U.S. patent application number 09/895247 was filed with the patent office on 2002-01-17 for edging unit applicable to machines for working the edges of plates particularly of glass plates.
This patent application is currently assigned to Z. BAVELLONI S.p.A.. Invention is credited to Bavelloni, Franco.
Application Number | 20020006771 09/895247 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 11445493 |
Filed Date | 2002-01-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020006771 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bavelloni, Franco |
January 17, 2002 |
Edging unit applicable to machines for working the edges of plates
particularly of glass plates
Abstract
An edging unit applicable to machines for working the edges of
plates, particularly of glass plates, comprising, at least one edge
of a plate being worked, a first movable element and a second
movable element which respectively support a first grinding wheel
and a second grinding wheel. The movable elements are connected to
actuators in order to respectively move the first grinding wheel so
that it acts on the front edge of the plate being worked and the
second grinding wheel so that it acts on the rear edge.
Inventors: |
Bavelloni, Franco; (San
Fermo Della Battaglia, IT) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MODIANO & ASSOCIATI
Via Meravigli, 16
MILANO
20123
IT
|
Assignee: |
Z. BAVELLONI S.p.A.
|
Family ID: |
11445493 |
Appl. No.: |
09/895247 |
Filed: |
July 2, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
451/65 ; 451/121;
451/194 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B24B 27/0076 20130101;
B24B 9/102 20130101; B24B 41/04 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
451/65 ; 451/121;
451/194 |
International
Class: |
B24B 007/00; B24B
009/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 17, 2000 |
IT |
MI2000A001617 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An edging unit for glass plate edge working machines,
comprising: a first movable element; a second movable element; said
first and second movable elements being arranged at at least one
edge of a plate being worked; a first grinding wheel supported at
said first movable element; a second grinding wheel supported at
said second movable element, and actuation means operatively
connected to said first and second movable elements in order to
respectively move said first grinding wheel so as to act on a front
edge of said plate being worked and said second grinding wheel,
respectively, so as to act on a rear edge of said plate being
worked.
2. The edging unit of claim 1, wherein said first and second
movable elements comprise a first arm and a second arm,
respectively, which are mounted for oscillating movement toward or
away from the edge of said plate.
3. The edging unit of claim 2, comprising a central shaft, said
first and second arms being pivoted to said central shaft.
4. The edging unit of claim 3, wherein said actuation means are
constituted by a first cylinder and a second cylinder which act
respectively at ends of said first and second arms.
5. The edging unit of claim 4, further comprising a carousel
element with respective supporting shafts for said first and second
grinding wheels; a motor for actuating said first and second
grinding wheels, said motor being supported by a frame of an edge
working machine, and said first and second grinding wheels being
supported at said supporting shafts.
6. The edging unit of claim 5, further comprising: a central pulley
which is coaxial to said central shaft and includes pulley regions
thereof; transmission means for connecting said motor to said
central pulley at said pulley regions; a first transmission belt; a
second transmission belt, said first and second transmission belts
being connected for actuation at said pulley regions; a first
pulley; and a second pulley which are keyed each on a respective
one of said supporting shafts of said first and second grinding
wheels.
7. The edging unit of claim 5, further comprising movement means
for moving said edging unit along a direction which is
substantially parallel to axes of said grinding wheels.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to an edging unit applicable
to machines for working the edges of plates particularly of glass
plates.
[0002] It is known that edging units are currently applied to
machines for working the edges of plates in general and of glass
plates in particular; in practice, said units are used to produce a
slight bevel at the edge of the plate.
[0003] This operation, which is absolutely necessary for glass
plates to be subsequently subjected to tempering, is meant to bevel
the edge and is performed by means of a grinding wheel rotatable
inside a carousel element provided by a plurality of rollers which
form the coupling with the edge of the plate, so that the grinding
wheel produces the bevel in the intended manner.
