A device for automatically effecting the charging of the workpieces and the discharging of the treated workpieces in plane lapping machines with double plateau

Abstract

 A device for automatically effecting the charging and discharging of the workpieces into and out of lapping machines provided with double plateaux (2, 3) or planes which device comprises a circular charging plane (9) which carries piece-holders or satellites (4) and is located side by side near a lapping machine (1), a passage plate or table (13) inserted between said lapping machine (1) and said charging plane (9); a manipulating device intended for deducting from the lower plane (2) of the lapping machine (1) the satellites with the finished workpieces and for transferring them on said charging plate (9) by sliding over said passage table (13); a station of discharge for the finished workpieces which station is provided on said charging plane (9) and communi­cates with a conveying belt (35); means for rotating step by step said charging plane (9) so that the empty satellites (12) are carried in succession under a filling assembly and are brought to a station which is in line with the axis of said manipulating assembly which removes each satellite filled with the workpieces to be lapped and disposes it on the lower plateau of the lapping machine for a fresh operating cycle.

Description

[0001] The object of the present invention is an improvement in plane lapping machines with a double plateau.

[0002] As will known to the experts in the lapping machines of the above kind, the workpieces are stowed in housings which are provided in edge-toothed discs or satellites which are arranged in angularly symmetrical positions over the lower plane or plateau of the lapping machine.

[0003] At the end of the treatment cycle, the treated workpieces must be discharged and replaced with a fresh series of workpieces. This operation implies a remarkable labour in as much as it is substantially hand-made and it negatively influences the working time and consequently the machine efficiency.

[0004] The purpose of the invention is to provide a device which effects in a totally automatic way, at the end of each operating cycle, the removal operation of the satellites full of treated workpieces, the discharge of the latter on a conveying belt, the filling of satellites with pieces to be treated and the further arrangement of the satellites in the lapping machine.

[0005] According to the invention a device is provided which comprises a circular satellite-carrying plane near the side of the lapping machine, a passage plate or table located between the lower plane of the lapping machine and said circular charging plane, means for rotating step by step said two circular planes (that is the charging plane and the lower lapping plane) in synchronism with one another, a discharge station provided on said charging plane and communicating with a conveying belt, a feeding chute assembly intended for filling said empty satellites and a manipulating assembly of which the task is for removing in succession the satellites of which the workpieces have been treated and disposing them on said circular charging plane upstream of the discharge station, by passing them on the intermediate plate and for removing the full satellites and dispose them in the respective positions in the lapping machine.

[0006] Said manipulating assembly comprises a self­centering pliers provided with seizing means which is intended for engaging a center bore of the satellite and a pair of slide ways or guides which permit to said pliers to transfer each satellite from the operating machine to the charging plane and vice-versa by sliding over said intermediate connecting table or plate.

[0007] Said passage intermediate table or plate has an alternate horizontal movement with short stroke the purpose of which is for approaching it to the edge of the lower plane of the lapping machine upon the lowering of the driving crown of the satellites with the purpose of consenting to said pincers the transfer of the satellite on said intermediate table said intermediate plate being provided also with a vertical displacement which permits to the satellite and to the pincers a sufficient lowering down to the level of said circular charging plane.

[0008] The seizing pliers in addition to said transfer, undergoes also a vertical displacement together with the intermediate passage table.

[0009] When the latter has reached the level of the charging plane, said manipulating assembly resumes its horizontal movement for transferring the satellite on said charging plane, in the station of arrival of the finished workpieces which comes before the next discharging station of the same workpieces on a conveying belt.

[0010] The feeding assembly of the workpieces to be lapped comprises a tank and a pair of channels or chutes which are arranged in correspondence with two series of housings for the workpieces which housings are provided in each satellite and are brought in correspondence to said chutes by a pinion which engages the toothed edge of the satellite.

[0011] This invention will be now described with referen­ce to the attached drawings which represent a non limitative embodiment of this invention.

[0012] In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows a front perspective view of a lapping machine which is equipped with the device according to the invention.

Fig. 2 shows a plane view corresponding to Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows a section view according to line 1-1 of Fig. 2 with some parts removed for better clarity.

