US2082020A - Method of buffing and polishing articles - Google Patents

Description

June 1, 1937. c, MOON 2,082,020

METHOD OF BUFFING AND POLISHING ARTICLES Filed June '7. 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. (711mm 2/700,

Bylaw ATTORNEYS.

June 1, 1937. c. R. MOON METHOD OF BUFFING AND POLISHING ARTICLES Fil-ed June 7, 1935 4 SheetsSheet 2 HPII M m w K H w ATTORNEYJ.

June 1, 1937. c. R. MOON METHOD OF BUFFING AND POLISHING ARTICLES Filed June 7, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENT OR. Ova/at; K. Moo/v.

ATTORNEYS.

Patented June 1, 1937 PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF BUFFING AND POLISHING ARTICLES Charles R. Moon, Muncle, Ind., assignor to Ontario Ind., a corporation Manufacturing Company,

Muncic,

Application June '7, 1935, Serial No. 25,478

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a new and novel method of bufling and polishing, particularly in respect to articles having a curved formation, such as the curved handles of tableware, the

curvature of table forks, spoon bowls, and the like.

It is the object of this invention to provide a new method of buffing or polishing whereby the article may be automatically and mechanically presented to a pair of bufling or polishing wheels so that the operation may be simultaneously applied to both opposite surfaces and permit relative movement between the article and wheels to accommodate them to various 5 curvatures which may be found in the article.

Another feature of the invention resides in oscillating the article laterally with respect to the plane of rotation of the wheels, particularly wherein the surface to be polished is concavo- 20 convex, as in the bowl of a spoon. In such instance the oscillation is about the center of curvature of the bowl, resulting from oscillation of the gripping jaws.

Another feature of the invention resides in 25 causing a reciprocatory movement of the buffing and polishing wheels longitudinally of the article, thus covering a substantial surface thereof longitudinally as well as laterally through oscillation of the article as above described.

Another feature of the invention resides in providing an up and down movement of the polishing wheels simultaneously with, or independently of, the movements above described for following variations in longitudinal curvature of 35 the article. such as a spoon handle.

Other features of the invention will be hereinafter more fully set forth and described in re: spect to the method employed for buffing and polishing. I

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of anapparatus employed for carrying out the invention. Fig. 2 45 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a portion of the apparatus illustrating the relation of the bufiing and polishing wheels to the bowl of a spoon at the second stage of the operation. Fig. 4 is the same as Fig. 3 showing 50 the third stage thereof. Fig. 5 is a section through the gripping jaws for holding the article v in operative position, with the jaws in open position with parts in section. Fig. 6 is the same as Fig. 5 showing a plan view thereof with parts in 55 section. Fig. 7 is a rear elevation of the bufling and polishing unit. Fig. 8 is a section taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 1. Fig. 9 is a section taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 1.

For illustrating one type of apparatus in carrying out the method, and as applied to buffing or polishing the bowl of a spoon, there is shown in the drawings a frame support ill for the turret unit, and a frame support H for the buffing and polishing unit. Both frames are mounted upon a base plate l2, the turret having a top plate IS. The turret structure embodies a turntable having a plurality of gripping jaws thereon, there being illustrated herein six in number spaced radially around the turntable. As indicated in Fig. 2, there is a plurality of bufling or polishing units spaced about the turret. One such unit is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, and similar duplicate units are outlined in Fig. 2 as being positioned about the turret at four spaced stations.

In general operation, the specific apparatus illustrated herein is so arranged that the article is moved about the turret, coming to rest at one of the six stations. At the first station, the jaws which are open, clamp the article. It is then carried by the turntable to the next station, wherein it is presented to the buffing or polishing wheels for the first operation. When the article is brought to each succeeding station, it comes to rest for a period of sufficient duration to permit of the buffing or polishing operation. Thereupon it proceeds to the next station for the next succeeding operation. After passing through the several operating stations, it comes to a releasing station, wherein the jaws open and the article drops out, the jaws remaining open for replacing another article until they are closed at the first-mentioned station.

For driving the turntable and associated parts there is provided a motor ll mounted on the base l2 which drives a worm l5 through a driving belt IS. The worm l5 drives a worm wheel H, which in turn drives a shaft l8 to which is keyed a gear l9 meshing with an idler gear 20 rotating on a shaft 2|. The shaft 2| extends upwardly through the top plate [3 for supporting the turntable 22 which is intermittently rotated as hereinafter described. Said turntable carries a plurality of article-gripping jaws 23 in which are mounted removable holder blocks 24 between which the article 25 is gripped.

As illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, the gripping jaws 23 are operated by a toggle 26 connected with a lever 21 pivoted on a bracket 28 which rigidly supports the lower jaw, the upper jaw being pivoted to the end of the lever 21. One

end of the toggle bears upon the compression spring 28 supported in the well of thebracket and adjustable by a screw 38 for controlling the yielding pressure under which the article 25 is gripped. The jaws are adapted to receive the removable holder blocks 24 which are changed to accommodate the curvature of their adjacent faces 3| to the corresponding curvature of the particular article to be gripped thereby. To center the elevation of the jaws with respect to the bufling and polishing wheels there is provided a screw 32 which adjnstably positions the jawsupporting plate 33. The toggle 26 is actuated by a rod 34 having an eye 35, which is fulcrumed in the plunger 36. Said plunger is held under spring tension by the springs 31 against a cam 38 so that in normal extended position the jaws are held open as illustrated in Fig. 5 and in compressed position they are closed to article clamping position. The plunger 36 is provided with a roller 38 which is engaged by the periphery of the cam 38, which cam is supported above the turntable so as to be oscillated with respect to the top plate l3 and jaws, whereby the turntable, with the clamping members, rotates thereabout during its oscillatory movement.

The cam is provided with a relieved portion of its periphery, indicated at 40, so that when the roller rides over said relieved portion, it releases or opens the jaws and when it rides over the remaining periphery of the cam, the plunger is forced forwardly under tension of the springs 31 to close the jaws and clamp the article. Thus, as indicated in Fig. 2, the jaws are held in clamping position by the periphery of the cam at stations No. No. 2, No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5. At station No. 6, the roller rides into the relieved portion 40 to open the jaws which remain open until station No. is reached, whereupon the jaws are again clamped on the next article to be treated.

The clamping jaws and the associated mechanism above described are all supported by a cylindrical housing 4| having a horizontal axis,

said housing being rotatably mounted within a bearing 42 supported by the turntable 22. Thus, the jaws are free to oscillate about a horizontal axis. For oscillating said jaws there is provided a pinion 43 keyed to the barrel-like housing 4|, which pinion is engaged by a rack 44 mounted on the vertically-extending plunger 45 of a piston 46 mountedin an air cylinder 41. Thus, upon operation of the piston in the air cylinder in the usual manner for reciprocating the rack 44, the jaws 23 are oscillated about a horizontal axis. The piston in the air cylinder is operated in the manner hereinafter described.

One of the several buffing and polishing units supported by the frames II will be described, it being understood that there is a plurality of such units spaced around the turret, as above mentioned. Mounted on the frame I I there is a pair of horizontally-disposed slide bars 58 upon which a carriage 5| is adapted to reciprocate to and from the turret by the means hereinafter described. Supported upon the carriage there is a framework 52 carrying a pivotally-mounted arm 53 at the top thereof. The forward end of said arm carries a supporting bearing 54 for the drive shaft carrying the upper bufling and polishing wheel 55. The opposite end of the shaft from the wheel is provided with a pulley 56 driven by a belt from a pulley 58. The pulley 58 is mounted on a shaft extending through a bearing support 58- having a pulley 68 on the opposite end thereof which is driven by a belt 6| on a pulley 62, the latter pulley being driven by a motor 63.

The lower wheel 85 is mounted upon the bearing head 86 which in turn is supported by an arm 61 pivoted on the frame 52. The wheel 65 is driven through the head 66 by a pulley 68 and belt 68 from pulley 10' positioned immediately below the pulley 58. The pulley 18 is mounted upon a shaft extending through a bearing 1| upon the other end of which a pulley 12 is mounted driven by a belt 13 from a pulley 14 by a motor 15.

The wheels and 65 are held together under spring tension by a spring 16 adjustably connected to the respective wheel supporting arms 53 and 61. Thus, the article 25 being processed is clamped between the wheels 55 and -65 under spring tension. However, the relative position of the said wheels as well as their position in respect to the article may be adjusted to take up for wear or for varying positions of the article by the adjustable screws 11 and 18. The screw 11 screws through a knob 18 on the arm 53, and the screw 18 screws through a similar knob 88 on the arm 61. at their lower end to the arms 8| and 82, respec-- tively. Thus, the screw 11 has a tendency through the tension of the spring to pull the arm' 8| upwardly against a cam 83 while the tension of the spring 16 forces the screw 18 and arm 82 downwardly against said cam. Each of said arms 8| and 82 is pivotally connected to fixed portions of the frame at 84. The function of the cam 83 is to simultaneously raise and lower the wheels 55 and 65 to correspond with their movement back and forth as hereinafter described so that they will jointly follow the curvature of the article to be operated upon.

