cam 76 associated with engages the upper and lower knife honing cam followers 160 and 162, which in turn are connected to the upper and lower knife honing support arms 118 and 120 through their respective upper and lower cam follower link arms 164 and 166. The upper and lower knife honing support arms 118 and 120 are vertically slidable on their respective arm mounting and retention shafts 168 and 170, the upper knife honing head 30 being actuated against gravity by means of cams and the lower knife honing head 32 against a spring force of the lower knife honing head tension spring 172 is operated. Also shown in FIG. 12 is the honing head shroud housing or cabinet 174 which serves to provide both operator and machine safety.

Attention is now directed to Fig. 13, which is an enlarged top plan view of knife honing station 28 and in more detail showing the relation of the insertion end 38 of the movable knife holder carrier honing head station with an aligned and mounted knife 26 in a honing relationship to. It will first be noted that there are two sets of upper and lower, orbitally powered knife honing heads 30 and 32, which comprise units of work for the knife honing station 28. This will be considered as an example only, since the plurality of sets of knife honing heads 30 and 32 could be any number that is found to be most suitable according to the type of knife honing to be performed. In the present application, however, it has been experimentally determined that a leading set of knife honing heads 30 and 32 secured with an abrasive blade 110 with relatively coarse-grained honing medium by removing the sharpening ridge 90 from the sharpened cutting edge 34 of the knife 26 and from the To provide chisel edge 92, as shown previously in FIG. 5, followed by a trailing set of knife honing heads 30 and 32, each of which is secured with an abrasive blade 110 of relatively fine grain honing medium, to provide finishing honing and the sharp, reinforced cutting edge profile 94, as also shown previously in FIG. 5, is a satisfactory and suitable combination. Second, it will be noted that the 2 degree angular orientation of the knife 26 to the longitudinal axis direction of the linear displacement "X" provides a sharpened cutting edge 34 which provides a displacement transition adjustment by contact with and past the abrasive blades 110, so as to minimize prospecting for cutting and damage to it during honing operations. And third, the relative relationships of the actuating cam members actuated by cam 76, which is fixed and slidable to movable knife holder bracket 22, which sequentially rests in the upper and lower knife honing cam followers 160 and 162 upon effecting an honing cycle sequence of the upper one, respectively and the lower orbitally driven knife honing heads 30 and 32, and the upper and lower knife honing opening cams 150 and 152 are shown which operate by activating the camshaft actuating cylinder at the end of the knife honing cycle as they move through the longitudinal displacement limit switch 64 of the movable knife holder carrier triggered to cause the upper and lower knife honing heads 30 and 32 to spread, as shown previously in FIG. 12, and thereby enable an undisturbed return cycle of the movable knife holder carrier 22 to the starting position. Also, when the camshaft actuating cylinder 156 is activated, the cylinder camshaft connection connection 158 engages the honing head power supply switch 148 and switches off the power supply to the knife honing heads 30 and 32. A clearer representation of the honing head power cut-off by engagement of the honing head power supply switch 148 with the connection 158 of the cylinder-camshaft connection is shown in a solid line representation in FIG. 14.

15 and 16 illustrate operational configurations of the upper and lower knife honing heads 30 and 32 of the preceding knife honing set relative to the movable knife holder carrier 22 immediately prior to initiating a knife 26 honing cycle, these views correspond to those made along lines 15-15 and 16-16 of FIG. 13. 15 and 16 are the operational ones Initiation relationships of the knife honing cycle for the knife honing heads 30 and 32 to the sharpened cutting edge 34 of the knife 26 to be honed, the cam 76 to the upper and lower knife honing cam followers 160 and 162, and the upper and lower knife honing head opening cams 150 and 152 to the upper and lower cam follower link arms 164 and 166, with FIG. 15 corresponding to the simplified upper honing head actuation sequence views starting with and shown in FIG. 17 and continuing through and including FIG. 21, and FIG. 16 corresponds to such simplified operational sequence views of the lower knife honing head 32, which begin and are shown in FIG. 22 and continue through to FIG. 26 inclusive. As will also be noted, at the time a honing cycle is initiated, as illustrated by FIGS. 15 and 16, the upper knife honing head 30 is in a gravitational home position with the retention collar 180 of the upper honing head of the support arm 118 at a rest position the upper bracket attachment and retainer shaft stop 182, and the spring biased home position of the lower knife honing head 32 with the upper retention collar 184 of the lower honing head of the bracket 120 at a compressed position against the lower bracket attachment and the retention shaft stop 186.