[0004] In solutions of the prior art, the edging unit is generally
constituted by an oscillating arm which supports a single grinding
wheel and is pushed by way of elastic means against the front edge
of the incoming plate; then the plate, as it continues its
translation movement, in practice moves the arm so that the rollers
engage the longitudinal edge until, once they have arrived at the
rear edge, the grinding wheel must be advanced, together with the
plate, so as to follow the working of the edge.
[0005] For this purpose, the oscillating arm is mounted on a
movable unit which follows the passing plate for a certain length
until the rear edge has been worked.
[0006] In the solutions of the prior art, therefore, a single
grinding wheel is provided being supported by an oscillating arm
which also supports the grinding wheel actuation motor, which is
usually axially aligned with the grinding wheel.
[0007] With this type of edging unit, the advancement speed of the
plate has to be reduced, since the grinding wheel has to follow the
plate along a certain length during the working of the rear
edge.
[0008] It is further necessary to keep a certain distance between
the contiguous plates since, once a rear edge has been worked, the
arm and the associated grinding wheel must return to the initial
condition so as to engage the front edge of the next plate.
[0009] In addition to a reduced operating speed, the moving masses
involved are relatively large, and it is necessary to move the
grinding wheel with the corresponding actuation motor; accordingly,
impacts can occur which damage the plate.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] The aim of the invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned
drawbacks, by providing an edging unit applicable to machines for
working the edges of plates in general and of glass plates in
particular which allows to significantly increase the operating
speeds by allowing to increase the advancement speed of the plates
being worked.
[0011] Within this aim, an object of the invention is to provide an
edging unit which allows to reduce the distance between two
contiguous plates being worked, accordingly reducing idle
times.
[0012] Another object of the present invention is to provide an
edging unit which allows to significantly reduce the moving masses,
thus allowing to apply lower pressures and reducing the impact that
inevitably occurs when the plate makes contact with the grinding
wheel; accordingly, the speed with which the glass makes contact
with the grinding wheel can be much higher, with the advantage of
higher productivity of the machine.
[0013] Another object of the present invention is to provide an
edging unit which, thanks to its particular constructive
characteristics, is capable of giving the greatest assurances of
reliability and safety in use.
[0014] This aim and these and other objects which will become
better apparent hereinafter are achieved by an edging unit
applicable to machines for working the edges of plates particularly
of glass plates, according to the invention, characterized in that
it comprises, at at least one edge of a plate being worked, a first
movable element and a second movable element which respectively
support a first grinding wheel and a second grinding wheel, said
movable elements being connected to actuation means in order to
respectively move said first grinding wheel so that it acts on the
front edge of said plate being worked and said second grinding
wheel so that it acts on the rear edge.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] Further characteristics and advantages will become better
apparent from the description of a preferred but not exclusive
embodiment of an edging unit applicable to machines for working the
edges of plates particularly of glass plates, illustrated only by
way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings,
wherein:
[0016] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the edging unit according to
the invention, illustrating the two grinding wheels engaged with a
plate;
[0017] FIG. 2 is a partially sectional view of the movable elements
with the corresponding actuators;
[0018] FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view, taken from the rear side,
of the edging unit, illustrating the grinding wheel actuation
means;
[0019] FIG. 4 is a sectional view, taken along the line IV-IV of
FIG. 3;
[0020] FIG. 5 is a sectional view, taken along the line V-V of FIG.
3.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0021] With reference to the figures, the edging unit applicable to
machines for working the edges of plates in general and glass
plates in particular, generally designated by the reference numeral
1, is usually provided at the end of the production cycle of edging
machines.
[0022] In the case of machines which work two opposite edges, with
the plate arranged flat, two edging units are provided, one for
each side, whereas in the case of machines which work one edge of a
vertically arranged plate a single edging unit is provided arranged
vertically at the end of the working of such edge.
[0023] The edging unit has a first movable element 2 and a second
movable element 3 which are advantageously provided by means of a
first arm and a second arm which are mutually pivoted at a central
shaft, designated by the reference numeral 4.
