U.S. patent application number 09/761866 was filed with the patent office on 2001-07-19 for polisher and ground paper for polishers.
This patent application is currently assigned to Dukeplanning & Co., Inc.. Invention is credited to Ueno, Makoto.
Application Number | 20010008829 09/761866 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 18541508 |
Filed Date | 2001-07-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010008829 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ueno, Makoto |
July 19, 2001 |
Polisher and ground paper for polishers
Abstract
A polisher for polishing a repair surface to a predetermined
shape and a ground paper for polishers are provided. The polisher
of the present invention includes a substrate portion (30) for
holding an abrasive on a surface opposite to a repair surface, a
holding plate (2) provided in parallel to the substrate portion
with a predetermined space therebetween, and elastic members (3)
interposed between the substrate portion (30) and the holding plate
(2). The substrate portion (30) has a first face plate portion (4)
fixed to the holding plate (2) with a predetermined space
therebetween and second face plate portions (5) which are connected
to respective end portions of the first place portion (4) and are
rotatable about connection lines as axes, connecting them and the
first face plate portion (4). The second face plate portions (5)
are rotatably provided in a predetermined range from a position
where they become flush with the first face plate portion (4) in a
direction that they approach the holding plate (2). The ground
paper for polishers of the present invention is adhered to a
surface facing the repair surface of the substrate portion (30), a
plurality of through holes (31) are formed in the ground paper, and
some of the through holes are located at positions corresponding to
the boundaries between the first face plate portion (4) and the
second face plate portions (5). According to the present invention,
there are provided a polisher which can polish the repair surface
flat by simple operation and a ground paper for polishers.
Inventors: |
Ueno, Makoto; (Miyagi,
JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BURR & BROWN
PO BOX 7068
SYRACUSE
NY
13261-7068
US
|
Assignee: |
Dukeplanning & Co.,
Inc.
|
Family ID: |
18541508 |
Appl. No.: |
09/761866 |
Filed: |
January 17, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
451/523 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y10S 451/913 20130101;
B24D 15/02 20130101; B24B 55/10 20130101; B24B 23/04 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
451/523 |
International
Class: |
B24D 015/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jan 18, 2000 |
JP |
2000-13984 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A polisher, comprising: a substrate portion for holding an
abrasive on a surface opposite to a repair surface; a holding plate
provided in parallel to the substrate portion with a predetermined
space therebetween; and elastic members interposed between the
substrate portion and the holding plate, wherein: the substrate
portion has a first face plate portion fixed to the above holding
plate with a predetermined space therebetween and second face plate
portions, which are connected to respective end portions of the
first face plate portion and are rotatable about connection lines
as axes, connecting them and the first face plate portion; and the
second face plate portions is rotatable provided in a predetermined
range from a position where they become flush with the first face
plate portion in a direction that they approach the holding
plate.
2. The polisher according to claim 1, wherein the second face plate
portions are urged in a direction that they become flush with the
first face plate portion from the holding plate side by the
elasticity of the elastic members located between the holding plate
and the second face plate portions.
3. The polisher according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first face
plate portion and the second face plate portions are formed
rectangular and the long sides of the second face plate portions
are connected to the respective long sides of the first face plate
portion.
4. The polisher according to claim 3, wherein the second face plate
portions connected to the respective long sides of the first face
plate portion are provided on both of the long sides of the first
face plate portion.
5. The polisher according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the
second face plate portions have a smaller surface area than the
surface area of the first face plate portion.
6. The polisher according to claim 3, wherein the second face plate
portions have flexibility in a direction perpendicular to their
longitudinal directions.
7. The polisher according to claim 6, wherein a plurality of
elastic members are provided in the longitudinal direction of the
holding plate at predetermined intervals and the second face plate
portion having flexibility are supported by the plurality of
elastic members.
8. The polisher of according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein
the movable range of each of the second face plate portions is set
to a range from a position where it becomes flush with the first
face plate portion to a position where a part of the second face
plate portion contacts the side edge of the holding plate.
9. The polisher of according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein
the holding plate can be attached to and detached from the movable
portion of a mechanical sander having the movable portion which
makes reciprocation along the repair surface.
10. The polisher of according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein
a dust collection means having dust collection passages extending
through the substrate portion, the elastic members and the holding
plate is provided and connected to a suction device using as an air
suction source negative pressure.
11. A ground paper for polishing suitable for use in a polisher,
comprising: a substrate portion having a first face plate portion
and second face plate portions connected to respective end portions
of the first face plate portion and moving about connection lines
as axes connecting them and the first face plate portion, wherein:
the second face plate portions are rotatably provided in a
predetermined range from a position where they become flush with
the first face plate portion; and this ground paper is adhered to a
surface facing a repair surface of the substrate portion, a
plurality of through holes are formed in the ground paper, and some
of the through holes are located at positions corresponding to the
boundaries between the first face plate portion and the second face
plate portions.
