US3304661A - Work machines with tools in planetary and axial movement - Google Patents

Description

eh 21, 196? E. c MAGUIRE 3,304,661

WORK MACHINES WITH TOOLS IN PLANETARY AND AXIAL MOVEMENT Filed Sept. 10, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet l FBG.4

Feb 21, 1967 E. c. MAGUIRE WORK MACHINES WITH TOOLS IN PLANETARY AND AXIAL MOVEMENT Filed Sept. 10, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 A Mi imnmw.

INVENTOR ATTRNEY \vu J Feb. 21, 16 E. c. MAGUIRE 3,394,661

WORK MACHINES WITH TOOLS IN PLANETARY AND AXIAL MOVEMENT Filed Sept. 10, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 It A IN VENTOR F H G. H un HAM,

ATTORNEY 1967 E. c. MAGUIRE 3,304,661

WORK MACHINES WITH TOOLS IN PLANETARY AND AXIAL MOVEMENT- Filed Sept. 10, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 ,dmmflm m "In,

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INVENTOR United States Patent Ofifice WORK MACHINES WITH TOOLS IN PLANETARY AND AXIAL MOVEMENT Edward Christopher Maguire, deceased, late of Baltimore,

Md., by Helen T. Maguire, 108 Homeland Ave., Baltimore, Md. 21212, and Leon Pierson, 2210 Chilham Road, Baltimore, Md. 21209, executors Filed Sept. 10, 1964, Ser. No. 395,618 1 Claim. (Cl. 5190) This application is a continuation-impart of application of Edward Christopher Magui-re, deceased, Serial No. 12,031, filed March 1, 1960, now patent No. 3,149,440, dated September 22, 1964.

This invention relates to cutting, polishing and grinding machines of improved structure and function in which the machines themselves are simplified and of increased capacity and improved structure.

In certain cuttin grinding, and related operations as heretofore generally carried out, the piece being operated on is clamped rigidly in place while a revolving cut-off wheel is brought down to engage the work piece cutting through the latter from one side of the other; in such operations, the minimum size wheel required to cut off a round or other section will demand a diameter such that the radius plus the hub is somewhat greater than the piece to be cut; this method in addition to requiring a relatively large diameter wheel also requires considerably more power due to the friction between the wheel face and the work since by cutting straight through the piece, the wheel faces must contact maximum workpiece surface as the wheel cuts further into the metal or other material.

Other common methods of cutting off material employ machines that utilize reciprocating hack saw and revolving band saw operations. Such machines are limited in capacity, are subject to frequent breakdown, and exhibit other defects.

Among the objects of the present invention are machines for cutting, grinding, abrading, polishing and otherwise operating on workpieces that enable smaller workwheels to be employed, minimizing power requirements, reducing friction losses, increasing capacity, and greatly simplifying the structures and operations while resulting in substantial economies.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the more detailed description set forth below, it being understood that this more detailed description is given by way of illustration and explanation, and not limitation, since various changes therein may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

In that connection, the drawings show the following. FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of one form of planetary cutting machine in accordance with the present invention. FIGURE 2 is a section on line 2-2 of FIGURE 1 and FIGURE 3 a fragmentary section on line 33 of FIG- URE 2. FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary section partly broken away showing the cutter at the beginning of the cutting operation while FIGURE 5 is a similar fragmentary section showing the cutter at the conclusion of the cutting operation.

FIGURE 6 is a side elevation of one form of cutter feed mechanism utilizing a friction drive. FIGURES 7 and 8 are fragmentary sections on lines 7-7 and 8-8 respectively of FIGURE 6. FIGURE 7a is a modified form of FIGURE 7.

FIGURE 9 is a side elevation of cutter feed mechanism utilizing star-wheel feed control. FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary section on line 10-10 of FIGURE 9.

FIGURE 11 is a side elevation of cutter feed mecha- 3,304,661 Patented Feb. 21, 1967 nism utilizing pressure-fluid operated cylinder and pistonrod feed control. FIGURE 12 is a fragmentary section on line 1212 of FIGURE 11. FIGURE 13 is a fragmentary vertical section on line 13-13 of FIGURE 11 illustrating the pressure fluid valve control.

FIGURE 14 is a side elevation of a form of device employed for polishing, and FIGURE 15 is a section on line 1515 of FIGURE 14. FIGURE 16 is a top plan view of the device in FIGURE 14.