It is understood that although the views and description thereof as shown in Figs. 15 and 16, as well as the corresponding operational sequence series of Figs. 17 to 21, are for the upper knife honing head 30 for the leading knife honing head set, 22 to 26 for the lower knife honing head 32 are similar for the leading knife honing head set, and are also applicable to the operational sequences of the upper and lower knife honing heads 30 and 32 of the trailing knife honing head sets and are valid for one Have a plurality of them within the knife honing station 28. It should also be understood that while the respective operational sequences of the preceding knife honing set for the upper honing head 30 in FIGS. 17-21 and the lower honing head 32 in FIGS. 22-26 are separate for purposes of clarity of illustration and Description and description, certain of the corresponding operational sequences of the upper and lower knife honing heads 30 and 32 occur side by side during a honing cycle that the movable Knife holder 22 and the attached cam 76 advances through the knife honing station 28 to the front.

Turning now to an operating sequence of the upper knife honing head 30, as shown in FIGS. 17 through 21, where the left side illustration of each figure is a simplified view transverse to the line of operational honing cycle displacement of the movable knife carrier holder 22 and that the right side illustration of each figure is a corresponding simplified view along the line of operational honing cycle displacement of the movable knife holder carrier 22, that is, one side and a corresponding end view of the operational sequence of the head 30 below the honing cycle displacement stage is represented by each figure. It will be noted that the stage of the honing cycle sequence shown in FIG. 17 is as previously shown in the enlarged, simplified end elevation of the upper honing head 30 as shown in FIG. 15, that is The head 30 mechanical and the knife 26 are a relation profile, which, like the movable knife holder carrier 22, are in the initial phases of an operational honing cycle shift immediately before the start of knife honing by the preceding knife honing head set. In relation to the foregoing, it will be seen that the upper orbitally driven knife honing head 30 rests under gravity, with the lower retention collar 180 of the upper honing head in contact against the upper support arm attachment and retention shaft stop 182, with the abrasive blade 110 as the honing medium thereof is below the level of the sharpened cutting edge 84 of the knife 26 to be honed. The upper knife honing head opening cam 150 is in a neutral position and the upper guide surface of the cam 76 has initially engaged the cam knife lifter 160 of the upper knife honing head and has started to apply a lifting displacement to the upper knife honing head support arm 118 when the cam 76 is moved by the movable one Knife holder carrier 22 is carried forward by the knife honing station 28. Energy to the upper honing head 30 drives the abrasive blade 110 with honing medium in an orbital movement with respect to the sharpened cutting edge 34 to be honed.

The views shown in FIG. 18 further illustrate a progressive forward shift in the operational honing cycle of the cam 76 with a corresponding elevation shift in the upper honing head as the cam follower 160 continues to run on the upper guide surface of the cam 76, so that the surface of the abrasive blade 110 as the honing medium clears the edge of the advancing knife 26, so that the head 30 can then be lowered and honing contact of the surface of the abrasive blade 110 on the sharpened cutting edge 34 which is now underlying can be brought about, to begin an initial honing from the top when the cam follower 160 crosses the top, recessed surface of the cam 76.

In Fig. 19, the cam 76 has shifted forward to the point where the cam follower 160 has disengaged from the upper, recessed surface thereof and the upper orbitally driven honing head 30 has its abrasive blade 110 made of honing medium under the force of gravity Arrange head 30 on the sharpened cutting edge 34 of the knife 26 to effect honing from above. It will be noted that the opening cam 150 of the upper knife honing head remains in a neutral, non-activated state, as shown.