[0013] With reference to the drawings, number 1 indicates the whole of a lapping machine which is provided with a lower plane 2 and an upper plane 3 which, when pressed one against the other, actuate the lapping operation. Such machine is not described in detail because it is well known and covered with other patents by same applicant and is illustrated in Fig. 1 where the two planes - which are also called plateau - 2 and 3 are spaced at the end of the working cycle.

[0014] On lower plane 2 are arranged, in angularly symmetrical positions, satellites 4 which are provided with a toothed edge and receive their rotation from a crown 5 which is partially shown in Fig. 2.

[0015] At one side of the above mentioned lapping machine the assembly is provided for charging, discharging and transferring the satellites, in which assembly a mount 8 is included on which a circular charging plane 9 is mounted which is provided with radial stiffening ribs 10. Charging plane 9 can support a number of satellites 12 and can rotate at intermittent speed about a central vertical axle 11 (Fig.1) of which it is provided. Satellites 12 are arranged on plane 9 at constant angular distances from one anothers. The turning speed of plane 9 depends on the number of satellites 12 which are located on plane 9 (which satellites are shown in a number of seven in Fig.2).

[0016] Obviously the satellites 4 on the lapping machine (of which a number of five is shown in Fig.2) and the satellites 12 on the charging plane 9 are identical and then interchangeable but for better clarity they have different reference numbers.

[0017] Between the operating machine and the charging plane 9 a passage table 13 is provided of which the front edge 14 and the rear edge 15 are respectively shaped according to a circle arc concentrical with plane 2 of the lapping machine and with the charging plane 9. A first plate or table 13 is connected with a second underlying plate 16 (Fig. 3) which at its turn can vertically slide along rods 17, due to cylinder 18, with respect to the frame which is formed by fixed side plates 19 which are anchored to the mount 8 and by the upper cross member 20. The passage horizontal plate 13 can also effect a short horizontal travel being actuated by cylinder 21 of Fig. 3.

[0018] Above charging plane 9, in a center position the manipulating assembly is fastened which comprises support 22 which has the horizontal cylinder 23 mounted thereon.

[0019] The latter actuates horizontally sliding rod 24 which is fastened to fork 25 having two sliding sleeves 26 which slide on horizontal slideways or guides parallel to cylinder 23. Fork 25 in its front part carries head 28 which is provided with self-centering pliers 29 which can be moved vertically due to cylinder 30 and engage the center bore of each satellite.

[0020] At the side of the charging plate 9 a reservoir 31 is located which contains the workpieces to be lapped which reservoir has two feeding channels 32 and 33 the outlet ends of which lie in the vertical of the housings 7, 7′ of the workpieces. A pinion 34 engages the teeth of satellites 12 so that the latter are rotated and said housings are filled with workpieces 7.

[0021] The operation is as follows: at the end of each operating cycle, the upper plate 3 is raised as shown in Fig. 1 and one of the satellites 4 with the finished workpieces is disposed in alignement with the passage plate or table 13.

[0022] Thereafter the driving ring gear 5 is lowered and the passage table 13 advances so as to approach with its front curved edge 14 plate 2 of the lapping machine and head 28 of manipulating assembly advances until it moves pliers 29 to engage the center bore of satellite 4. After engagement, head 28 recedes and tranfers the satellite on charging plane 9 and disengages itself therefrom.

[0023] After setting the satellite in position A of Fig. 2, the charging plane 9 effects the rotation of a step in counter-clockwise direction as indicated by arrow F and the satellite reaches position B where at the finished workpieces are discharged on a conveying belt 35 which conveys them on a collection point.

[0024] By the rotation of charging plane 9, a satellite full of workpieces which was at point C takes up the position aligned with the passage table 13 and the previously operations are repeated on the contrary whereby said satellite is taken by the manipulator and pushed first on the passage table 13 whereafter this raises and approaches the operating machine 1 and at last the satellite is positioned on lower plane 2 in place of the one deducted before hand. Subsequently the following steps occur: exclusion of table 13, raising of crown 5, rotation through one step of satellites on plane 2 and descent of the crown.