In accordance with the present invention, a machine is provided for operating on a workpiece with a tool rotating in peripheral contact with the workpiece. The workpiece is held conveniently in position on a work-holding member or arbor supported on a base. Desirably the work-holding member or arbor has a turret member having a face portion on which the tool is mounted, such mounting depending on the type of tool to be employed. Thus for rotating tools for cutting, abrasive, and similar work it is convenient to mount a lever pivotally on the face of the turret so that the lever pivots or reciprocates toward and away from the workpiece and a tool mounted on the lever may be positioned for operating on the work. Desirably means are provided on the turret for automatically and progressively moving the tool toward the periphcrai surface of the workpiece which surface may be either externally or internally of the workpiece. In addition to cutting, abradin-g, cont-curing, and polishing sections, or articles exteriorly, similar operations may be carried out interiorly of large tubular sections. In power operation, power is supplied to operate the turret and tool; illustratively a motor is mounted on a base or arbor and power connections supplied between the motor and the tool to rotate the latter both axially and planetarially, and between the powersource and the turret member to supply power for movement of the cutter or other tool toward the workpiece for operating contact therewith and to maintain cutting or polishing operation of tool on workpiece.

Thus in exterior contact between tool and workpiece, the tool has planetary movement around the work at the same time that it is urged into cutting or polishing other operating contact and while the tool is rotating axially to effect the operation. Or when the tool moves interiorly of large tubular work it may cut off or contour interiorly of the work while the tool rotates on its own axis and also in interior circular peripheral contact with the work and while being urged toward the work.

The tool may of course be of different and varying types, particular utility being obtained in cutting, abrading, contouring, polishing and analogous operations exteriorly or interiorly. While a primary function is to cut off round sections of pipe, tubing and barstock, the invention may be equally adapted to handling other articles of any cross-sectional shape such as triangular, rectangular, square, hexagonal, octangular, or irregular in cross section. These shapes may be composed of any desired types of materials such as metal, plastics that are hard or less rigid, fusible and infusible plastics, synthetic resins and polymers, glass, concrete, rubber, cork etc. The tool for cutoff purposes may be of abrasive, metal, diamond etc. For polishing, any of the usual polishing Wheels may be used or polishing belts may be employed for example to buff, grind or polish the outside of round sections. To illustrate the invention it will be sufficient to utilize a round metal tubular member and show various operations as carried out thereon.

In general, it may be said that there is selection of three distinct tools applicable to sanding or polishing: namely, abrasive belt, cotton or sisal buff, and abrasive wheel. There are a wide variety of such tools available on the market that may be readily used in abrasive and polishing operations.

Considering first planetary operating mechanism, used for butting a tubular member, and referring now to FIG- URES 1 to 5, base 1 supports drive motor 2 which latter is coupled to gear reducer 3. Tubular member 4 is supported above and on base 1. Member 4 may be provided with a 3 or 4-jaw or other chuck 4 of conventional design to hold the workpiece 5 in position. Turret 7 is mounted for revolution on horizontal member 4, the turret 7 having pulley segment 8 with face portion 9 on which the tool is placed as explained below together with the mechanism for progressively advancing the tool into the work.

Turret 7 is powered by means of belts 10 and pulley 11 on the slow speed shaft 12 of gear reducer 3.

Sheave or pulley 13 is mounted for rotation on turret 7 and is driven by belts 14 from driving pulley 15 on the high speed or input shaft 16 of gear reducer 3. The tool, here illustrated by cutter wheel 17, is mounted for rotation on spindle 18 in suitable bearings and is driven by belts 19 from pulley 20 the latter being rotated by belts 21 from sheave 13. At the beginning of the cutting operation cutter wheel 17 is about to contact workpiece 5, While at the end of the cutting operation as shown in FIGURE 5 it has completed the cutting operation. In FIGURE 1 the cutter has been moved in guide slot 18 to retracted position while the workpiece is being positioned.

Thus it will be seen, to cut off a piece of stock 5, the stock is advanced so that the proper length projects from tubular member 4 and is clamped to prevent rotation. The motor is started and the turret revolved carrying the rapidly axially rotating cut-off wheel around the axis of the work in a planetary path. The cutter wheel advances toward the center of the work in an arc described about the lever pivot (the lever being described below with respect to the automatic progressive advancement of the tool into the workpiece). The wheel thus makes a cut around the entire periphery of the work. This description will illustrate the structure and operation of the cutoff operation in planetary movement exteriorly around a stationary workpiece. And it will be seen that in such operation in which the tool revolves in planetary motion around the workpiece, while spinning on its own axis, highly improved cutting is obtained with a smaller cutting wheel under more economical control.

