US2786308A - Article burnishing means - Google Patents

Description

March 26, 1957 c. c. KINKER ARTICLE BU RNISHING MEANS Filed Aug. 5, 1954 INVENTOR.

5 Sheets-Sheet 1 a 'C/arewce C flake/- ZOTF-WQQ 07:040

March 26, 1957 c. c. KINKER 2,786,308

ARTICLE BURNISHING MEANS File d Aug. 5, 1954 s Sheets-Sheet 2 REDUCER INVENTOR. Wee 6712M) BY m: Ari-y:

March 26, 1957 c. c. KINKER 2,786,308

ARTICLE BURNISHING MEANS Filed Aug. 5, 1954 5 Shets-Sheet a LEVEL O @URNISHING COMPOUND REDUCE-R INVENTOR. .C mwce C m BY m /m March 26, 1957 c. c. KINKER ARTICLE BUiRNISl-IING MEANS 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. C(wwu C. wow

firm J.

BY c7 @444 Filed Aug. 5; 1954 March 26, 1957 c. c. KINKER 2,

ARTICLE BURNISHING MEANS Filed Aug. 5, 1954 5 Shee ts-Sheet 5 IN V EN TOR.

BYWQ.2

ATT'YS.

ARTICLE BURNISHING MEANS Clarence C. Kinker, Manitou Beach, Mich., assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Hoover Ball & BearrngCompany, Ann Arbor, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application August 5, 1954, Serial No. 448,072 Claims. (Cl. 51-3) This invention relates to machines for burnishing articles while submerged in or flooded by a liquid having a burnishing material in suspension therein, and is particularly useful in connection with the burnishing of large articles of elongated form.

The primary object of the present invention is the provision of means comprising a tub containing or receiving a liquid with a burnishing material in suspension therein and at least one article to be burnished mounted in the tub in portions to be submerged in or flooded by the liquid, together with frictional rubbing or bufling means acting on the wetted articles, one of said tub and rubbing means being reciprocably movable throughout a predetermined substantially rectilinear path whereby buffing or polishing of the article takes place in first one and then in the opposite direction of movement of the movable means or article, thereby effecting an efiicient, economical and rapid finishing of the articles.

A further object of the invention is the provision, in an article burnishing machine, of a tub mounted 'for limited predetermined reciprocatory movements in a substantially horizontal plane, preferably in a straight line, and containing a liquid suspended burnishing material in which articles to be burnished are mounted in submerged relation, or which may be circulated over the face of the articles, together with driven frictional rubbing means operable in the tube in coperation with the liquid suspended burnishing material to burnish the wetted articles during movements in both directions of the tub.

A further object of the invention is the provision in a machine of the class described, wherein the burnishing or articles takes place with the articles completely wetted by an abrasive containing liquid, of rotating means for flexibly acting on the wetted articles in a manner to frictionally coact with and efficiently and economically burnish surfaces having complex contours, corners, bevels, projections and recesses. In the preferred form, the direction of motion of the rubbing elements of said rotating means moves in a direction parallel to the direction of movement of the articles so that more eflicient burnishing of the sides of grooves and projections is obtained.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description thereof, and fi o Tn the accompanying drawings illustrating one embodiment of the invention, and in which Fig. l is a plan view of one embodiment of the invention, with the reciprocably movable tank at the limit of its movement to the right;

Fig. 2 is a similar view to Fig. 1, with parts broken away, and with the tank substantially midway of its stroke movement;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation taken substantially on the line 3-3 in Fig. 2, with parts broken away;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross-section on the line 4-4 in Fig. 3, with parts in full;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of an intermedinited States PatentC "ice trated in the drawings, a tank having a liquid suspended burnishing material therein has provision for carrying one or more articles submerged in or flooded by the liquid, and driven frictional rubbing means is projected into the tank for burnishing engagement with the wetted articles, one at least of said tank and means being reciprocably movable relative to the other lengthwise of the tank whereby articles in the tank are successively acted on by the rubbing or burnishing means in successive rel ative stroke movements thereof. This burnishing action is preferably accomplished by a longitudinal movement of flexible rubbing members that have a trailing action relative to the face of the work so that the manner of engagement of the burnishing parts of said members with the articles is different during successive reverse strokes of the reciprocably moved part whereby an eflicient burnishing operation in a rapid and economical manner is accomplished regardless of the contour of the work.