12. The ground paper for polishing according to claim 11, wherein
some of the through holes are screw holes for attaching the ground
paper to the first face plate portion.
13. The ground paper for polishing according to claim 11 or 12,
wherein dust collection passages formed in the first and second
face plate portions at positions corresponding to the through holes
of the ground paper and a dust collection means is connected to the
dust collection passages.
14. The ground paper for polishing of according to any one of
claims 11 to 13, wherein the through holes located at positions
corresponding to the boundaries between the first face plate
portion and the second face plate portions are formed at positions
for dividing the longitudinal direction of the ground paper into
almost three sections.
15. The polishing ground paper of according to any one of claims 11
to 14, wherein the through holes located at positions corresponding
to the first face plate portion are formed at positions for
dividing the longitudinal direction of the substrate portion into
almost 4 to 8 sections.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a polisher for polishing a
repair surface to a predetermined shape and a ground paper for
polishing to be used for polishers.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] As for the procedure of repairing scratches and depressions
on the coated surface of a vehicle such as an automobile, as shown
in FIG. 21, a primer 51, a surfacer 52 and a paint 53 formed on a
steel plate 50, are first removed and a depression is filled with a
slightly excessive amount of putty P.
[0005] As shown in FIG. 22, the surface filled with the putty 1
(damaged portion) is polished to be flush with the surface of the
body. In this step, coarse-grained to fine-grained sandpapers are
used to polish the surface P1 filled with putty into flat. It is
not too much to say that the workmanship of this step determines
final repair. Note that the surface P1 filled with putty may be
simply referred to as "putty surface P1" or "repair surface P1" in
the following description.
[0006] In this polishing step, to reduce time and labor for this
polishing, a mechanical sander 100, which is powered by compressed
air or electricity, is used. This sander 100 has a movable portion
55 which makes a predetermined motion such as reciprocation or
circular motion along the repair surface and a polisher 54, held by
the movable portion 55, for polishing the repair surface P1. Note
that a polishing surface opposite to the repair surface P1 of the
polisher 54 is a flat surface and sandpaper (ground paper) which is
an abrasive is affixed to the flat surface.
[0007] To use this sander 100, the sander 100 is held by both hands
and the polishing surface of the polisher 54 provided on the sander
100 is applied to the repair surface P1 for polishing. Since the
polishing surface in contact with the repair surface P1 is flat,
the repair surface P1, which is a convex surface, can be polished
flat by using this. However, when the repair surface P1 was
actually polished, it could not always be polished flat.
[0008] The reason for this is that the polishing surface of the
polisher 54 is deformed by convex and concave portions formed on
the putty surface by the impressions of a trowel used to fill the
putty P, thereby impairing flatness. Therefore, it takes much time
to obtain a well polished surface and the contact pressure of the
polisher 54 against the putty surface P1 must be finely controlled,
which requires the skill of an experienced engineer.
[0009] To overcome this inconvenience, therefore, polishing has
been conventionally made based on the following polishing theory.
The polishing theory is that point polishing for polishing only
convex portions of the uneven surface formed by the impressions of
the trowel with a small polishing area is first made on the putty
surface P1 repeatedly to make the putty surface P1 a gently rolling
surface as a whole. Subsequently, face polishing is made on the
entire putty surface P1 (rolling surface) from which the convex
portions of the uneven surface have been removed with a large
polishing area.
[0010] Thus, by changing the polishing area stepwise, the putty
surface P1 having convex and concave portions formed by the
impressions of the trowel or the like can be polished flat. When
point polishing is carried out continuously, this results in linear
polishing. That is, face polishing is carried out after linear
polishing substantially.
[0011] Stated more specifically based on the actual polishing
method, only an edge portion 56 (corner edge portion) of the
polisher 54 held by the sander 100 is applied to the repair surface
P1 as shown in FIG. 22 to carry out linear (point) polishing. Like
this, when the edge portion 56 of the polisher 54 is used, the
contact surface between a convex portion on the putty surface P1
and the polisher 54 becomes linear (point) and the convex portions
can be polished one by one.
[0012] Subsequently, the putty surface P1 is polished flat by
linear (point) polishing using the edge portion 56 by operating the
sander 100 such that the entire polishing surface of the polisher
54 comes into contact with the putty surface P1 whose convex and
concave portions have been polished. Since convex and concave
portions formed on the putty surface P1 by the impressions of the
trowel or the like have already been removed by linear polishing as
described above, the putty surface P1 can be polished flat without
impairing the flatness of the polishing surface of the polisher
54.
[0013] Thus, a flat and well-polished surface can be easily
obtained without using advanced skill theoretically. In addition,
as the above polishing theory is a rational technique for obtaining
a flat polished surface, a well-polished surface can be obtained
within the minimum time.
