US2918327A - Trimming machine - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 22, 1959 J. B. BENYAK TRIMMING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 20, 1955 INVENTOR. JOHN B. fif/VYA/f BY 04% vim/u ATTORNEYS.

J. B. BENYAK TRIMMING MACHINE Dec. 22, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 20, 1955 INVENTOR. JUHN 5. BENYAK J. B. BENYAK TRIMMING MACHINE Filed April 20, 1955 .Illlll l I I L INVENTOR. JOHN B. Bf/VYAK ATTOIE vsxs.

United States Patent Ofiice 2,918,327 Patented Dec. 22, 1959 TRIMMING MACHINE John B. Benyak, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to The born Manufacturing Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application April 20, 1955, Serial No. 502,668

5 Claims. (Cl. 30017) This invention relates as indicated to a trimming machine, and more particularly to a machine especially designed for the trimming of the brush fill material of rotary brushes including brushes having exceptionally hard wire brush material.

Power driven rotary brushes ordinarily comprise an annular sheet metal back with brush bristle material extending radially therefrom. Such brushes may be composed of a number of axially aligned annular sections, or a length of brush strip may be wound in a helix to form a generally similar cylindrical brush. These brushes are widely used in industry and are being driven at faster and faster speeds. For this reason, it is important that the brush be properly balanced. For various types of surface-finishing operations and when used as back-up wheels, it is also highly important that the brush be smoothly and accurately trimmed.

In the past, it has been customary to trim brushes of this type by rotating the brush on an arbor. with its periphery in engagement with a trimmer comprising a rotor carrying a number of long lead helical blades opposed to a cutter bar, much like the ordinary lawn mower. Machines of this type were not adapted to the employment of very hard tool steels such as Carbaloy. They wore rapidly and also generated considerable heat. The problem has recently been accentuated by the fact that very hard wire is now being employed as brush bristle material. The problem is not so acute with organic brush bristle materials such as horsehair, tampico fiber, and synthetic plastic.

For certain types of brushing operations, it will also be desirable subsequently to grind the brush face to a very precise and uniform condition.

It is accordingly a principal object of my invention to provide a brush trimming machine which will operate with a cropping or nibbling action and which is suitable for the employment of very hard cutting elements.

Another object is to provide such device which will be adapted to trim rotary brushes of the usual cylindrical shape with the axes of such brushes disposed either parallel to the cutting edges or normal thereto.

A further object is to provide a trimming machine capable of trimming a large rotary brush with unusual rapidity but relatively low power consumption.

Still another object is to provide a brush trimming machine adapted to trim the brush face in a very uniform and precise manner and yet also accommodate and trim any bristles which may inadvertently protrude an especially long distance from the brush face.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention then comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description and the annexed drawing setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative, however,

of but a few of the various ways in which the principle of the invention may be employed.

In said annexed drawing:

Fig. 1 is an end view of my new brushing machine illustrating the manner in which rotary brushes may be trimmed thereby;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of such machine; and

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the machine.

Referring now more particularly to said drawing, the embodiment of my invention illustrated therein comprises an outer housing or support having a base plate 1 and a vertical back plate 2 welded thereto and braced by means of angle braces 3 and 4. Upstanding brackets 5 and 6 are welded to the respective sides of base plate 1.

Fitting within this outer housing or support is an inner housing of general box-like form comprising a back plate 7, two side plates 8 and 9, a low front plate 10, and a massive top plate 11. A vertically extending key 12 is secured to back plate 7 and fitted for vertical reciprocation in a way formed by two gibs 13 and 14 bolted to back plate 2 of the outer housing. A vertical screw 15 is mounted for free rotation in bracket 16 secured to the upstanding upper edge of rear plate 2. This screw is threadedly engaged in upper deck 11 so that by rotation thereof, the entire inner housing may be raised or lowered. Bolts 17 and 18 passing through upstanding brackets 5 and 6 respectively fit in slots such as 19 in side plates 8 and 9 and may be tightened to secure the inner housing in desired vertically adjusted position.

A crankshaft 20 is journalled in bearings 21 and 22 mounted on the underside of deck 11, the respective end portions of such crankshaft extending through slots in side frame members 8 and 9. A flywheel 23 is keyed to one end of such shaft and a drive pulley 24 is keyed to the other end thereof, adapted in turn to be driven by belt 25.

