Patent ID: 6663465
Filing Date: 2003-12-16
Classification: B23Q,B24B,B25J

Abstract:
Method for honing blades (4) of knives and scissors, said blades (4) having a longitudinal extent (L), a thickness (D) and a height (H) and cutting edge (19) with a contour (K), the method comprising the main steps of:taking up a blade (4) from a feed station (1), feeding the blade (4) into a honing station (2), honing the blade (4) between two contra-rotating grinding wheels (6a, 6b) of the honing station (2), and depositing the blade (4), and performing said main steps by means of a robot (3) with a memory-programmable control and with a manipulator (5) movable in at least four of the six possible translatory and rotational degrees of spatial freedom, accommodating the blade (4) in a holding device (9) of a gripper head (8), fixed to the manipulator (5) and, before carrying out said main steps, approximating the contour (K) of the cutting edge (19) of the blade (4) between selected, succeeding pairs of support points (Xi, Xi+1; Xi+1, Xi+2; Xi+2, Xi+3; . . . ) over the longitudinal extent (L) of the blade (4) by a contour (K) approximation selected from the group radii (Ri; Ri+1; Ri+2; . . . ) elliptical sections, exponential functions, and spline functions feeding said pairs of support points (Xi, Xi+1; Xi+1, Xi+2; Xi+2, Xi+3; . . . ) and the associated approximation values into a computer operatively associated with the robot (3) with memory-programmable control; and using said computer to calculate a movement program for the manipulator (5), including the gripper head (8) with the holding device (9), to determine the position of the blade (4) during the honing operation by a line of cutting action (Sâ€”S) of the grinding wheels (6a, 6b), running between the grinding wheels (6a, 6b) parallel to their axes (Aâ€”A, Bâ€”B) and touching tangentially the contour (K) approximation of the blade (4).