[0014] However, at the time of polishing using the edge portion 56
of the polisher 54, the contact area of the polisher 54 with the
repair surface P1 is extremely small as a matter of course and the
stability of the polisher 100 is impaired. Therefore, to obtain a
well polished smooth surface, an operator must hold the sander 100
(polisher 54) at an appropriate angle with respect to the putty
surface P1, thereby requiring advanced skill in fact.
[0015] Further, there arises a problem in that the sandpaper of the
edge portion 56 wears away quickly. This is a phenomenon that is
often seen in the sander 100 for polishing the putty surfer P1 in a
short period of time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0016] The present invention has been made in view of the above,
and therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a
polisher which can polish a repair surface flat by simple operation
within a short period of time. Also, an object of the present
invention is to provide a polisher in which local excessive
abrasion of the sandpaper can be suppressed. Also, an object of the
present invention is to provide a ground paper for polishers with
which working efficiency thereof can be enhanced.
[0017] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there
is provided a polisher, comprising: a substrate portion 30 for
holding an abrasive on a surface opposite to a repair surface; a
holding plate 2 provided in parallel to the substrate portion 30
with a predetermined space therebetween; and elastic members 3
interposed between the substrate portion 30 and the holding plate
2, wherein: the substrate portion 30 has a first face plate portion
4 fixed to the above holding plate 2 with a predetermined space
therebetween and second face plate portions 5 which are connected
to end portions of the first face plate portion 4 and are rotatable
about connection lines as axes, connecting them and the first face
plate portion 4; and the second face plate portions 5 is provided
rotatably in a predetermined range from a position where they
become flush with the first face plate portion 4 in a direction
that they approach the holding plate 2.
[0018] According to the polisher of the present invention, firstly,
concave and convex portions formed on a repair surface by the
impressions of a trowel or the like are polished with a small
polishing surface consisting of only the second face plate portion
and then polished with a large polishing surface consisting of the
second face plate portions and the first face plate portion. That
is, point polishing is carried out with the second face plate
portion, and then face polishing is carried out using the first
face plate portion and the second face plate portions,
simultaneously.
[0019] Thus, unlike polishing using an edge portion, a stable
operation feeling is obtained in spite of point polishing as the
polisher is in face contact with the repair surface. Therefore, the
repair surface can be polished flat with simple operation without
requiring advanced skill. Sandpaper (ground paper) held on the
polishing surface of the polisher is in face contact with the
repair surface. Therefore, local excessive abrasion of the
sandpaper can also be suppressed.
[0020] In this case, the second face plate portions 5 are desirably
urged from the holding plate 2 side by the elasticity of the
elastic members 3 located between the holding plate 2 and the
second face plate portions 5 in a direction that they become flush
with the first face plate portion 4.
[0021] In this case, the contact pressure of the second face plate
portion against the repair surface is maintained at an appropriate
level by using the elasticity of the elastic members. Therefore, a
stable operation feeling is obtained at the time of polishing using
the second face plate portion, thereby making it possible even for
an inexperienced person to obtain a well-polished surface easily.
Further, when an external force applied to the second face plate
portion is removed, the surfaces of the second face plate portions
and the surface of the first face plate portion become flush with
each other, an operator can polish with the entire surface of the
substrate portion without exchanging the polishing surface.
[0022] Also, the present invention may take a structure in which
the first face plate portion 4 and the second face plate portions 5
each may be formed rectangular, and the long sides of the second
face plate portions may be connected to the respective long sides
of the first face plate portion 4. In this case, the second face
plate portions 5 connected to the respective long sides of the
first face plate portion 4 are preferably provided on both of the
long sides of the first face plate portion 4.
[0023] In this case, the edge portion of the polisher corresponds
to the second face plate portion, thereby being capable of
linear-polishing using the second face plate portion, which is
similar to the polishing in the prior art using an edge portion.
When the second face plate portions are provided on the respective
long sides of the first face plate portion, operation efficiency is
improved without limiting the operation direction of the
polisher.
[0024] Note that the surface area of each of the second face plate
portions 5 is preferably made smaller than the surface area of the
first face plate portion 5. In this case, the first face plate
portion which does not move with respect to the holding plate
contacts the repair surface in a wide range. Accordingly, the
stability of the polisher improves at the time of face-polishing
using both the first face plate portion and the second face plate
portions.
[0025] Further, the second face plate portions 5 preferably have
flexibility in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal
direction of the second face plate portions 5. In this case,
preferably, a plurality of elastic members 3 are provided in the
longitudinal direction of the holding plate 2 at predetermined
intervals, and the second face plate portions 5 having flexibility
are supported by the plurality of elastic members 3.
[0026] In this case, the second face plate portions are bent along
the swelling of the entire repair surface so that concave and
convex portions formed by the impressions of a trowel or the like
on the swelling of the repair surface can be caught without fail.
Note that when the second face plate portions are supported by the
plurality of elastic members, the number of the elastic members is
suitably selected to obtain desired flexibility easily.