For moving the wheels back and forth longitudinally of the article, the carriage 5| is caused to slide upon the rods 58 by a link 85 which is pivotally connected to said carriage at one end. The other end of said link is pivotally and adjustably connected by a bolt 86 to an oscillating disk 81 pivotally supported upon a bed plate 88, the bolt 86 extending through one of the radial slots 89 formed in said disk. Said disk is provided with similar slots to which smaller corresponding arms 85 are connected for each of the several buffing and polishing units.

The disk 81 is oscillated by a driving disk 88 keyed to and driven by the shaft l8 and having its bearing in the bed plate 88, as indicated at 8|. The driving disk 98 is provided with a diametrically-extending T-groove 82 for adjustable reception of the connecting head of the link 83. The other end of said link is bolted to the disk 81 at 84.

The jaws 23 are laterally oscillated and. the bufling and polishing wheels 55 and 65 are opened and closed in respect to the article 25 by.compressed air. The operation of the rack and pinion arrangement for oscillating the jaws is above described as being actuated by the piston and cylinder 46, 41. For opening and closing the bufiing and polishing wheels there is provided a cylinder 85 containing a piston 86. The cylinder 85 is mounted on the arm 53 and the piston 86 is connected by a plunger 81 with the arm 61. Thus, when the piston is forced downwardly, it causes the arms 53 and 61 to spread, thereby separating the wheels 55, 65 against the tension of the springs 16. The cylinders 85 are connected to an air valve 88 mounted on the bed plate 88 through an air line as illustrated.

Said screws are both anchored aoaaoao The air cylinder 99 which is connected to the valve 98 through the air line I drives the shaft tion to the rotary movement of the turntable through the Geneva movement spider hereinafter described. This is for the purpose of alternately moving the reduced portion 40 of the cam 39 back and forth to more quickly and timely open and close the jaws 23. The compressed air to the valve 98 for distribution in timed relation to the various cylinders 41, 95 and 99 is drawn from any suitable source of compressed air not shown herein, through a central air line leading to the valve which likewise is not illustrated. The lines leading from the valve 98 to the cylinders 41 are omitted for the sake of clearness, inasmuch as they may be connected therewith in any suitable manner forming no part of this invention. In practice, however, a common air line passes from the valve 98 upwardly through the upper half of the shaft 2| which is hollow and through the central opening in the spider I05, the shaft 2I merely oscillating and not rotating. The separate lines from the cylinders 41 are connected with the common line through a swivel air connection to permit rotation relative thereto.

The valve 98 is controlled by a plunger-actuating cam IOI keyed to a shaft I02 driven by a gear I03 meshing with the gear 20 so as to operate the valve in timed relation with the movement of the turret. The turret likewise is rotated in timed relation with the operation of the valve through the medium of a Geneva driving shaft I04 engaging and driving a Geneva movement spider I05, said driving shaft I04 being keyed to and driven by the drive shaft I02. Thus, the turret carrying the six clamping jaws 23 is periodically rotated to move said jaws from station to station and cause them to dwell at each station for sufficient length of time to receive and discharge the article and effect the buffing and polishing operation.

In operation, the turntable or turret is rotated by the Geneva movement periodically from one station to the other, dwelling at each station sufficiently long to effect a complete operation at that station. In passing from station No. 6 to station No. I, the jaws 23 are opened. Suitable blocks 24 have been mounted in the jaws to accommodate by their curvature the particular article to be treated. During the movement from station No. 6 to station No. I, the article is insefted, either automatically or manually, into the clamping jaw, wherein it is rigidly clamped at station No. I. The Geneva movement then carries it to station No. 2. During its movement to station No. 2, the valve 90 has been operated to actuate the piston and cylinder 96 and 95 to open the bufling and polishing wheels 55, 65. Upon the station being reached, the article is positioned between said wheels which close and clamp upon it under tension of the spring 16 through the reverse action of the valve 98,0ylinder and piston 95 and 96. The wheels are continuously rotated by the motors 63 and 15 so that as soon as they are brought together by the action of the compressed air and spring, the buffing and polishing of the article begins and continues until rotation of shaft I02 again operates the Geneva movement and valve 98 to separate the wheels and rotate the turret to carry the article to station No. 3. While at station No. 2, however, the valve 98 is also operated to actuate the piston 1, to impart an. oscillatory movement to the cam 39 in timed relaand cylinder 46, 41, which swings and oscillates the article laterally about a horizontal axis to different lateral positions with respect to the buffing and polishing wheels.