Referring to the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, 20 designates a stationary base frame structure of elongated rectangular form in plan and having at its top the two longitudinally extending transversely spaced parallel rails 21, 21, in the present instance of angle bar form in cross-section.

Mounted over the frame 20 for guided movements lengthwise thereof is a tank 22 for containing a liquid 23 (Fig. 4) in which suitable burnishing material is held in suspension and in which the burnishing operation takes place. This tank, in the present instance, is substantially rectangular in horizontal section and is of a width substantially corresponding to the width of the base frame and is of a length considerably greater than such width, and in the present instance is longer than the frame. The tank is provided at each lower side edge with a lengthwise extending frame bar 24 preferably of angle iron with its vertical flange disposed outwardly and adapted to rest at its lower free edge on supporting and guiding rolls 25 mounted in lengthwise spaced relation on the outer side of each rail 21. These rolls are preferably grooved to receive the lower edges of the bars and serve to guide the tank movements lengthwise of the base frame.

The tank 22 is preferably provided interiorly along its lower side edges with diagonally disposed strips or fillets 26 Which serve to direct any of the burnishing material that may have settled out of the liquid toward the longitudinal center of the tank. The tank sides terminate at their upper edges in inwardly directed baflie flanges 27 forming inwardly-facing channel spaces 28 for the purpose hereinafter described.

Articles A to be burnished are mounted on brackets or fixtures 30 preferably arranged along both sides of the tank adjacent to its longitudinal center and in opposed relation. These brackets, in the present instance, are three in number at each side of the tank and are removably mounted on pedestals 31 (Fig. 4) provided on the strips 26, so as to permit the brackets to be replaced by others suitable for supporting the particular work-pieces to be burnished. At each stroke of the tank in one direction or the other, the set of supported work-pieces is moved entirely past or substantially past the burnishing means which projects down into the tank, as hereinafter described.

The drive means for the tank for moving it forward and backward on the base frame 20 comprises a motor 35 (Fig. 3) mounted centrally in the frame and having suitable driving connection, in the present instance, through a belt-and-pulley means 36 and shaft 37, with a reduction gearing in a housing 38. This gearing has a shaft 39 (Fig. 4) projecting up from the housing and carrying a pinion 40 in mesh with a rack 41 on the under side of the tank lengthwise thereof. A backing roller 42 engages the rack-bar in opposition to the pinion. The motor is of the reversing type and reversal takes place automatically at the end of each stroke movement of the tank with a very short time dwell at one end and a longer time dwell at the other end, the latter being sufiicient to permit removal and replacement of work on the brackets or fixtures 30, as hereinafter morefully described.

In the present machine, two mechanical burnishing unitsB .areprovided for operation in the tank 22 and cooperate with the liquid 23 in the tank to burnish the work Afthereinas thetank traverses forward and backward on the base frame 20. These units are spaced lengthwise of. the tank and are disposed adjacent the center of the frame 20 in positions that will not interfere with the stroke movements of the tank.

Each unit B, in the present instance, includes a standard 45 fixedly mounted at one side on the frame 20 or on the floor or other means supporting the base frame, and a verticaly adjustable sleeve 46 is mounted on the upper end of the standard. The sleeve is supported on the standard by a collar 47 threaded on the latter. The sleeve has a. bearing head48 on one side in which an arm 49 is mounted in transverse relation to the tank 22 and extends -at its inner end inwardly over the adjacent side of the tank (Figs. 1, 3 and 4). The inner end of the arm 49 carries a head forming a vertical bearing sleeve 50 over the transverse center of the tank, and a vertical shaft 51 is journaled in this sleeve (Fig. 4). The shaft 51 carries at its lower enda substantially disk-like burnishing head 53 forming a burnishing mat for operating on the upper edge portions .of work-pieces A mounted on opposed brackets 30 in the tank. The burnishing mat and its downwardly facing spaced finger elements may be wholly or partially submergedin the burnishing liquid 23 if the tank is filled with burnishing liquid, or .the parts may be flooded by circulated liquid as hereinafter described. If the upper face of the parts need not be finished the mat 52 may be omitted and pipes for the distribution of burnishing liquid run completely across the upper face of the parts as indicated in Fig. 2.

