GRINDING MACHINE FOR GRINDING A SURFACE OF A WORKPIECE

Abstract

The invention relates to a grinding machine for grinding a surface of a workpiece, wherein the grinding machine comprises a plurality of grinding elements (2) and at least one drive device, by means of which the plurality of grinding elements (2) can be set in oscillatory motion, wherein the grinding machine comprises at least two supporting structures (4), on which at least one grinding element (2) is arranged and which can be moved in an oscillatory manner in directions opposite each other by the at least one drive device.

Claims

1. A grinding machine for grinding a surface of a workpiece, comprising: a plurality of grinding elements; at least one drive device which is configured for bringing the plurality of grinding elements into an oscillating motion; and at least two carrying structures on each of which at least one grinding element of the plurality of grinding elements is disposed, and wherein the at least two carrying structures are movable in oscillating fashion in opposite directions by the at least one drive device.

2. The grinding machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one drive device has a pivot element on which, at two different positions, the at least two carrying structures are disposed in such a manner that they are movable in opposite directions by an oscillating pivoting movement of the pivot element.

3. The grinding machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least on drive device has a rotary element on which the at least two carrying structures are disposed by a conversion device in such a manner that the conversion device converts a rotary movement of the rotary element into opposite transverse movements of the at least two carrying structures.

4. The grinding machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein one or more of the plurality of grinding elements are wire cup brushes which are mounted rotatably about an axis of rotation.

5. The grinding machine as claimed in claim 4, further comprising at least one rotary drive is disposed on each of the at least two carrying structures, wherein the at least one rotary drive one each of the at least two carrying structures rotates the wire cup brushes disposed on the at least two carrying structures about the axis of rotation.

6. The grinding machine as claimed in claim 5, wherein the at least one rotary drive is disposed such that it rotates adjacent the wire cup brushes in opposite directions.

7. The grinding machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least two carrying structures are mounted so that they are displaceable along a guide.

8. The grinding machine as claimed in claim 7, wherein the at least two carrying structures are pulled out of the grinding machine by being displaced along the guide.

9. The grinding machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein a same number of grinding elements of the plurality of grinding elements is arranged on each of the at least two carrying structures.

10. The grinding machine as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a conveying device for conveying the workpiece in a conveying direction, and the at least two carrying structures are displaceable in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction.

11. The grinding machine as claimed in claim 10 wherein each of the at least two carrying structures are displaceable in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction independently of one another.

Description

[0022] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention is explained in more detail below with the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0023] FIG. 1 shows a schematic plan view of an excerpt from a grinding machine according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention,

[0024] FIG. 2 shows a schematic side view of a grinding machine according to a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention,

[0025] FIGS. 3a+3b show the schematic arrangement of force-transmission means of a grinding machine according to a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention,

[0026] FIG. 4 shows a schematic sectional illustration through a grinding machine according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and

[0027] FIG. 5 shows a further schematic plan view of an excerpt of a grinding machine.

[0028] FIG. 1 shows a schematic plan view of a part of a grinding machine. The figure shows a multiplicity of grinding elements 2, which are configured as wire cup brushes. They are disposed on two carrying structures 4, which may be configured as carriages. A rotary drive 6 is located on each carrying structure 4 and sets the grinding elements 2 in rotation on their respective carrying structure 4 by way of force-transmission means 8.

[0029] Each carrying structure 4, by way of the right-hand end as seen in FIG. 1, is secured to a pivot element 10, which in the exemplary embodiment shown is configured as a drive wheel. At two opposite positions 12, the carrying structures 4 are connected to the pivot element 10, in the exemplary embodiment shown by way of tapping points. The pivot element is then pivoted in oscillating fashion, this oscillating pivoting motion being converted into an oscillating linear motion as indicated by the double arrow 14. The particular configurations of the tapping points by which the carrying structures 4 are secured to the positions 12 of the pivot element 10 allow in fact exclusively linear oscillating movements to be carried out by the carrying structures 4.