[0025] Thereafter the already mentioned cycle is repeated for the five satellites 12 to be arranged on lapping machine. When the charging is completed the upper plane 3 descends and the cycle - treatment is effected. During the cycle the charging plane 9 rotates step by step and the various empty satellites which arrive from the discharge station B, - being rotated by pinion 34 - pass under the channels 32 and 33 and are gradually filled with workpieces to be lapped.

[0026] Obviously the above charging and discharging system in combination with the thickness measuring device of the workpiece which is the object of the European Patent Application nr.8730086.2 of the same applicant permits to totally automatize the operation of the lapping machine provided that both the devices were applied.

[0027] The present invention has been illustrated and described in a preferred embodiment. However structured variants can be practically contributed therein without sorting from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A device for automatically effecting the charging and discharging operations into and from lapping machines which are provided with a pair of plateaux or planes characterized by the fact of comprising a satellite (12) charging circular plane (9) which borders the lapping machines (1); a passage plate (13) or table located between the lapping lower plane and said charging plane; means for rotating step by step said two circular planes (2,9) in synchronism one to the other; a discharge station provided at said charging plane (9) and communicating with a conveying belt (35); a chute feeding assembly (31, 32, 33) for filling said satellites (12) when empty, and a manipulating assembly (22, 23, 24, 25) of which the purpose is for successively removing the satellites which carry the treated workpieces from the lower plane (2) of the lapping machine and disposing them on said charging plane (9) upstream of the expelling station and for withdrawing from the charging plane the satellites full of workpieces to be lapped and disposing them in the respective positions on the lapping machine still passing over said intermediate table (13)

2. A device according to claim 1 characterized by the fact that said manipulating assembly comprises a self­centering pliers (29) provided with seizing means which are intended for engaging a center bore of each satellite said assembly comprising a pair of horizontal slideways (27) which allow said pliers to transfer each satellite from the operating machine to the charging plane and vice­versa over, by causing it to slide over said intermediate passage table.

3. A device according to claims 1 and 2 characterized by the fact that said pliers is carried by a head (28) slidably connected by means of sleeves (25) with said horizontal slideways (27) and actuated by a cylinder (23) located between said two slideways.

4. A device according to claims 1-3 characterized by the fact that said intermediate passage table (13) is provided with a reciprocating short stroke horizontal movement by a cylinder (21) of which the purpose is for approaching the edge of the lower plane of the lapping machine, after the lowering of the satellites driving crown (5) for allowing said pliers to transfer the satellite onto the intermediate plate, the latter being also provided with a reciprocating movement in vertical direction by a cylinder (18) for lowering down to the height of the charging plane.

5. A device according to claims 1-4 characterized by the fact that also said pliers is provided with a vertical movement which enables it to keep engagement with said satellite during the vertical displacement of the passage table.

6. A device according to claims 1-5 characterized by the fact that the upward displacement of the pliers is controlled by a cylinder (30) which is mounted vertically on the head (28) of the manipulating assembly.

7. A device according to claims 1-6 characterized by the fact that the two front (14) and back (15) edges of the intermediate passage table (13) are profiled according to circle arcs, corresponding respectively to the circum­ference of the lapping machine and to the circumference of the charging plane whereby a perfect approachement of the table with said two elements is obtained.

8. A device according to claims 1-7 characterized by the fact that whenever said intermediate table reaches the level of the charging plane, said manipulator assembly resumes its horizontal stroke for transferring the satellite on said charging plane at the station of arrival of the finished workpieces which station precedes the next discharge station of the same workpieces on said conveying belt (35).

9. A device according to claims 1-8 characterized by the fact that the feeding assembly of the workpieces comprises a tank (31) and a pair of chute channels (32,33) which are disposed to correspond with two series of housings (7) of which each satellite is provided which housings are driven to correspond with said channels by a pinion (34), which is located at the charging station and engages to toothed rim of the satellite.

10. A device for automatically effecting the opera­tions of charging and discharging the workpieces of flat double plateau lapping machines according to claims 1-9 substantially as described and illustrated.

Drawing