While as shown above the mechanism operates for planetary cutting off and related operations such as contouring, abrading, polishing and analogous work it is desirable to employ mechanism for automatic feed of the tool such as cut-off wheel toward or into the work. A variety of types of such mechanisms are available and will be illustrated below.

Referring first to FIGURES 6 to 8, these illustrate a friction drive unit for progressively moving the tool toward the workpiece 5, the latter as indicated above in connection with FIGURES 1 to 4 being a tubular member. Threaded shaft 25 is placed on face 9 of turret 7 in a direction radial to the axis of the turret, shaft 25 being mounted in bearing 26 at one end and in bearing 27 at the other. Shaft 25 carries conical member 28 fixedly mounted thereon to turn with shaft 25, while nut 29 is mounted on shaft 25 close enough to element 9 of turret 7 so that rotation of shaft 25 will advance nut 29. Conical member 28 engages frictionally against conical pulley 30 mounted on turret 7, for rotation thereon, by belt 31 running over pulley 32 operated from gear box 3. Here the lever in the form of bellcrank 33 has arm 34 provided with opening 35 which embraces nut 29. The other arm 36 of the bellcrank carries cutter wheel 17 thereon.

In this arrangement, power is taken off the output shaft of the gear reducer to an adjustable speed drive unit so that the output speed can be varied while the input speed is constant. As illustrated above, belt 31 drives conical pulley 30 which frictionally moves conical member 28. The latter rotates shaft 25 which advances nut 29. The

latter moves bellcrank 33 so that wheel 17 is fed toward workpiece 5. The rate of feed can be varied by varying the adjustable speed unit. After a cut is completed the drive motor is reversed to return the cut-off wheel to its former position ready for the next cut. Alternatively, the friction faces may be replaced with bevel gears to provide positive drive as shown in FIGURE 7a, which is exactly like FIGURE 7 except that conical member 28 is replaced by bevel gear 28 and conical pulley 30 is replaced by conical gear 30 meshing with bevel gear 28.

Referring now to FIGURES 9 and 10, these illustrate the utilization of a star-wheel drive mechanism. Axially rotatable threaded shaft 40 is mounted in bearings 41, 42 on turret 7 in a direction radial to the axis of the turret shaft 40. Nut 43 closely adjacent element 9 of turret 7 is movable on shaft 40 upon axial rotation of the latter. Star wheel 44 is fixedly attached on shaft 40 so that its rotation will move shaft 40 and advance nut 43. Indexing pin 45, is mounted on the case of mot-or 2. Arm 46 of bellcrank 47 has opening 48 which embraces nut 43, the other arm 49 of bellcrank 47 carrying cutter wheel 17 pivoted thereon.

This type of arrangement is analogous to that of the preceding friction drive feed except that the conical friction drive members and the adjustable speed drive unit are not used, and the actuating screw shaft is driven by means of the star wheel. At each revolution of the turret the star wheel is actuated by means of the indexing pin which latter advances the star wheel the distance between teeth. Otherwise the structure is the same as in FIGURES 6-8.

Now, referring to FIGURES 11 to 13, these illustrate the utilization of a pressure fluid cylinder and piston actuated feed of the tool. Lever 50 is pivoted at 51 on turret face 9 and outer end 52 of lever 50 is pivotally connected to piston 53 actuated by fluid pressure cylinder 54, the latter being rigidly mounted on turret face 9. Cutter wheel 17 is pivotally mounted on lever 50 between the ends thereof, so that movement of lever 50 by controlled fluid pressure operation in cylinder 54 will move tool 17 to and from the workpiece. Any appropriate type of conventional revolving gland or joint 55 may serve as a source of air for these purposes, to bring air to and from the cylinder from an outside source.

FIGURE 13 illustrates the one form of valve control of the air, using a four-way valve to the air supply (not shown) and cylinder 54. The valve controls air flow to each side of the piston in the cylinder to feed the cutting wheel toward the workpiece or to retract it at the end of the cutting operation. Compressed air enters at 56 to four-way valve 57 controlled by a handle which in one position 58 feeds air to move the cutting wheel into contact with the work for cutting, while in the other position 59 feeds air to produce retraction of the cutting wheel from the workpiece. The air connecting lines 60 and 61 serve to carry the air to and away from air passages 62 and 63 in the usual type of revolving packing association, the passages then connecting one to each end of cylinder While air operated mechanism is illustrated, other pneumatic arrangements may be used and hydraulic or other liquid pumps may also be used.