The views shown in Fig. 20 illustrate the completion of a honing cycle by the upper honing head 30 of the preceding knife honing head set, with a continued, forward displacement of the movable knife holder carrier 22 and the cam 76, which is to be followed by the knife honing station 28 Honing head sets, and a repeat cycle of subsequent upper honing heads 30 as described above is performed, it will be understood, as previously referred to, that the honing medium of the abrasive blades 110 of the subsequent honing head 30 progressively become finer by to form the sharp-edged transverse cutting edge 92 with a reinforced cutting edge profile 94 on the finished, honed knife 26. It will also be noted that when the knife 26 clears the leading knife honing head set, the upper honing head 30 moves away from the trailing edge of the knife 26 and returns to the gravitational exit profile, as indicated, wherein the lower retention collar 180 of the upper The honing head is again in contact against the upper support arm attachment and retention shaft stop 182 and with the abrasive blade 110 of honing medium, again below the level of the sharpened cutting edge 34 of the knife 26 which has just been moved forward therethrough.

Now, the views shown in FIG. 21 schematically illustrate the completion of an automated honing cycle wherein the shift limit switch roller 126 has engaged and triggered the limit switch 64, as shown in FIG. 1, thereby to stop and reverse the direction of travel of the movable knife holder bracket 22 to cycle back to the starting position, as also shown in FIG. 1, and to activate the camshaft actuating cylinder 156 to cause movement over the cylinder-camshaft connection 158 To transmit camshaft 154 which moves the upper knife honing head cam 150 to engage and lift the upper knife honing arm 118 and thereby raise the upper heads 30 of the leading and trailing knife honing head sets so as to provide a back cycling return displacement pass of the moveable aren knife holder carrier 22 with the honed knife 26 which is carried thereby. Also, when the cylinder camshaft link connection 158 is activated, contact is thereby made with the honing power supply switch 148, as shown in FIG. 1 and various subsequent figures, and power to the upper honing heads 30 is interrupted. This then completes the operational honing cycle sequence for the upper orbitally driven honing heads 30, whether profiled in the initial or trailing honing head set.

The operational sequence of the lower knife honing head 32, as shown in FIGS. 22 to 26, is now considered, with the left side illustration of each figure being a simplified view across the line of operational honing cycle displacement of the movable knife holder carrier 22, as before, and FIG right side illustration of each figure is a corresponding simplified view along the line of operational honing cycle displacement of the movable knife holder carrier 22, which is a side and corresponding end view of the operational sequence of the head 32 are under a shift stage of the honing cycle as shown by each figure. It will be noted that the level of the honing cycle sequence shown in FIG. 22 is as previously shown in the enlarged, simplified end elevation of the lower honing head 32 shown in FIG. 16, that is, the The head 32 of the profile 32 mechanical and the knife 26 are a relation profile, which, like the movable knife holder carrier 22, are in the initial phase of a shift in the operational honing cycle immediately before the start of knife honing by the preceding knife honing head set. In the foregoing, it will be seen that the lower orbitally powered knife honing head 32 is in a position biased by a spring 172 with the upper retention collar 184 of the lower honing head in contact against the mounting and retention shaft stop 186 of the lower support arm, the abrasive sheet 110 with the honing medium being at the lower level of the sharpened cutting edge 34 of the knife 26 to be honed. Initiation of honing of the knife 26 by the cooperating upper knife honing head 30 of the preceding honing head set at this stage would occur in the full stages as previously described if the movable knife holder carrier 22 with the cam 76 mounted therein continues the automatic knife honing cycle and follows at the front into the station of the lower, orbitally driven knife honing head 32 of the preceding honing head set, which is shown here. As also shown, the opening cam 152 of the lower knife honing head is in a neutral position and the lower, leading side of the cam 76 has initially engaged in the cam follower 162 of the lower knife honing head and has started to counteract a falling movement towards the support arm 120 of the lower knife honing head to apply the tension force of the spring 172 when the cam 76 carried by the movable knife holder bracket 22 continues to move forward through the knife honing station 28. Energy to the lower knife honing head 32 drives the abrasive blade 110 with honing medium in an orbital movement with respect to the sharpened cutting edge to be honed.

The views shown in FIG. 23 illustrate the forward displacement of a continued operational honing cycle of the cam 76 with a corresponding lowering displacement of the lower honing head 32 when the cam follower 162 continues to run on the lower guide surface of the cam 76 so that the surface of the honing medium abrasive blade 110 hangs below the edge of the advancing knife 26 and clears it so that the head 32 is then raised by the tension of the spring 172 can and the honing contact of the surface of the abrasive blade 110 can be made on the now sharpened cutting edge 34 to perform an initial honing from below when the cam follower 162 crosses the lower, recessed surface of the cam 76.