[0027] Further, the movable range of each of the second face plate
portions 5 can be set to a range from a position where it becomes
flush with the first face plate portion 4 to a position where part
of the second face plate portion 5 comes into contact with the side
edge of the holding plate 2. With this, the movable range of the
second face plate portion is limited to a desired range.
Accordingly, when an inexperienced person operates the polisher
within the movable range, a well-polished surface can be easily
obtained.
[0028] The holding plate 2 can be attached to and detached from the
movable portion 55 of a sander 100 having the movable portion 55
which can make reciprocation along the repair surface. In this
case, there are exemplified as the mechanical sander a double
action sander, straight sander, and the like. Note that the
polisher of the present invention can be set on not only a
mechanical sander but also a manual sander having a holding portion
such as a grip for manual polishing.
[0029] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there
is provided a ground paper 1 for polishing which is used for the
above polisher, wherein the ground paper 1 is adhered to a surface
facing the repair surface of the substrate portion 30, and a
plurality of through holes 31 are formed in the ground paper 1,
some of the through holes being located on the boundaries between
the first face plate portion 4 and the second face plate portions
5.
[0030] Some of the through holes 31 can be made screw holes for
attaching the ground paper 1 to the first face plate portion 4.
Also, it may employ a structure in which dust collection passages
13 may be formed in the first and second face plate portions 4 and
5 at positions corresponding to the through holes 31 of the ground
paper 1, and a dust collection means 3 may be connected to the dust
collection passages 13.
[0031] In addition, the through holes 13 located at positions
corresponding to the boundaries between the first face plate
portion 4 and the second face plate portions 5 may be provided at
positions for dividing the longitudinal direction of the ground
paper 1 into almost three sections.
[0032] The through holes 13 located in the first face plate potion
4 may be provided at positions for dividing the longitudinal
direction of the substrate portion 30 into almost 4 to 8
sections.
[0033] The dust collection means may be connected to a suction
device using negative pressure as a suction source. In this case,
dust generated in a gap between the repair surface and the
substrate portion by polishing is sucked from the dust collection
passages 13 and introduced into the suction device 33 having a
negative pressure source efficiently.
[0034] Suction is carried out from the through holes 31 formed in
the ground paper 1. Some of the through holes 31 are located at the
boundaries between the first face plate portion and the second face
plate portions, with the result that high dust collection
efficiency may be obtained.
[0035] The reason therefor resides in that, even when either one of
the face plate portions is contacted to the polishing surface, the
other face plate portion floats from the polishing surface and dust
can be collected powerfully from the floated portion because the
boundaries between the first and second face plate portions 4 and 5
are angled.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0036] In the accompanying drawings
[0037] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a polisher according to an
embodiment of the present invention;
[0038] FIG. 2 is a side view of the polisher according to the
embodiment of the present invention;
[0039] FIG. 3 is a front view of the polisher according to the
embodiment of the present invention;
[0040] FIG. 4 is a side view of a ground paper for polishers
according to an embodiment of the present invention set on a
mechanical sander;
[0041] FIG. 5 is a front view of the ground paper for polishers
according to the embodiment of the present invention set on the
mechanical sander;
[0042] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the holding plate portion of
the polisher having the ground paper for polishers according to the
embodiment of the present invention;
[0043] FIG. 7 is a top view of the substrate portion of the
polisher having the ground paper for polishers according to the
embodiment of the present invention;
[0044] FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of key parts of the substrate
portion of the polisher having the ground paper for polishers
according to the embodiment of the present invention;
[0045] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the relative positional
relationship between the elastic members of the polisher having the
ground paper for polishers and dust collection passages according
to the embodiment of the present invention;
[0046] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing use of the polisher having the
ground paper for polishers according to the embodiment of the
present invention;
[0047] FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of the substrate portion when
the polisher having the ground paper for polishers according to the
embodiment of the present invention is used;
[0048] FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of the substrate portion when
the polisher having the ground paper for polishers according to the
embodiment of the present invention is used;
[0049] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the operation directions of the
polisher having the ground paper for polishers according to the
embodiment of the present invention;
[0050] FIG. 14 is a sectional view of a repair surface according to
an embodiment of the present invention;
[0051] FIG. 15 is a plan view of a ground paper for polishers
according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0052] FIG. 16 is a plan view of a ground paper for polishers
according to another embodiment of the present invention;
[0053] FIG. 17 is a plan view of a ground paper for polishers
according to still another embodiment of the present invention;
[0054] FIG. 18 is a side view of a polisher having the ground paper
for polishers and a suction device according to the embodiment of
the present invention;
[0055] FIG. 19 is a sectional view for explaining that dust is
sucked from a portion around the ground paper for polishers
according to the embodiment of the present invention;
[0056] FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a manual polisher having
the ground paper for polishers according to the embodiment of the
present invention;
[0057] FIG. 21 is a diagram showing the polishing of a repair
surface using a mechanical sander of the prior art; and
[0058] FIG. 22 is a diagram showing use of a polisher of the prior
art.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0059] The present invention will be described in detail with
reference to FIGS. 1 to 20.