The shaft 51 also carries, immediately below the mat 52, a rotary hub 54 having a plurality of successive circumferentially spaced pliant arms 55, each having a multiplicity of pliant burnishing fingers 56 projecting laterally from the outer side thereof-near its outer end to form a burnishing mat at such end of the arm. Each arm 55 projects outward from the hub in a plane tangential to the hub and thence curves rearwardly and is yieldingly backed at itsinner side by resiliently pliant strips 57 which, during the burnishing operation, bent backward with the arms 55 in a direction reverse to the direction of rotation of the hub 54. In other words, the mat ends of the arms 55 have a-trailing action relative to the direction of rotation of the hub 54 and the rubbing fingers 56 Wipe longitudinally across the adjacent faces of the work-pieces A, conforming to the irregular surfaces thereof and efficiently burnishing'the same by rubbing both high and low spots and crevices therein in the presence .of the burnishing liquid so that the abrasive suspended in the liquid is broughtinto rubbing contact with exery exposed area of the work. The'arms 55 and their fingers 56 are preferably madeof rubber and may be reinforced and stiffened by other suitable material such as heavy fabric. The normal spread of the arm members 55, and the fingers 56 during rotation of the hub 54, is greater than ithedistance between the opposed work-pieces in the tank so that the arms and fingers are bent back by wiping engagement with the work. The rotational speed of the'burnishing head is made much greater than the translatory speed of the work so that the head makes several passes over the work as the tank makes a single reciprocation. It will be seen that the lateral spacing of the sides of the tank is preferably such that oppositely disposed work-pieces A are burnished simultaneously by the same set of pliant arms. In this manner, the output of the machine is substantially doubled over what it would be if the work-pieces were mounted only on one side or below the burnishing elements.

An electric motor 58 is carried by each arm 49 at its outer end and is in driving connection with the upper end of the shaft 50 through a belt-and-pulley connection 59.

A splash guard or cover 60 is disposed over the open top of the tank 22 above the area in which the burnishing members 52 and 55 operate. This cover is supported at its side edges by bracket arms 61 extending inwardly from the upper ends of posts 62 rising from the respective sides of the base structure 20. The side edge portions of the cover have horizontal bafile flanges 63 that freely enter the recesses 28 at the upper edges of the respective tank sides, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. This interengaging of the flanges does not interfere with the stroke movements of the tank.

Depending from the under side of the cover 69 adjacent to each end thereof and at one side of the last burnishing unit B of the line is a plow or sediment agitator 65. This element extends to near the bottom of the tank 22 without touching the same, and is triangular in cross-section with the sides thereof adjacent to the burnishing unit transversely concaved in an arc concentric to the axis of the adjacent shaft 51 and having its apex opposing such side as shown. During reciprocatory movements of the tank, the plows 65 cause an agitation of sediment or precipitated abrasive material that may settle on the tank bottom.

While it is preferred that the level of burnishing liquid in the tank be maintained high enough to submerge the work-pieces, it has been found that flooding of the work with abrasive-carrying liquid will sufiice in some instances. Flooding may be accomplished by a circulating pump P having its intake in the bottom of the tank and its discharge connected to a plurality of spray pipes 66. A spray pipeis located, as shown in Fig. 6, in advance of the path of rotation of the rubbing elements on each side of the tank, and the spray therefrom is directed against the respective laterally opposite work-pieces. The burnishing liquid is partially carried into contact with the work by the fingers of the rubbing elements. Other liquid discharge pipes'67 may be located above the work if the mat 52 is omitted as in those instances where burnishing only of the inwardly disposed face of the work is required. The abrasive-carrying liquid discharged from pipes 67 runs down over and completely floods the work.

