Patent ID: 6264534
Filing Date: 2001-07-24
Classification: B24B,B24D

Abstract:
A vehicle sanding mechanism comprising:a.) at least one sanding head adapted for movement along a vehicle surface;b.) a carriage mounted on said head for movement along a line normal to the vehicle surface;c.) a rotary motor mounted on said carriage; said motor having a hollow drive shaft rotatable around an axis that is parallel to said aforementioned line;d.) a resilient pad (52) carried by said drive shaft;e.) a replaceable sanding disk adhesively secured to said pad, whereby said sanding disk rotates with the motor shaft; said sanding disk having an abrasive surface adapted to have three hundred sixty degree pressure contact with a vehicle surface;f.) force-responsive power means trained between said sanding head and said carriage for maintaining a relatively constant pressure between the sanding disk and the vehicle surface while the motor is operating and the head is moving along the vehicle surface; andg.) means for automatically replacing the sanding disk when said disk has a diminished sanding capability; said disk replacement means comprising a first device for stripping a worn disk from said resilient pad, and a second device for attaching a replacement sanding disk to said paid; said second device comprising means for holding a stack of replacement sanding disks in a predetermined orientation below the disk attachment pad, and weight means overlying edge areas of said stack so that when said disk attachment pad is in the process of lifting a replacement disk from the stack, said weight means exerts sufficient force on the stack to separate the uppermost disk from the stack.