[0060] A ground paper to be attached to a polisher will be
described together with the polisher and polishing method.
[0061] In an embodiment of the present invention, a case where
putty as a repair material and a surfacer are made from an
ultraviolet curable material are used will be described. Prior to
the explanation of the polisher of the present invention, a repair
surface P1 to be polished will be first described.
[0062] To form the repair surface P1, a damaged portion is
pretreated according to the damage of the damaged portion which is
a repair surface (surface to be polished). The pretreatment
includes the degreasing and removal of a coating film (may be
referred to as "old coating film" hereinafter) formed on a vehicle
and the removal of feather edges. The degreasing of the old coating
film is a pretreatment which is carried out in most cases in a
general repair method using no ultraviolet curable resin.
[0063] The removal of the old coating film is a treatment made on
the old coating film at the damaged portion and therearound
according to the damage of the damaged portion unlike degreasing.
When the damage is a depression, the old coating film of the
depression is removed in most cases. When the damaged portion is a
linear cut, scratch, nail puncture, or the like as the old coating
film has already been removed, it is judged whether the old coating
film should be further removed according to the situation.
[0064] The removal of feather edges is carried out simultaneous
with or after the removal of the old coating film to give a gentle
slope from the surface of a steel plate or a surface of a resin
part from which the old coating film has been removed toward the
coated surface in order to improve adhesion of putty P. The
inclination angle of the feather edge is generally about 27 to
54.degree. The removal of the feather edge has been carried out in
the prior art and is carried out in accordance with the prior art
method in this embodiment.
[0065] Thereafter, the damaged portion and therearound from which
the old coating film has been removed are preferably cleaned by
blowing compressed air or the like and further degreased.
Optionally, the damaged portion which has been pretreated is filled
with a putty raw material composed of an ultraviolet polymerizable
composition. Preferably, the ultraviolet polymerizable composition
used as the putty raw material comprises an ultraviolet
polymerizable prepolymer, ultraviolet polymerizable monomer,
ultraviolet polymerization initiator and the like as essential
ingredients, in addition to an ultraviolet polymerizable
composition which is generally used as a putty raw material for
automobiles, etc., and a sensitizer, pigment, filler, anti-foaming
agent, surface modifier, solvent and the like as optional
components.
[0066] In this embodiment, a damaged portion of the repair surface
which has been pretreated is filled with the putty raw material as
required. The putty raw material can be filled by the same method
as in the prior art. Preferably, a slightly larger amount of the
putty raw material than the volume to be filled is divided into
several portions which are filled several times. For the first time
of filling, an appropriate portion of putty is squeezed into the
damaged portion with a plastic spatula. Further, the remaining
amount of putty is divided into appropriate portions which are
filled into the damaged portion with the plastic spatula such that
air is not included in the putty raw material. After the putty raw
material is filed, the portion filled with the putty raw material
slightly rises from the surface of the old coating film and the
rising of the putty filled portion from the old coating film is as
tall as about 0.1 to 1 mm from the old coating film. The thickness
of the portion filled with the putty raw material is generally 0.4
to 3 mm, depending on the thickness of the old coating film.
[0067] In this embodiment, the putty surface P1 is obtained in the
damaged portion which has been pretreated as required by curing the
putty raw material. When the volume of the putty raw material is
slightly reduced by the curing of the putty, the rising of the
putty from the surface of the old coating film may be slightly
smaller than that before curing. To obtain the putty surface P1
which is a surface to be polished, the putty surface P1 may be
formed not only by the above method, but also by filling a putty
raw material containing no ultraviolet polymerizable composition.
That is, a repair surface may be formed in accordance with the
method of the prior art.
[0068] Thereafter, the polisher of the present invention is set on
an existing sander to polish the putty surface P1 rising from the
surface of the old coating film to make it flush with the surface
of the old coating film. The mechanical sander holding the polisher
of the present invention is an existing straight sander, orbital
sander, or the like.
[0069] The straight sander is a type of vibrator which is powered
by electricity, compressed air, or the like, and its movable
portion 55 makes simple reciprocation on a plane parallel to the
surface to be polished as its vibration direction. Therefore, a
polisher set on the straight sander polishes while it makes simple
reciprocation on the surface to be polished.
[0070] The orbital sander is a type of vibrator which is powered by
electricity, compressed air, or the like, and its movable portion
55 makes an orbital motion on a plane parallel to the surface to be
polished as its vibration direction. Therefore, the polisher held
by the orbital sander polishes while it makes an orbital motion on
the surface to be polished. These mechanical sanders include one
for simply polishing a surface to be polished as well as a dust
suction type one for polishing while dust generated by polishing is
captured by a dust suction port provided at a predetermined
location.