A rocker shaft 26 is journalled in upstanding brackets 27, 28 and 29 and cutter beams 30 and 31 are pivotally mounted thereon side by-side. Aluminum connecting rods 32 and 33 are pivotally connected to the rear ends of arms 30 and 31 respectively and the spaced eccentric bearings of crankshaft 20 whereby beams 30 and 31 may be rocked alternately up and down, the end of beam 30 rising while the corresponding end of beam 31 is falling. Upper blades 34, 35, 36 and 37 are firmly clamped in horizontal slots in the outer ends of beams 30 and 31, screws 38 and 39 being provided to constrict such slots firmly to grip the blades. These blades are adapted to cooperate with corresponding opposed blades 40, 41, 42 and 43 held in lower adjustable supports 44 and 45 by means of wedges 46 and 47. Supports 44 and 45 are firmly bolted down in ways 48 and 49 but are adapted to be reciprocated slightly along such ways by means of screws 50 and 51 passing through such supports and threadedly engaged in a crossbar or bridge 52 secured to the forward faces of brackets 27, 28 and 29.

It is desired that the upper and lower blades should be adjusted relative to each other so that when beams 30 and 31 are rocked through rotation of crankshaft 20, the upper blades will pass downwardly from an upper position only slightly spaced from the upper edges of the lower blades to a lower position which may be, for example, approximately 4 of an inch below the upper edges of such low blades, and with very close clearance. Accordingly, adjustable supports 44 and 45 will be bolted down with the lower blades carried thereby positioned a little further out from the arcs described by the upper blades in motion and screws 50 and 51 will then be tightened to draw the respective supports inwardly to the desired adjusted positions. For best results, it has been found desirable to locate the upper edges of the lower blades about two and one-half degrees below the center "thecut.

line of shaft 26 on which the upper cutter carrying beams are pivoted. It is also generally desirable to grind the edges of the cutter blades to provide a very slight shearing angle so that bristles intruded therebetween will be severed first adjacent one side of the blade with the cut progressing toward the other side. Flywheel 23 serves to equalize the driving force, and smoothness of operation is furthera'chieved partly as a result of the fact that the blades carried by one beam alternate with the blades carried by the other beam in their cutting action and partly due to the aforesaid shearing cut which may be obtained.

The brush B may be mounted on a vertical arbor with its axis located the desired distance from the shearing edges to afford the proper trim. The brush will be rapidly rotated and chankshaft 20 likewise driven at relatively high speed to afford a quick nibbling action ofthe cutters. Simultaneously, the brush will be slowly traversed axially so that the entire brush face will eventually be acted upon. I have found that when trimming large cylindrical rotary brushes 72 inches long and filled with wire brush material, I am able to trim the entire working face of the brush in approximately 1 hour whereas on machines previously employed from 24 to 32'hours were required. Moreover, only about one-tenth the horsepower has been found necessary to operate my new machine compared to that required to operate trimming machines of less capacity in the past. The figures given relate to two complete passes of the brush face past the trimming blades. If the brush B is mounted on a horizontal axis as shown in Fig. 1 (the usual arrangement when trimming a long cylindrical brush), both sets of cutting blades may be utilized with maximum efficiency.

Beams 30 and 31 may ordinarily be rocked at a rate of from about 3,400 to 6,000 oscillations per minute and the brush may desirably be rotated at a high enough speed (e.g. 5,000 rpm.) to cause the wire bristle material to extend directly radially outwardly as it will in use, and more particularly to cause any individual exceptionally long bristles to protrude to their full extent beyond the principal brush face. Due to the slight shearing angle of the cutter blades and the slow traverse of the brush, such extra long bristles may be caused to enter between the blades and be cut off although they would have difficulty in entering in the direction of rotation if the brush were not thus traversed. It is generally desirable to rotate the brush at a considerably lower speed when giving it its initial trim, ordinarily taking a cut of from about one-eighth to one inch, and then rotating the brush at the indicated fairly high speed when taking the second trim which will ordinarily be extremely small.

It will be seen from the foregoing that Ihave achieved the objects of my invention, and more particularly have provided a brush trimming machine capable of using very hard tool steels and accordingly able to trim brushes having relatively hard wire fill. Such trimmer will produce substantially square cut ends on the individual wire bristles which render the brush equally effective in use regardless of the direction of rotation of the same. It is, moreover, relatively cool running in operation and does not tend to overheat and anneal the wire bristle end portions, to scorch tampico fiber, or to soften plastic bristle material such as nylon. The rate of production is much increased over anything previously obtainable and at a very consequential reduction in the amount of power consumed. A very uniform trim is achieved, the machine being adapted both to cut off exceptionally long protruding bristle end portions and also to take a very fine cut.