In Fig. 24, cam 76 continues to move forward as cam follower 162 moves to disengage from the lower recessed surface thereof, and lower orbitally driven honing head 32 arranges its abrasive blade 110 from honing medium under tension of the spring 172 on the underside of the sharpened cutting edge 34 of the knife 26 to complete the completion of the initial honing thereof from below. It will be noted that the opening cam 152 of the lower knife honing head remains in the neutral, non-activated state, as shown. The views shown in FIG. 25 illustrate the completion of both the honing cycle operation by the lower honing head 32 and the initial honing of the knife 26 by the leading honing head set of the knife honing station 28. From this point, a continued, forward displacement of the movable knife carrier holder 22 and cam 76 carried thereupon by the knife honing station 28 to trailing honing head sets and a repeat cycle of the subsequent lower honing heads 32 as described above, it being understood that how previously referred to, the abrasive blade 110 of honing medium from the subsequent head 32 progressively becomes finer to produce the very sharp cross-cut 92 of a reinforced cutting edge profile 94 on the finished, honed knife 26. It will also be noted that, as indicated, when the knife 26 clears the leading knife honing head set, the lower honing head 32 moves away from the trailing edge of the knife 26 and to the top biased position by the spring 172 Retention collar 184 of the lower honing head returns in contact against the mounting and retention shaft stop 186 of the lower support arm and again with the abrasive blade 110 of honing medium above the level of the sharpened cutting edge 34 of the knife 26, which has just been pushed forward through it, comes into contact.

Reference is now made to the views shown in FIG. 26, which schematically illustrate the completion of the automatic honing cycle wherein the shift limit switch track roller 126 has engaged and triggered the shift limit switch 64, as shown in FIG. 1 to thereby simultaneously stop the direction of displacement of the movable knife holder bracket 22 and return to the retracted starting position as also shown in FIG. 1 and activate the camshaft actuating cylinder 156 to move through the linkage 158 of the cylinder-camshaft linkage to the camshaft 154, which moves the lower knife honing head opening cam 152 to engage and depress the lower knife honing arm 120, thereby suspending the lower heads 32 of the leading and trailing knife honing heads, so as to recycle back allow passage of movement of the movable knife holder support 22 with the honed knife 26 carried thereby. Also, when the cylinder camshaft link connection 158 is activated, contact is thereby made with the honing power switch 148, as shown in FIG. 1 and certain subsequent figures, and power to the lower honing heads 32 is interrupted. This then completes the operational honing cycle sequence for the lower orbitally driven honing heads 32, whether profiled in the initial or the trailing honing head set.

Finally, attention is drawn to Fig. 27, which shows a top plan view of an alternative embodiment 10a of the apparatus of the present invention for automated honing of elongated, straight-edged cutting knives, in which embodiment the knife honing station 28a is movable with the cable 52 is connected and reciprocally driven by the pneumatic piston 54 on the spaced tubular rails 48, thereby honing a sharpened cutting edge 34 of an elongated straight-edged cutting knife 26 which is in an aligned arrangement, in this case by a To effect a plurality of knife clamps 24 on a stationary knife holder holder 22a.

The primary functional purpose of alternative embodiment 10a of the present invention is to make a more refined modification of outdated knife sharpening equipment in a knife honing machine in an automated, single cycle. And with the exceptions of displacement of the movable honing head station 28a past a stationary knife carrier holder 22a rather than vice versa, a modified, mechanical mode of operation of the knife adjustment clamping device 40 is replaced by an upward and downward movement, instead of a pivotable process, and the stationary cam movable cam to actuate the upper and lower orbitally driven knife honing heads 30 and 32, while the machine and method of the invention remain the same.