It has been found that it is of great importance to maintain the temperature of the burnishing liquid at a relatively low level, below 90 F. and preferably below F. If the temperature is permitted to rise above this level, the work dries so rapidly that some of the very minute abrasive particles adhere thereto even through a thorough rinsing operation, and the adhering particles cause blisters and defects when the work is subsequently electroplated. With the lower temperature, the difficulty is eliminated and the scrap losses substantially reduced. Cooling of the abrasive-carrying liquid may be accomplished in any suitable'manner-as by passing cold water through pipes'68 in the lower portion of the tank in contact with the liquid therein. The water heated in these pipes may conveniently be used in the rinsing apparatus (not shown) to which the finished parts are passed from the burnishing machine. In the event that the burnishing liquid is circulated by pump P for flooding, a heat exchanger 69 may be used to keep such liquid within the specified temperature range.

In operation, the tank-22 is moved in first one direction and then the other by the motor 35 acting through the speed reducer 38 and rack and pinion 41, 40. At

each end of the tank movement a cam 70 on the tank strikes and operates a respective right or left limit switch arm 71 or 72, thus stopping the stroke movement and operating an associated time relay reversal switch 73 or 74 to [reverse the motor. The right reversal switch 73 has an oil dwell of approximately twenty seconds to allow time for removing burnished articles from the brackets 31 and replacing them with others, while the olf dwell of the reversal switch at the other end is only about one-quarter second. During each stroke of the tank, the set of work-pieces A mounted therein moves entirely past both (or all) burnishing units B, or substantially so, whereby each work-piece is acted on by each burnishing head to effect a thorough burnishing thereof with the pliant fingers of the mats engaging and eiiiciently burnishing both depressed and high spots thereon, such action taking place while the articles are submerged in or completely flooded by the burnishing liquid 23;

I wish it understood that my invention is not limited to any specific construction, arrangement or form of the parts, as it is capable of numerous modifications and changes without departing from the spirit of the claims.

I claim:

1. In an article burnishing machine having an elongated tank, means mounting said tank for reciprocatory movements lengthwise thereof and in substantially a horizontal plane, mounting means in the tank for an article to be burnished, means to wet said article with a burnishing liquid, and means for imparting successive stroke movements to the tank in opposite directions; the combination of a 'burnishing means projecting into said tank and comprising a rotary element having a plurality of radially and rearwardly extending circumferentially spaced compliant burnishing mats extending into rubbing engagement with a wetted article mounted in the tank as said rotary element is rotated and the article moves past it.

2. In an article burnishing machine having an elongated tank, means mounting said tank for reciprocatory movements lengthwise thereof and in substantially a horizontal plane, mounting means in the tank for an article to be burnished, means :to wet said article with a burnishing liquid, and means for imparting successive stroke movements to the tank in opposite directions; the combination of a burnishing means projecting into said tank and comprising a rotary element having a plurality of radially extending circumferentially spaced compliant rub ber burnishing mat-s extending into rubbing engagement with a wetted article mounted in said tank over a path which lies on a chord with respect to the center of rotation of said rotary element as said rotary element is rotated and the article moves past it.

3. In an article burnishing machine having an elongated tank, means mounting said tank for rcciprocatory movements lengthwise thereof and in substantially a horizontal plane, mounting means in the tank for an article to 'be burnished, means to wet said article with a burnishing liquid, and means for imparting successive stroke movements to the tank in opposite directions; the combination of a burnishing means projecting into said tank and comprising a rotary element having a plurality of radially extending circumferentially spaced resilient arms projecting outwardly and rearwardly therefrom relative to the direction of rotation and having a multiplicity of compliant rubber rubbing elements on the outer sides of their outer end portions forming burnishing mats for rubbing engagement across the face of a wetted article mounted in said tank as the element is rotated and the article moves past it.

4. The combination of elements defined by claim 1, and a second burnjshing means comprising a disk-like burnishing mat engaging edge portions of a wetted article mounted in said tank.

5. The combination of elements defined in claim 1, and a cooling coil in said tank to maintain the temperature of burnishing liquid used to wet said articles to a temperature below F.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 101,479 Lyons Apr. 5, 1870 542,529 Needham July 9, 1895 603,761 Graham May 10, 1898 622,432 Almon Apr. 4, 1899 648,890 :Williams May 1, 1900 1,108,779 Norton Aug. 25, 1914 2,477,733 Garside Aug. 2, 1949 2,608,816 Lembke Sept. 2, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 64,644- Sweden Feb. 4, 1925

Images