After the dwell at station No. 2 sufficiently long to effect the desired buffing and polishing operation as above described, the shaft I02.causes the valve 98 to separate the wheels so as to release the article and the oscillation of the article iS stopped by the valve 98. Thereupon the shaft I02 again actuates the Geneva movement to rotate the turret for carrying the article to station No. 3. At station No. 3 another but similar operation is performed followed by corresponding operations at station No. 4 and station No. 5. At station No. 6, the stationary cam 39 permits opening of the jaws so that the article is released, the jaws remaining open for receiving a new article until the turret rotates the jaws to station No. I.

Wherein the character of the article operated upon is such that it is desirable to have the buffing and polishing wheels moved longitudinally over it, the wheels supported on the carriage I are caused to reciprocate back and forth through the medium of the link 85 which may be disconnected where such movement is not desired, or

adjusted in slots 89, and the extent of its movement controlled through adjustment of the link 93.

Wherein the character of the article is such that during the longitudinal movement of the bufling and polishing wheels, it is necessary to follow a particular curvature, the cam 83 may be operated to raise and lower the arms 53, 61 during the back and forth reciprocating movement of the carriage. Any desired curvature may be followed in this manner by changing the position of the cam 83, said cam being driven with such movement as desired by a yoke I00 extending down to the frame I I and pivotally connected therewith through the link I09. Thus, upon the carriage 5| being reciprocated back and forth by the link 85 and relative to the stationary frame II, the cam 83 will be caused to rock by reason of such relative movement. The relative position of the wheels and carriage to the turret may also be adjusted through the longitudinally extending adjusting screw I01.

The apparatus is shown herein as applied to the bowl of a spoon. In operating upon the bowl, it is desirable to have the oscillating or rocking action so that the side surfaces of the bowl will be acted upon by the polishing wheels as well as the central portion thereof. By reason of the character of the bowl of the spoon, station No. 2 operates thereon as indicated in Fig. 1, wherein the top or smaller wheel 55 rotating in a counterclockwise direction at about 5000 R. P. M. lies in engagement with the upper surface of the front end of the bowl. The lower and larger wheel 65 operating at about 3000 R. P. M., rotates in a clockwise direction, engaging the under surface of the bowl toward the heel portion. When the spoon is carried to station No. 3, the relative positions of the wheels are as illustrated in Fig. 3, wherein the upper wheel engages the upper surface of the bowl joining the handle, while the lower wheel engages the under surface of the bowl. toward the free end thereof. When the turret carries the article to station No. 4. the wheels are in the relative positions illustrated in Fig. 4, wherein the upper wheel engages the central portion of the upper surface of the bowl and the lower wheel engages the central portion of the under surface thereof.

Station No. 5 may or may not be employed for an operation. However, such station is provided to take care of any additional operation which may be necessary, or to operate upon any portion of the article which has 'not been fully or sumciently covered by the preceding three operations.

wherein it is desired to bufi and polish the handle of the spoon, the clamping blocks 24 are designed to conform to the curvature of the bowl of the spoon so that the handle protrudes from the jaws for receiving the operation. When the handle is operated upon, it is not necessary to utilize the oscillating movement so that the valve piston and cylinder 46, 41 are disconnected. In this instance, however, it is desirable to so adjust the link 93 as to give substantial longitudinal movement to the wheels through the link 85, the cam 83 being so arranged and provided as to cause the wheels to move up and down as they move longitudinally of the handle in order that their travel may correspond to the curvature.

The invention claimed is:

1. The method of automatically bufiing and polishing the bowl of a spoon consisting in gripping the spoon by the handle thereof and presenting it first between a pair of oppositely-disposed bumng and polishing wheels, engaging the surface of the bowl adjacent the toe and the undersurface thereof adjacent the heel, rocking said spoon between said wheels while rotating them at a high rate of speed, presenting the bowl of the spoon between another pair of wheels, engaging the upper surface adjacent the heel and the lower surface adjacent the toe, and in addition thereto presenting said spoon to a third pair of wheels engaging the upper and lower surfaces of the spoon intermediate the heel and the toe.

2. The method of bufling and polishing an article consisting in gripping one end' of an elongated concavo-convex article and holding it between a pair of oppositely-disposed buifing and polishing wheels, maintaining said wheels in continuous engagement with the opposite concave and convex surfaces of the article, respectively, while rotating them at a high rate of speed, and simultaneously rocking said article about its 1ongitudinal axis in engagement with said wheels and reciprocating said wheels longitudinally of said article.

CHARLES R. MOON.

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