The distance the upper blades .are rocked above the lower blades determines the quantity of brush material which. will be intruded therebetween and thereby meters ligiof an inch... When trimminga long cylindrical brush,

Such distance will usually be between 'and' the latter will be rotated in the direction of the arrow on Fig. 1 (downwardly toward the cutting blades) with the axis of rotation slightly below the horizontal plane including the lower blade edge. When trimming a brush of inch radius, such axis should be about inch below such plane, and when trimming a brush of 10 inch radius such axis should be about inch below such plane.

One or more sets of opposed blades may be utilized, it being appreciated that the more sets the more quickly a long cylindrical brush may be trimmed. By rocking the two beams alternately to make a cut, power requirements are reduced and the operation of the machine is smoother. When trimming a narrow rotary brush section, however, but one set of opposed blades may be utilized regardless of whether such section is rotated about a horizontal or vertical axis. The eccentric hearings or cranks to which the connecting rods connect will ordinarily have diametrically opposite throws for the reason explained above. Theblades willnormally be bevelled in the general manner indicated in Fig. 1 and may be quite stubby and solid in contrast to the blades of previously known trimming machines which have a-tendency to destructive vibration. A serious deficiency of rotary trimmers has been their inability to cut off more than about inch of bristle length at a timewhere as my new trimming machine will readily handle cuts 8 to 16 times as long. There is a consequent saving in time and a great reduction in the amount of destructive heat generated. By positioning the cutting edge'of upstanding blade 43 slightly below the axis of shaft 26, blade 37 is caused to extend at a slightly obtuse angle to such upstanding blade, the lower'face of blade 37'lying in a plane generally radial of such axis and the inner face of blade 43 being substantially vertical. The crankshaft may be mounted with its eccentric throws directly engaging the ends of rocker beams 30 and 31 when especially rapid oscillation of the latter is desired. The opposed-blades afford a rapid nibbling action which I have found to achieve a very uniform trim.

In the past, brushes having relatively short wire bristles and heavily filled dense faces have usually required to be ground to obtain sufficient uniformity and this has not only involved extra expense'but has tended to overheat and anneal the wire bristle ends, reducing theireffectiveness. When employing my new trimming machine, however, the need for such subsequent grinding op. erations is frequently eliminated with consequent saving in costand improvement in the brushing action of the finished brush. While particularly useful in the trimming of rotary brushes, it is obvious that other types including lengths of brush strip and the like may also be handled.

Other modes of applying the principle of the-invention may be employed, change being made as regards the details described, provided the features stated in any of the following claims or the equivalent of such be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. In a trimming machine for trimming the brush material of rotary brushes and the like, a stationary base frame, a housing mounted on said base frame for adjustment relative thereto, a crankshaft journalled in said housing, a drive pulley on one end and a flywheel on the other end of said shaft, a heavy upper deck on said housing, a'pair of cutter blade supports mounted in ways on said deck for adjustment forwardly and rearwardly of said housing, stationary blades carried by said supports, a pair of beams pivotally supported on said deck for rocking movement about aligned axes parallel tosaid-blades, movable blades carried by the outer ends of said beams positioned to cooperate with said stationary blades to cut brush material interposed therebetween, said supports for said stationary blades being adjusted to bring the latter just outside the arcs described by said movable blades when said beams are rocked, a pair of cranks on said crankshaft having diametrically opposite throws, and connecting rods connecting said respective beams and cranks simultaneously to rock said beams in opposite directions.