[0071] The polisher of the present invention held by these sanders
100 will be described in detail hereinafter. In this embodiment, a
dust suction type straight sander having a dust suction port at a
predetermined location is used as a sander provided with the
polisher of the present invention.
[0072] The polisher of this embodiment comprises a substrate
portion 30 for holding an abrasive on a surface opposite to the
repair surface, a holding plate 2 provided in parallel to the
substrate portion 30 with a predetermined space therebetween and
elastic members 3 interposed between the substrate portion 30 and
the holding plate 2. The substrate portion 30 has a first face
plate portion 4 fixed to the holding plate 2 with a predetermined
space therebetween and second face plate portions 5 which are
connected to respective end portions of the first face plate
portion 4 and are rotatable about connection lines as an axis, for
connecting them and the first face plate portion 4.
[0073] The second face plate portions 5 are rotatably provided
within a predetermined range from a position where they are flush
with the first face plate portion 4 in a direction that they
approach the holding plate 2.
[0074] The holding plate 2 is produced by cutting an aluminum
plate, polycarbonate plate, or the like into a rectangular plate
form as shown in FIG. 6. Its face plate portion 6 has a plurality
of bolt insertion holes 7 into which bolts 19 for fixing the
holding plate 2 to the sander 100 and a dust collection port 8
which is connected to a dust suction port provided at a
predetermined location of the sander 100. End portions on the long
sides of the face plate portion 6 are bent downward (direction
toward the side of the surface to be polished at the time of
polishing). Further, end portions on the short sides of the face
plate portion 6 are also bent downward. In the following
description, "downward" denotes a direction toward the side of the
surface to be polished at the time of polishing.
[0075] The substrate portion 30 which consists of the first face
plate portion 4 and the second face plate portions 5 is provided
below the holding plate 2 through the above elastic members 3.
Lower end portions of the elastic members 3 and the substrate
portion 30 are bonded together, and upper end portions of the
elastic members 3 and the holding plate 2 are bonded together by an
adhesive.
[0076] The substrate portion 30 consists of a single thick resin
plate which is cut out as a rectangle having short sides slightly
longer than the short sides of the holding plate 2, and an adhesive
sheet 11 which is bonded to the under surface of the resin plate
and detachably holds sandpaper as shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8.
[0077] A ground paper 1 is adhered to the entire surface of this
adhesive sheet 11. The adhesive sheet 17 is not always necessary.
When an adhesive layer (not shown) and release paper are provided
on one side of the ground paper 1, the adhesive layer can serve as
the adhesive sheet 11 by removing the release paper.
[0078] In the above description, the sander which is operated by
air pressure or electricity is described. FIG. 20 shows a manual
sander. This type of sander has a grip 103 on the first face plate
portion 4 so that it can be handled by one hand.
[0079] A detailed description is given of the ground paper 1 to be
attached to the polisher.
[0080] The ground paper 1 is a so-called sandpaper and many holes
31 are formed in the ground paper 1. That is, as shown in FIGS. 15
to 17 which show three different ground papers 1 which differ from
one another in size, some of the through holes 31 are located on
the boundaries between the first face plate portion 4 and the
second face plate portions 5, and are formed at positions for
dividing the longitudinal direction of the substrate portion 30
into almost three sections.
[0081] The through holes 31 located on the first face plate portion
4 are formed at positions for dividing the longitudinal direction
of the substrate portion 30 into almost 4 to 8 sections.
[0082] The width D1 of the ground paper 1 shown in FIG. 15 is 75
mm, the distance D2 between the through holes 31 which should be
located on the boundary between the first face plate portion 4 and
each of the second face plate portions 5 is 60 mm, the distance D3
between the through holes 31 which face each other is 40 mm, the
distance D4 between a set of inner through holes 31 out of all the
four through holes 31 formed at positions corresponding to the
second face plate portions 5 is 40 mm, the distance D5 between
these and the outer through holes 31 is 30 mm, and the width D6 of
each of the two second face plate portions 5 is 16 mm. This is a
standard sized ground paper for electric or manual sanders.
[0083] The width D7 of the ground paper 1 shown in FIG. 16 is 75
mm, the length D8 of the ground paper 1 is 230 mm, the distance D9
between the through holes 31 which should be located on the
boundary between the first face plate portion 4 and each of the
second face plate portions 5 is 60 mm, the distance D3 between the
through holes 31 which face each other is 40 mm, the distance D10
between a set of inner through holes 31 out of the six through
holes formed at positions corresponding to the second face plate
portions 5 is 40 mm, the distance D11 between these and through
holes 31 adjacent thereto is 30 mm, and the width D12 of each of
the two second face plate portions 5 is 16 mm. This is a large
sized ground paper.