Next, consider alternative embodiment 10a of the operation of knife adjustment jig 40, with, as before, a descending, angular adjustment of 2 degrees of sharpened cutting edge 34 of knife 26 to be honed with respect to the longitudinal axis of a linear displacement X of the movable knife honing station 28a is present. Operation of the knife adjuster 40 is up and down within a spaced adjustment of channel guide tracks 188 attached to horizontal frame members 14 at each longitudinal or longitudinal end of the frame of the meter adjuster 40. In this case, the jig 40 is positioned and retracted to allow the use of the resilient knife edge contact bar 124 for knife alignment purposes prior to initiating a honing cycle using a cooperative set of push-pull cylinders 190 provided by the control panel 18 are cyclically moved to raise and depress the frame of the chuck 40. And, as previously described in connection with the knife alignment end stop 36, the knife 26 and sharpened cutting edge 34 thereof are adjusted for honing by the frame of the chuck 40 so as to make a sloping transition of the upper and lower knife honing heads 30 and 32 thereby achieve the probability during a honing cycle shift thereof along the surface of the sharpened cutting edge 34 for honing reduce damage to the abrasive blades 110 with honing medium, as previously discussed. The push-pull cylinders 190 are actuated by means of the up and down switches 44 and 46 for the knife setting pretensioning device of the control panel 18.

The upper and lower knife honing heads 30 and 32 are cyclically moved in the same manner as previously described, which occurs through an interaction of the cam followers 160 and 162 with the cam 76 which is attached to the stationary knife carrier holder 22a. In this case, however, the cam followers 160 and 162 are moved with the movable knife honing station 28a behind the cam 76, which is fastened in a fixed position, as shown, on the stationary knife carrier holder 22a.

The actuation of the camshaft 154 to cause the upper and lower knife honing heads 30 and 32 to be raised and depressed by means of the upper and lower knife honing opening cams 150 and 152 for a cyclically retracted transition of the movable knife honing station 28a back to the starting position takes place through an interaction of the cyclically recycle activated lever 192 with the fixed, recycle cam plate 194, and at the start position to close heads 30 and 32 by interaction of the cyclically activating lever 196 with the fixed cycle cam plate 198.

Except for the mechanical differences noted above, the operation and method of alternative embodiment 10a of the device are the same as previously for a cooperative interaction of the upper and lower honing heads 30 and 32 of the movable honing head station 28a in conjunction with the stationary knife holder bracket 22a and the attached one Cam 76 has been described.

Although the automated honing of elongated straight-edged cutting knives has been shown and described in both a preferred and an alternative embodiment thereof, including the respective structural characteristics and operating method thereof, what is considered to be the most practical and preferred combinations is to be seen so that modifications thereof in each case within the general inventive concept of Invention may be made which is not limited per se to the specific details disclosed herein, but is limited by the scope of the claims and includes any and all equivalents such as devices, apparatus and methods.

Claims (32)