2. In a trimming machine for trimming the brush material of rotary brushes and the like, a stationary base frame having a vertical back plate, a vertical way on said back plate, an inner box-like housing gibbed for vertical reciprocation along such way, and screw means operable thus to reciprocate said housing; said housing comprising a back plate, two side plates, and a heavy horizontal upper deck; a horizontal crankshaft supported in said housing, a drive pulley on one end and a flywheel on the other end of said shaft, a pair of parallel ways in the upper surface of said deck extending rearwardly from the forward edge thereof, lower blade supports respectively fitted for reciprocation in said ways, clamping means operative to clamp said supports frictionally to resist such reciprocation, upstanding brackets on said deck rearwardly of said supports, a pair of beams pivotally mounted in said brackets for rocking movement about aligned axes at right angles to said parallel Ways, a pair of upstanding blades having generally aligned substantially horizontal cutting edges clamped in each of said supports, a pair of generally horizontal projecting blades having aligned cutting edges clamped in the forward ends of each of said beams in position to cooperate with said upstanding blades to cut brush material interposed therebetween, and screw means operable to shift said supports along their respective ways to bring the cutting edges of said upstanding blades just outside the arcs described by the cutting edges of said blades on said beams as the latter are rocked, the cutting edges of said upstanding blades being ground to provide slight shearing angles in the same direction and being located approximately 2 /2 degrees below the pivotal axes of said beams; -a pair of cranks on said crankshaft having diametrically opposite throws, and connecting rods connecting said respective beams and cranks simultaneously to rock said beams in opposite directions, said cranks and rods being proportioned thus to rock said beams to rock said blades carried thereby in an are from about 7 inch above the cutting e lges of the opposed upstanding blades to about inch therebelow.

3. In a trimming machine for trimming the brush material of rotary brushes and the like, a frame, a crankshaft journalled for rotation therein, drive means on one end of said shaft, a flywheel on the other end of said shaft, a pair of lower blade supports mounted on said frame for side-by-side front-to-rear adjustment thereon, upstanding blades having generally aligned cutting edges secured in said supports, a pair of beams pivotally mounted on said frame for rocking movement about aligned axes extending transversely of said frame, blades having aligned cutting edges carried by said beams in position to cooperate with said upstanding blades to cut brush material interposed therebetween, said lower blade supports being adjusted to bring the cutting edges of said upstanding blades just outside the arcs described by the cutting edges of said blades on said beams as the latter are rocked, the cutting edges of said upstanding blades being ground to provide slight shearing angles in the same direction, a pair of cranks on said crankshaft having diametrically opposite throws, and connecting rods connecting said respective beams and cranks simultaneously to rock said beams in opposite directions rapidly to oscillate said blades on said beams past the cutting edges of said corresponding upstanding blades.

4. In a trimming machine for trimming the brush material of rotary brushes and thelike, a frame, a pair of lower blade supports mounted on said frame for sideby-side front-to-rear adjustment thereon. upstanding blades having generally aligned cutting edges secured in said supports, a pair of beams pivotally mounted on said frame for rocking movement about aligned axes extending transversely of said frame, blades having aligned cutting edges carried by said beams in position to cooperate with said upstanding blades to cut brush material interposed therebetween, said lower blade supports being adjusted to bring the cutting edges of said upstanding blades just outside the arcs: described by the cutting edges of said blades on said beams as the latter are rocked, and drive means operative simultaneously to rock said beams in opposite directions rapidly to oscillate said blades on said beams past the cutting edges of said corresponding upstanding blades.

5. In a trimming machine for trimming the brush material of rotary brushes and the like, a frame, a crankshaft journalled for rotation therein, drive means on one end of said shaft, a flywheel on the other end of said shaft, a lower blade support mounted on said frame for front-to-rear adjustment thereon, an upstanding blade secured in said support, a beam pivotally mounted on said frame for rocking movement about an axis extending transversely of said frame, a blade carried by said beam in position to cooperate with said upstanding blade to cut brush material interposed therebetween, said lower blade support being adjusted to bring the cutting edge of said upstanding blade just outside the are described by the cutting edge of said blade on said beam as the latter is rocked, the cutting edge of said upstanding blade being ground to provide a slight shearing angle, a crank on said crankshaft,and a connecting rod connecting said crank and beam to rock the latter rapidly to oscillate said blade carried thereby past the cutting edge of said upstanding blade.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 110,073 Risley Dec. 13, 1870 157,104 Pickering Nov. 24, 1874 561,770 Devendorf June 9, 1896 1,381,927 Manning June 21, 1921 1,389,302 Hagstrom Aug. 30, 1921 1,926,932 Biagosch Sept. 12, 1933 2,015,990 Booman Oct. 1, 1935 2,140,384 Hume Dec. 13, 1938 2,333,293 Cartlidge Nov. 2, 1943 2,397,896 Wehr Apr. 2, 1946 2,690,218 Robishaw Sept. 28, 1954 2,708,968 Soave May 24, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 815,794 Germany July 8, 1949

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