[0084] The width D13 of the ground paper 1 shown in FIG. 17 is 75
mm, the length D14 of the ground paper 1 is 138 mm, the distance
D15 between through holes 31 which should be located on the
boundary between the first face plate portion 4 and each of the
second face plate portions 5 is 60 mm, the distance D16 between the
through holes 31 which face each other is 40 mm, the distance D17
between a set of inner through holes 31 out of the four through
holes formed at positions corresponding to the second face plate
portiond 5 is 40 mm, the distance D18 between these and through
holes 31 adjacent thereto is 30 mm, and the width D19 of each of
the two second face plate portions 5 is 16 mm. This is a
small-sized ground paper.
[0085] The reason for the preparation of three different sized
ground papers 1 is that the best ground paper 1 can be selected
according to the size and position of a damaged portion to be
repaired and the handling ease of an operator.
[0086] An imaginary line L in FIG. 7 shows the outline of the above
holding plate 2. There are formed two V-shaped cut grooves 12 and
12 which extend linearly in the longitudinal direction of the resin
plate from proximal ends T located at inside positions
corresponding to approximately 1/4of the total width from both the
corners A on the short sides.
[0087] The V-shaped cut grooves 12 and 12 form portions where
strength lowers locally in the resin plate. That is, they form thin
flanges for the resin plate. The thin flange is a moving means of
moving part of a desired member by forming a linear thin portion on
the desired member as an axis. In this embodiment, the thin
portions are formed in the substrate portion 30 by the V-shaped cut
grooves 12 and 12 so that part of the substrate portion 30 moves
with the two cut grooves 12 and 12 as being boundaries. In this
embodiment, the inner side of the two cut grooves 12 and 12 is
defined as the first face plate portion 4 and the outer sides of
the two cut grooves are defined as the second face plate portions
5.
[0088] Dust collection passages 13 formed on the cut grooves 12 and
12 are located at substantially the same positions as the bolt
insertion holes 7 formed in the holding plate 2. Therefore, when
the holding plate 2 is to be set on the sander 100, the attachment
bolts 19 are inserted into the bolt insertion holes 7 in the
holding plate 2 which face the dust collection passages 13 from the
dust collection passages 13 formed on the cut grooves 12 and 12 to
fasten together the holding plate 2 and the sander 100 and to
attach the polisher to the movable portion 55 of the sander. Thus,
in this embodiment, the polisher can be easily attached to and
detached from the existing sander.
[0089] A description is subsequently given of the substrate portion
30 having the first face plate portion 4 and the second face plate
portions 5 and 5, and the elastic members 3, interposed between the
substrate portion 30 and the holding plate 2, for holding the
substrate portion 30 to the holding plate 2.
[0090] As shown in FIG. 9, the elastic members 3 consist of a first
support member 14 for supporting the periphery of the first face
plate portion 4, a second support member 15 for supporting a center
portion of the first face plate portion 4 and third support members
16 for supporting the second face plate portions 5 and 5.
[0091] The first support member 14 is made of a 6 mm thick hard
sponge which is almost the same in size as the first face plate
portion 4 and has an inner punched portion 17 formed by punching.
The first support member 14 is fixed to the periphery of the resin
plate forming the first face plate portion 4 by an adhesive. The
size of the punched portion 17 is such as desired by a plurality of
dust collection passages 13 formed in the first face plate portion
4 and the second face plate portions 5 and 5.
[0092] As for the dust collection passages 13 formed on the
boundaries between the first face plate portion 4 and the second
face plate portions 5 and 5, that is, across the cut grooves 12,
part of the first support member 14 is projected toward the second
face plate portions 5 to form bypass portions 18 so that the first
support member 14 bypasses the dust collection passages 13.
Therefore, the dust collection passages 13 formed on the boundaries
between the first face plate portion 4 and the second face plate
portions 5 are open to the inside of the punched portion 17 like
the dust collection passages 13 arranged in a row substantially at
the center of the first face plate portion 4.
[0093] The second support member 15 is made of a hard sponge formed
as a 6 mm thick rectangle and arranged on the inside of the punched
portion 17 of the first support member 14 and substantially at the
center of the first face plate portion 4 and supports substantially
the center of the first face plate portion 4. The second support
member 15 is much smaller than the punched portion 17 of the first
support member 14 and arranged not to cover the dust collection
passages 13 and the dust collection port 8 all of which are open to
the punched portion 17.
[0094] The first support member 14 and the second support member 15
are made of a hard sponge having elasticity and have a large
support area for the first face plate portion 4. As a result, the
first face plate portion 4 is fixed to the holding plate 2.
[0095] The third support members 16 consist of a plurality of hard
sponges formed cylindrical with a height of 6 mm and a diameter of
about 5 mm and coil springs 20 disposed around the respective hard
sponges. The hard sponges and the coil springs 20 are provided at
the centers of the second face plate portions 5 and 5 in a
longitudinal direction at predetermined intervals. They determine
the positions of the second face plate portions 5 with respect to
the holding plate 2.