[0024] The movable elements respectively support, at their free
end, a first grinding wheel 5 and a second grinding wheel 6 being
arranged inside a conventional carousel element, generally
designated by the reference numeral 10, which is provided by means
of a rotating drum 11 which supports a plurality of rotating
rollers 12 being distributed circumferentially so as to determine
the coupling with the edge of a plate, designated by the letter L,
with correct positioning with respect to the grinding wheel, which
accordingly provides the bevel to the intended length.
[0025] The arms 2 and 3 can oscillate respectively by way of the
action of a first actuator 20 and of a second actuator 21 which are
constituted by a first double-acting cylinder 20 and by a second
double-acting cylinder 21 which act respectively at the end of
either arm.
[0026] The grinding wheels 5 and 6 are preset so that the first
grinding wheel works the front edge of the plate L, while the
second grinding wheel works the rear edge of the plate.
[0027] For this purpose, as shown schematically in FIG. 1, the arms
2 and 3 are pushed toward the plate passage region; after the first
grinding wheel has worked the front edge, the advancement of the
plate causes the arm 2 to move away thanks to the fact that the
rollers 12 engage the lateral edge of the plate.
[0028] Once the end of the plate has been reached, the second
actuator, constituted by the second piston 21, pushes the second
grinding wheel 6 so that it works the rear edge, without having to
move the entire unit in order to follow the plate.
[0029] The arms 2 and 3 are divaricated and are pushed against the
edge of the plate so as to work the edges according to a preset
program.
[0030] It is noted that since it is not necessary to follow the
plate during its translation movement, it is possible to achieve
considerably higher operating speeds than in the prior art and it
is further possible to leave a very small distance between two
contiguous plates.
[0031] Another important aspect of the invention consists in that a
fixed-position motor, designated by the reference numeral 30 is
provided, such motor being supported by the frame of the machine
and turns, by way of transmission means such as a first belt 31, a
central pulley 32 which is arranged coaxially to the central shaft
4 and includes pulley regions on which a first transmission belt 35
and a second transmission belt 36 act; said belts respectively turn
a first pulley 37 and a second pulley 38 which are keyed on the
same respective supporting shafts as said first and second grinding
wheels, supported at the carousel 10.
[0032] In this manner it is possible to turn the grinding wheels
without having to arrange the motor coaxially to the grinding wheel
as occurs in the prior art; in the described solution, the motor is
connected to the frame of the machine and motion is transmitted by
means of belts, so that the moving masses are very small, thus
allowing to have low pressure for the actuation of the actuators,
since the mass to be moved is small.
[0033] Moreover, since the moving mass is small, the impact is
reduced considerably and it is therefore possible to increase
operating speeds.
[0034] For the sake of completeness of description, it should also
be added that a first belt tensioner and a second belt tensioner,
both designated by the reference numeral 40, act respectively on
the first and second belts 35 and 36.
[0035] It should also be added that in order to vary the axial
position of the grinding wheels with respect to the glass plate,
for the purpose of providing uniform grinding wheel wear and of
positioning plates having different thicknesses in different points
of the grinding wheel, the entire unit can be moved parallel to the
axis of the grinding wheels.
[0036] According to a further embodiment, the unit is connected to
the fixed frame of the machine by means of a slider 50 and a
handwheel 51 is provided, to actuate a threaded stem 52 which
engages a seat formed by the edging unit.
[0037] From the above description it is thus evident that the
invention achieves the intended aim and objects, and in particular
the fact is stressed that an edging unit is provided which, by
using two separate grinding wheels for working the front edge and
the rear edge, allows to increase operating speeds considerably,
since the grinding wheel does not have to follow the plate during
the working of the rear edge as instead occurs in the known
art.
[0038] Another important aspect consists in that the drastic
reduction in moving masses allows to further increase speed without
the danger of damaging impacts between the grinding wheel and the
glass plate.
[0039] The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous
modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of
the appended claims.
[0040] All the details may further be replaced with other
technically equivalent elements.
[0041] In practice, the materials used, as well as the contingent
shapes and dimensions, may be any according to requirements.
[0042] The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No.
MI2000A001617 from which this application claims priority are
incorporated herein by reference.
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