Device for automated honing of elongated, straight-edged cutting knives, characterized in that the device, in combination, has a support frame which is mounted on it and has a movable knife holder carrier, a plurality of regularly spaced clamping devices which are mounted on the knife holder carrier and are suitable for aligning at least one to secure sharpened, straight-edged cutting knife for automated honing, means for cyclically displacing the movable knife holder carrier from a point of beginning linearly along the longitudinal axis of the device, a knife honing station displaced longitudinally from the point of beginning along the longitudinal axis, which a cooperating plurality of knife honing heads possesses which are suitable for sequentially engaging and progressively honing a cutting edge of the sharpened, straight-edged cutting knife in a single, longitudinally displaced cycle, and a device for cyclical return to automatically return the movable knife holder carrier to the point of beginning at the end of the single, longitudinally shifted cycle. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the movable knife holder carrier is provided with a knife alignment end stop positioned at the honing head station introducer perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the device. Apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the movable knife holder support is provided with a knife adjustment clamping device which is pivotally mounted on the support frame. Device according to claim 3, characterized in that the knife adjustment clamping device is profiled at an angular disposition to the longitudinal axis of the device. Apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the knife adjustment clamping device is provided with an elastic knife edge contact rod in order to angularly align the cutting edge of the knife with a corresponding angular disposition to the longitudinal axis of the device. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the clamping devices are compression clamps. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the device for cyclically displacing the movable knife holder carrier is a pneumatically driven piston. Apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the pneumatically driven piston is connected to the movable knife holder carrier by means of a cable. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the knife honing station and the cooperating plurality of knife honing heads thereof have a leading knife honing head set and at least one trailing knife honing head set. Device according to claim 9, characterized in that the leading knife honing head set consists of an upper knife honing head and a lower knife honing head. Apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that the trailing knife honing head set is constructed from an upper knife honing head and a lower knife honing head. Apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that the leading, upper knife honing head and the leading, lower knife honing head are provided with an abrasive sheet made of a honing medium. Apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that the trailing, upper knife honing head and the trailing, lower knife honing head are provided with an abrasive blade made of progressively finer honing medium. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the interacting plurality of knife honing heads is driven orbitally. Device for the automated honing of elongated, straight-edged cutting knives, characterized in that the device, in combination, a support frame which has a knife holder carrier mounted thereon, has a plurality of regularly spaced clamping devices which are mounted on the knife holder carrier and are suitable for being aligned to secure at least one sharpened, elongated, straight-edged cutting knife for automated honing, a movable knife honing station at a point of beginning that is longitudinally displaced to the knife holder carrier linearly along the longitudinal axis of the device, a cooperating plurality of knife honing heads that have the knife honing station, devices for cyclically shifting the movable knife honing station from the point of start along the longitudinal axis to sequentially into a cutting edge of the sharpened, elongated, straight-edged cutting knife in a single, longitudinally shifted cycle thereby e and to progressively hone it, and cyclical return means to automatically return the movable knife honing station to the point of beginning at the end of the single, longitudinally shifted cycle. Device according to claim 15, characterized in that the knife holder support is provided with a knife alignment end stop on the honing head station introducer positioned perpendicular thereto to the longitudinal axis of the device. Apparatus according to claim 16, characterized in that the knife holder carrier is provided with a vertical reciprocating knife set clamping device which is cooperatively mounted on the carrier frame. Device according to claim 17, characterized in that the knife holder clamping device is at an angular disposition to the longitudinal axis of the device. Apparatus according to claim 17, characterized in that the knife holder clamping device is provided with an elastic knife edge contact rod in order to angularly align the cutting edge of the knife in the angular disposition to the longitudinal axis of the device. Apparatus according to claim 15, characterized in that the clamping devices are compression clamps. Apparatus according to claim 15, characterized in that the device for cyclically displacing the movable knife honing station is a pneumatically driven piston. Apparatus according to claim 21, characterized in that the pneumatically driven piston is connected to the movable knife honing station by a cable. Apparatus according to claim 15, characterized in that the movable knife honing station and the cooperating plurality of knife honing heads thereof have a leading knife honing head set and at least one trailing knife honing head set. Apparatus according to claim 23, characterized in that the leading knife honing head set has an upper knife honing head and a lower knife honing head. Apparatus according to claim 23, characterized in that the trailing knife honing head set has an upper knife honing head and a lower knife honing head. Device according to claim 24, characterized in that the leading upper knife honing head and the trailing lower knife honing head are each provided with an abrasive sheet made of honing medium. Device according to claim 25, characterized in that the trailing upper knife honing head and the trailing lower knife honing head are each provided with an abrasive blade made of progressively finer honing medium. Apparatus according to claim 15, characterized in that the interacting plurality of knife honing heads is driven orbitally. Method for honing elongated, straight-edged cutting knives with a device having a movable holder carrier and a device for holding a sharpened, straight-edged cutting knife thereon, a device for cyclically displacing the knife-holder holder reciprocally from a point of start linearly along the longitudinal axis of the device to a honing head station adjacent to the longitudinal axis path of a reversal, which has the steps of aligning securing the cutting knife on the movable knife holder, moving the movable knife holder with the cutting knife along the longitudinal axis of the device through a plurality of sequentially cooperating pairs of honing heads of the honing head station, which is suitable for this honing the cutting edge of the knife from above and from below in a single cyclical pass to a location of an end, spreading apart from the plurality of sequentially interacting pairs of honing heads and having reciprocal cycles of the movable knife holder with the honed cutting knife held there to the point of start. A method according to claim 29, characterized in that the device for retaining the sharpened, straight-edged cutting knife on the movable knife holder carrier is a plurality of mechanical clamping devices. A method according to claim 30, characterized in that the device for cyclically displacing the knife holder carrier is carried out reciprocally by a pneumatic cylinder drive. A method according to claim 31, characterized in that the knife holder carrier is stationary and the honing head station is cyclically reciprocally guided along the longitudinal axis of the device in order to progressively hone the cutting edge of the knife from above and below in a single, cyclical pass therethrough.

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