[0096] The third support members 16 have a much smaller cross
section than those of the first support member 14 and the second
support member 15 and can be easily bent by fingers. Therefore, the
third support members 16 are fixed to such an extent that the
second face plate portions 5 can be easily moved with respect to
the holding plate 2. That is, the second face plate portions 5 and
5 are fixed to the holding plate 2 by the flexibility of the third
support members 16 and connected to the first face plate portion 4
in such a manner that they can rotatable about the cut grooves 12
as rotary axes.
[0097] According to the above constitution, when an external force
(pressure) is applied to the second faceplate portions 5, the
second face plate portions 5 move in a direction that they approach
the holding plate and when the external force (pressure) applied to
the second face plate portions is removed, the under surfaces of
the second face plate portions 5 return in a direction that they
become flush with the under surface of the first face plate portion
4. When an external force is kept applied to the second face plate
portions 5, parts of the second face plate portions 5 are contacted
to side wall portions 9 on the long sides of the holding plate 2,
whereby their movable ranges are limited.
[0098] The movable ranges of the second face plate portions 5 can
be easily altered by changing the heights and angles of the side
wall portions 9 of the holding plate 2. They can also be altered by
changing the thickness of the hard sponge forming the elastic
members 3. When each of the movable ranges is to be set and the
polisher is operated within the arbitrarily set movable range, the
movable range is set to ensure that a well polished surface can be
easily obtained.
[0099] A description is subsequently given of the use method and
polishing process of the sander 100 equipped with the polisher
having the above constitution with reference to FIGS. 10 to 13.
[0100] As shown in FIG. 10, the sander 100 is first operated such
that only the second face plate portion 5 is contacted to the putty
surface P1. That is, linear polishing is carried out with the
second face plate portion 5 alone. Since the second face plate
portion 5 has a certain width, a stable operation feeling is
obtained in spite of linear polishing operation using the edge
portion 56 which has been carried out by the prior art method shown
in FIG. 22. The local excessive abrasion of the ground paper 1
located at the edge portion of the substrate portion 30 can also be
suppressed.
[0101] As the second face plate portions 5 are made of a thick
resin plate (having a thickness of about 1 to 2 mm), they have
flexibility in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal
direction thereof, that is, vertical direction of the substrate
portion 30. Therefore, the second face plate portion 5 bends along
the undulations of the putty surface P1 and the second face plate
portion 5 (ground paper 1) contacts the putty surface P1 uniformly.
Therefore, a more stable operation feeling is obtained with the
polisher and linear polishing can be carried out efficiently. The
flexibility of the second face plate portion 5 is set such that the
convex portions of the putty surface P1 can be polished
smoothly.
[0102] After linear polishing is carried out with the second face
plate portion 5, as shown in FIG. 12, the sander 100 is operated
such that both the first face plate portion 4 and the second face
plate portions 5 are contacted to the putty surface P1 to carry out
face polishing. Thus, by suitably using the surfaces of the
substrate portion 30 as polishing surfaces, a satisfactory flat
surface can be easily obtained in a short period of time.
[0103] As for the operation direction of the sander 100 for linear
polishing and face polishing, for example, polishing is preferably
carried out in a cross hand manner as shown in FIG. 13. Polishing
may be carried out by selecting the type of sandpaper (ground paper
1) from No. 80 to No. 180 in such a manner that the sandpaper
number is increased stepwise according to the situation.
[0104] A primer surfacer is applied to the flattened putty surface
P1 to form a primer surfacer layer. Preferably, a primer surfacer
layer is also formed on a portion around the boundary between the
putty and the old coating film. It is recommended to form the
primer surfacer layer such that its thickness becomes the largest
and fixed at a portion around the boundary between the putty and
the old coating film and becomes smaller as the distance from the
boundary increases.
[0105] The primer surfacer used in this embodiment is preferably a
primer surfacer made from an ultraviolet polymerizable composition.
A primer surfacer coated surface formed by applying the primer
surfacer containing an ultraviolet polymerizable compound is
irradiated with ultraviolet light to cure the primer surfacer
layer. A coating is applied to the primer surfacer layer to finish
the repair of the damaged portion.
[0106] Dust generated by a set of polishing works is sucked by a
dust collector 33 (dust collecting means) shown in FIG. 18. The
dust collector 33 is connected to the dust collection passages 13
by a shroud 35 incorporated in the sander 100 and the dust
collection passages 13 communicate with the through holes 31.
Therefore, dust generated on the ground paper 1 is sucked from the
through holes 31 efficiently.
[0107] The present invention is not limited to the contents of the
above embodiments and one of ordinary skill in the art can make
various changes and modifications in the present invention without
departing from the spirit and scope as set out in the accompanying
claims.
* * * * *