Referring now to FIGURES 14 to 16, these illustrate the external polishing machine in which it may be briefly first explained that an idler pulley and stud assembly are added to the turret face and an abrasive belt threaded around pulleys and into contact with the workpiece. Where polishing is limited to an area equal to the width of the belt, the workpiece is clamped against movement while the turret revolves about the work and the belt is moving in polishing contact across the work. It may be said that the polishing belt assembly describes a planetary movement around the workpiece at the same time that it polishes across it. But there is no progressive movement of the belt along the workpiece.

However where polishing action is desired along a length of workpiece greater than the width of the polishing belt, the workpiece may be mounted for movement forwardly on the horizontal member desirably at a predetermined rate so that its entire surface is polished by the belt as the assembly revolves about it.

In FIGURES 14 to 16, the same structure as in FIG- URES 1 to 3 is employed insofar as there is a base support for the motor which latter is coupled to a gear reducer. Also the tubular member is supported above and on the base, and said tubular member may carry the chuck of conventional design for holding the workpiece stationary if the piece is not to move during polishing. Where the piece is to move forwardly during polishing, any conventional mechanism for moving it forwardly may be used. Thus as illustrated in FIGURE 14, motor 70 pivot-mounted at 71 drives feed pulley 72 that urges workpiece 5 forwardly, the workpiece moving over idling pulley 73. Such forward movement may be continuous or intermittent. As in FIGURE 1, turret 7 is mounted for revolution on horizontal member 4, turret 7 having face portion 9 on which the polishing attachment is placed, as described below. As in FIGURE 1 turret 7 is powered by means of the belt and pulley on the slow speed shaft of the gear reducer 3. Sheave or pulley 13 is mounted, as in FIGURE 1, for rotation on tubular member 4 and is driven by belts 14 from the driving pulley on the high speed or input shaft of the gear reducer.

For polishing, stud assembly 60 including driving pulley 61 is mounted for belt driving rotation on stated turret face 9 and idler pulley 62 is pivot-mounted and springloaded on turret face 9 so that abrasive belt 63 may be threaded around the pulleys and workpiece 5 as shown. The power connections for polishing for revolution of the turret and sheave are the same as in FIGURE 1, but in the machine of FIGURE 14, revolution of sheave 13 (FIGURE 1) is connected to cause revolution of driving pulley 61 so that the belt travels in polishing motion across the surface of the workpiece, while revolution of the turret carries the polishing assembly circumferentially around the workpiece. As shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 14, the belt may be moved into retracted position when the workpiece is being fed forward prior to the start of the polishing operation.

Any of the machines and methods set forth above, may use a .single source of power as illustrated, or multiple sources of power may be employed as for operation of turret and tool.

Having thus set forth the invention, what is claimed is:

A polishing machine for operating on a workpiece having an axial center by a planetary moving polishing tool, said machine including a base, a horizontally disposed tubular member supported on said base against movement thereon, adjustable chuck means associated with said tubular member for holding a workpiece therein, a turret member carried on said tubular member for rotation thereon in a plane fixed angularly with respect to said chuck means, said turret member having a face portion, a lever mounted on a lever pivot on one side of said face portion only, for reciprocating movement of the lever toward and away from said tubular member, a polishing tool mounted directly on said reciprocating lever, means mounted on the face portion of said turret member for progressively moving said polishing tool inwardly toward said tubular member to polish said workpiece, power means for rotating said turret member upon said tubular member, power means for rotating said polishing tool, whereby planetary movement of the polishing tool around the workpiece proceeds while the polishing tool rotates on its axis and revolves with said turret member; in which power is transmitted to the means on the turret for progressively moving the tool through a friction drive mechanism.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 653,703 7/1900 Scott et a1. 51-90 961,969 6/1910 Klingloff 5l241 1,217,417 2/1917 Cumming 5l90 X 1,956,068 4/1934 Herzog 5190 2,009,452 7/1935 Moomaw 5190 2,165,118 7/1939 White 5190 X 2,693,066 11/1954 Berstecher 51-165 X 3,149,440 9/1964 Maguire 5190 LESTER M. SWINGLE, Primary Examiner.

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