[0030] FIG. 2 shows a schematic side view of the equipment illustrated schematically in FIG. 1. The grinding elements 2 are configured as wire cup brushes and project downwards in the direction of the workpiece. The two rotary drives 6 are illustrated offset with respect to one another, since the two carrying structures 4, which in the view shown are arranged one behind the other, are also positioned offset with respect to one another. The pivot element 10 is illustrated in the right-hand part of FIG. 2.

[0031] The carrying structures 4 are mounted by means of a guide 16, which is only schematically illustrated and along which they are configured to be displaceable. The guide itself is mounted by way of two length-adjustable supports 18, the length of which is adjustable. In this way, the distance between the grinding elements 2 and a workpiece or a conveying device on which the workpiece is conveyed can be adjusted. In this way, it is also possible to use a separate guide 16 for each carrying structure 4, said guide having special supports 18, so that the height of the various carrying structures 4 can be adjusted independently. If appropriate, the articulation of the carrying structures 4 on the pivot element 10 must be taken into suitable consideration here.

[0032] FIGS. 3a and 3b each show schematic plan views of grinding elements 2, which in their upper part have gearwheels 20, by means of which they mesh with the force-transmission means 8. The latter may, for example, be configured in the form of a toothed belt or a chain. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 3a, adjacent grinding elements 2 are operated in opposite rotational directions, while in the exemplary embodiments shown in FIG. 3b all the grinding elements 2 are rotated in the same direction. For this purpose, diversion rollers 22, which ensure a sufficient tension of the force-transmission means 8, are present between each pair of grinding elements 2.

[0033] FIG. 4 shows a side view along the longitudinal extent of the carrying structures 4. The figure shows the grinding elements 2 and the carrying structure 4, which in the present case is configured as a carriage. The carrying structure 4 engages in guides 16, which in the exemplary embodiment shown are suspended from a carrier 24. As illustrated in FIGS. 3a and 3b, the gearwheels 20 mesh with the force-transmission means 8, which is not shown in FIG. 4. The supports 18, which support the carrier 24, are again vertically adjustable, in order to be able to adjust for different thicknesses of the workpiece. Moreover, a further height-adjustment frame 26 may be present. The height adjustments of the height-adjustment frame 26 and of the supports 18 ensure that it is possible to react to workpieces of different thicknesses and grinding brushes of different lengths. In particular if the various carrying structures can be vertically adjusted separately from one another, it is also possible to use different grinding brushes for different carrying structures 4.

[0034] The particular feature of the grinding machine presented here is the drive which leads to the oscillation of the two carrying structures 4. Since the carrying structures 4 always have to be moved in opposite directions, accelerated and decelerated, particularly if the masses of the two carrying structures 4 together with the elements located therein are identical, the mass forces and inertia forces cancel one another out. If the masses are not exactly identical, the mass forces and inertia forces are merely reduced. This particular drive form allows the oscillation speeds and frequencies which are appropriate to the particular application to be made as high as desired without disruptive mass forces acting externally on the machine structure of the grinding machine.

[0035] FIG. 5 shows the situation in which the carrying structures 4 are displaced to the left, in the direction indicated by the arrows 28, along the guides, which are not illustrated in FIG. 5. For this purpose, first of all the pivot element 10 is moved into the neutral position, and then the connection between the pivot element 10 and the carrying structures 4 is released. Then, the carrying structures 4 can be displaced and moved to the left over the guide and in this way, for example, removed from the grinding machine in order to fit different grinding elements 2, to clean the equipment, to carry out maintenance or to carry out other forms of checks.

LIST OF DESIGNATIONS

[0036] 2 Grinding element [0037] 4 Carrying structure [0038] 6 Rotary drive [0039] 8 Force-transmission means [0040] 10 Pivot element [0041] 12 Position [0042] 14 Double arrow [0043] 16 Guide [0044] 18 Support [0045] 20 Gearwheel [0046] 22 Diversion roller [0047] 24 Carrier [0048] 26 Height-adjustment frame [0049] 28 Arrow